OK, here are some of my medical supplies. The tool box makes a great container for the smaller stuff. The goats get the Apple cider vinegar in their water every day. Iodine, vitamin C, probiotics, biohazard container for used needles, bagbalm for utters, bloodstop - be sure to read the following post and comments about why one needs bloodstop by OFG (http://adventuresinthegoodland.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-not-to-trim-hooves-and-then-what-to.html), molasses, Karo syrup, and more.
You need prescriptions to get most of these as they are reserved for registered farms and/or breeders. Make sure to keep them refrigerated. These are mostly injectables, so if you are afraid of needles they won't be of much help to you. Pictured you will find; Penicillin, Oxytocin, CD/T toxoid, epinephrine (don't give your animals shots without having this on hand), and Banamine (anti-inflammatory).
Inside the box I have a stethoscope, triple antibiotic cream, large syringes, alcohol swabs, scissors, kid colostrum, and a brown paper bag (this is for me for when I hyperventilate after using this stuff).
Finally, needles, more syringes, vet wrap (works great on broken tree branches as well), pill splitter, pill crusher, thermometer, medicine dropper, and two oral antibiotics.
Whew, If we are missing something important please let us know!
Holy cow, have you used all this stuff? Or do you just like to be really really really prepared? : D We've been raising sheep for over ten years and haven't used more than a third of those items. Actually, I hope to get to a place where we use even less.
ReplyDeleteYour little Kia got under a fence the other day and was screaming because she couldn't find her Momma, so I had to run out in my jammies, robe and work boots (nice "visual", huh?) to open a gate and let the rest of the flock into the area she'd gotten into. Problem solved. She's grown so much since the last photo I'd taken. Need to take more photos, if it would just stop raining! Might need ark-building materials.
Today hubby moved them into the north end of the orchard to mow down the nearly shoulder high grass there (have I mentioned that we've had some rain?) after we'd put a hog panel around the bee hive there to protect it from getting bumped.
~ Ronda
I like being prepared for whatever may happen, I don't want anything to happen to the animals under my care. I hope I don't ever have occasion to use most of this stuff.
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear you are getting rain and the pastures are lush. Look forward to seeing more pictures and the sheep arriving.
Ooooh, I recognize a number of these items! Just as an FYI, I haven't had the best of luck with the Bloodstop (basically, the blood just kept on flowing) and then a friend told me to use baking soda instead because it works better (lol) - I haven't had a chance since to try it, but I will next time. I've read that flour does the trick, too!
ReplyDeleteYour comment about the paper bag made me laugh :-).
Epinephrine...jeez, you're the second person today I've read who has mentioned this. I've been injecting animals for over a year now and have never had this on hand... now *I* need that paper bag. Did you just get this at a farm store or do I need to get it from a vet? (Thanks for the tip!)
Thanks for the tip about the baking soda, I had to use bloodstop a couple of times here with good results. When Chip first came here his little disbudded horn spots started to bleed a bit from his rounds of headbutting Addison.
ReplyDeleteI got the Epinephrine via prescription from a Vet. The Epinephrine counteracts negative reactions from CD/T or penicillin shots that have cost many folks their goats lives.
I am a RN and I have to say that I was more nervous about giving the goats a shot than when I gave my fist shot to a human patient.
Hey, just now saw your response... yep, lots of rain. Still. Again. Still. Not very conducive to photo taking, but it sure makes the pastures grow.
ReplyDeleteDidn't realize (or forgot) that you are an RN... nope, we don't want anything to happen to the livestock under our care, either. I loaded up in the beginning with a lot of items that we never ever needed. : ) Hopefully, you will need very little of these. We've never had (or even heard of) sheep reacting to CDT shots. Is that a goat thing?
~ Ronda
I don't know if the CDT reaction is specific to goats or not, but the people on the Goat Blog state that once you see a goat react to the shot and pass you will never give another shot without having Epinephrine on hand.
ReplyDeleteHi! Just found your blog - love it! I took in a family (5) of goats about six months ago. I know nothing about goats - but they were extremely abused and well, it was an emergency situation. They are much better now and we love them to pieces. But, I have a couple of questions.
ReplyDelete1. Why do you put apple cider in the goats' water?
2. I've read about putting out baking soda. My goats poop in everything... Any recommendations for how to make soda available without changing it every day?
3. How often do you deworm your goats? Last time, I did it, I put the dewormer paste on a cookie and gave it to them. They ate it. Do you think that is okay?
Thanks for any input.
Farmer
www.farmer-rosehillfarm.blogspot.com
Farmer- We are just starting out with goats too- total newbies! We have picked things up from different sites including fiasco farm website, the goat spot message board and the wonderful breeders we purchased our goats from.
ReplyDeleteNow for your questions...
We put apple cider in the goats water because it is suppose to help with the prevention of urinary calci for wethers and some people say if you put it in the girls water they throw more does. What we have noticed is that with the apple cider vinegar the goats drink more and it controls the bucket yuck. No scrubbing needed!!
We have our baking soda mounted up on the wall. So far no goat poop in that- but that is about they only thing they don't poo in. I made my own mineral and baking soda dispensers for about $3 out of paint trim trays on a thin piece of scrap of wood. If you look back on our March 15th post there is a picture of it.
As far as worming goes it depends where you live and the amount of space the goats have to graze in as well as their barn space. Some people run their poo in to the vet and worm according to the test results. You are suppose to worm the day after a doe gives birth. There are different wormers for different types of worms. We are going to use a herbal wormer program here that requires us to give it to them twice a day for 3 days then weekly thereafter.
Bless you heart for taking in those goaties! I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoy ours.