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About a month ago, I saw a great note on Goatslite from Sue Reith of Washington State regarding the medicines a well-prepared goat keeper should know how & why to use , and what medicines he/she should keep on hand. Sue has most graciously allowed me to filch her missive and publish it here.

I read through Sue's list, and keep most of these medicines on hand myself. As she points out - knowledge of what to do in a crisis is of little value if you don't have the "tools" with which to work at the ready. As a preface, it is recommended that most medicines be kept under refrigeration excepting during actual use. You may as well bite the bullet and give up a portion of your refrigerator to your goats. I well imagine that at some future date, you will raid your goat's medicine cabinet for some tidbit for yourself - at the very least for the Pepto or the KOPectate - so all is not lost. Another point of importance to note is that no vaccination (toxoids or bacterins) given before two months of age will infer proper permanent immunity on the kids to which they are given. It takes their little bodies two months to mature enough to start making their own antibodies. Hence, before two months of age, Antitoxins are the only things that might be effective in a crisis. This first group of medicines is available through catalogs (e.g. Jeffers, Omaha Vaccines, etc.) Some of them are available at your local COOP, at feed stores, or at your vets, also. Some of the meds are listed by "brand" names, but generics are often available at less cost.

The medicines are not listed in any particular order - for example alphabetically or by order of importance. So here goes:

So this is our first installment on the medications and supplies to have on hand. Next month, I'll give you the other half of the list. If you're new to "goating", you must be thinking by now that the goat is the most fragile and sickly of animals. Not so!!!! But as old Benjy used to say: "A stitch in time saves nine". And once you've lost that favorite old doe or your best youngster, you, too, will subscribe to strict preventive medicine. None of us surely wants to lose any life entrusted to us because of our ignorance. Good luck, and good "goating".


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Welcome PageDescription of Dairy HerdWhat's New at the Site?Crafts and Nifty StuffAlchemy's MenagerieTip of the MonthPrevious Tips of the MonthOther Resources of Interest