How to treat diarrhea in kids at home, medicines and folk remedies
Diarrhea is the release of softened or liquid feces associated with indigestion. Normal feces in goats looks like hard balls, but with infectious diseases of the digestive tract, poor-quality feeding and content, the fecal masses change their consistency. In adults, with diarrhea, milk productivity decreases, and young animals can die from intoxication, so it is important to know the causes of diarrhea in kids and goats than to treat a sick animal.
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Causes of diarrhea in goats and kids
Children suffer from diarrhea more often. Their digestive tract is not yet adapted to the conditions of existence, so even insignificant pathogens provoke a malfunction of the stomach and intestines. Adult goats already have immunity from common infections; kids have not yet developed immunity.
But an adult goat can also develop diarrhea. The disease becomes inevitable when the owner feeds the animal poor-quality, moldy food, does not vaccinate in a timely manner. Often, diarrhea is observed in pregnant and giving birth to goats, which is associated with depletion of the body and a weakening of the immune system.
Improper feeding
Although goats are not capricious in their diet, poor quality feed is the most common cause of diarrhea. Moreover, diarrhea can be both an independent pathology and a symptom of a malfunction of the digestive organs. Diarrhea in kids and adults occurs due to:
- mold and decay of food;
- the presence of dirt and debris in the stern;
- traces of agricultural pesticides in forage grass;
- the ingress of disinfectants and other household toxins into the feed;
- the presence of poisonous herbs in the pasture;
- sharp autumn and spring changes in the diet;
- excess silage and other juicy feed with high acidity in the diet;
- insufficient inclusion of hay in the diet.
Gastrointestinal inflammation
Children can be carried in the event of gastritis, colitis, enteritis and other non-infectious inflammatory pathologies of the digestive tract.
These diseases occur due to:
- poor quality food;
- the presence in the diet of foods that cause fermentation in the digestive tract;
- a high percentage of silage in the diet;
- a sharp change in diet;
- premature transfer of kids to adult food;
- feeding the kids with the milk of a goat suffering from mastitis;
- exposure to stress factors;
- sunstroke, overheating of the body;
- retinol (vitamin A) deficiency;
- drinking dirty and cold water.
In sick kids and goats, appetite decreases, or even disappears altogether. Diarrhea is periodically replaced by constipation.Feces look like cow cakes with blood and mucous clots, food particles.
Non-infectious inflammatory pathologies are not accompanied by fever. Body temperature is slightly increased, sometimes even slightly below normal.
Infectious diseases
Diarrhea in kids can be accompanied by dangerous infectious pathologies listed in the table.
| Disease | Flow shape | Symptoms |
| colibacillosis | septic | body temperature 41-42 ° C, rapid and shallow breathing, reddening of the mucous tissues, grinding teeth, foam from the mouth, convulsions and paralysis |
| enteric | feces with blisters, mucous membranes and blood inclusions, reddish urine | |
| pasteurellosis | lightning | trembling, falling to the ground, death in a few minutes |
| acute | lethargy, poor appetite, temperature 41-42 ° C, mucous and purulent discharge from the nose, cough, convulsions, death after 3-5 days | |
| subacute | rhinitis, pneumonia, swelling of the chin and neck, after 2-3 weeks a transition to a chronic form is possible | |
| chronic | anemia, exhaustion, inflammation of the joints of the limbs | |
| salmonellosis | acute | lethargy, temperature about 41 ° C, rapid breathing, tachycardia, poor appetite, blood streaks and white lumps in feces, death occurs after 3-5 days |
| subacute | lack of appetite |
Worms and parasites in goats
Children infested with helminths and protozoan parasites are carried. Infection occurs alimentary: infected individuals defecate feces with microorganisms, and healthy goats eat food that has gotten a parasitic infection.
The table shows common helminths that affect goats and kids.
| Parasitic disease | Provoking parasites | Localization and features of the lesion |
| monieziosis | tapeworm up to 8 m | the source of infection is grass, the parasite lives in the intestines |
| alveococcosis | larvae that cause jaundice | affect the liver |
| fascioliasis | flatworms that cause jaundice | live in the bile ducts, diarrhea is dark in color due to the presence of bilirubin |
| paramphistomatosis | larvae of helminths, the main host of which is molluscs | the source of infection is grass, adult worms infect the stomach and duodenum |
| dictyocaulosis | round worm up to 15 cm | adult helminths inhabit the lungs, the larvae migrate into the intestines |
| strongyloidosis | filamentous nematode | lives in the intestines |
Signs of the disease
The main symptom of diarrhea in kids is frequent bowel movements, in which mushy or watery feces come out. Other symptoms are possible, depending on the cause of the diarrhea:
- nausea, urge to vomit;
- pain when touching the belly;
- weak or absent appetite;
- lethargy, drowsiness;
- fast and short breathing;
- tachycardia, arrhythmia;
- excessive gas formation;
- increased or decreased body temperature.
Diarrhea is a dangerous condition for both an adult goat and a kid. It leads to dehydration, metabolic disorders, intestinal microflora and the nervous system. An adult animal loses weight, gives less milk. If a newborn kid is carried, then intoxication begins, if untreated, the animal dies.
When a kid's loose stool is infectious, the stool is dark or green in color with blood streaks, and exudes a rotting smell. If diarrhea is non-infectious, then the color and consistency of feces are different, mucous and foamy inclusions, food particles are possible.
Methods for treating the disease
The sick animal is not fed for about 8 hours.Every 3 hours, give a glass of warm saline or oak broth. It is advisable to give the goat 2-3 tablespoons of castor oil. Similar first aid is provided to the kid, only castor oil cannot be given.
A sick animal is isolated, since diarrhea can be a symptom of an infection. And the room where the kid was located is disinfected.
Medicines
For infectious diarrhea use a 1% solution of the antiseptic "Rivanol" or 0.1% antimicrobial drug "Furazolidone". Antibiotics "Biomycin", "Levomycetin", "Biomycin" work well. The dosage is prescribed by the veterinarian. The goats can be given antibiotics "Sultasin" and "Ftalazol". The dose is 200 mg per 1 kg of body weight.
Preparations against helminthiasis in kids:
- for moniesiasis - "Panakur" (22 mg per 1 kg), "Cambendazole" (25 mg per 1 kg);
- from fascioliasis - "Politrem" in feed (0.14 g per 1 kg), "Ivomek" subcutaneously (1 ml per 50 kg);
- for paramphistomatosis - drugs "Panacur" and "Cambendazole";
- from dictyocaulosis - "Ivomek" subcutaneously (0.2 mg per 1 kg) and "Panakur";
- from strongyloidosis - "Nilverm" (100 mg per 1 kg).
Traditional methods
The first home remedy for diarrhea in goats is oak broth. Pour a tablespoon of bark with a glass of hot water. Put on a steam bath, hold until the liquid acquires a rich brown color. The solution is filtered, boiled water is added to 300 ml. The goat is given to drink 3 times a day before it can be fed.
You can use rice water. A glass of rice is soaked in water for 10 hours. Pour 1 liter of water, salt, boil for 1 hour over low heat. Filter, add 50 g of sugar to the liquid, bring to a boil. A sick animal is given a quarter glass of broth to drink every 2 hours.
Small kids are recommended to drink chamomile broth for diarrhea. It is prepared in the same way as oak.
Preventive actions
To prevent diarrhea in kids, observe the following rules:
- Competently make up a diet for animals. They provide a quality and balanced feed.
- Keeps the barn clean and tidy. Cleaning is carried out monthly.
- They give the kids clean and fresh drinking water.
- Provides a comfortable temperature and ventilation in the barn. Goats should not suffer from cold, stuffiness, high humidity.
- The kids gradually change their diet.
- They do not organize grazing on swampy pastures.
- To strengthen the immune system, the kids are given vitamin and mineral preparations.
What to do with milk from sick goats?
Diarrhea negatively affects not only the quantity but also the quality of milk. It contains few nutrients, so it is better to feed the kids with milk from a healthy goat.
If diarrhea is caused by an infectious disease, pathogens may be present in the milk of a sick goat. It is better to dispose of such a product. If you are sorry to do this, then you can use it only after boiling.
