How to Use Slippery Elm to Treat Overeating Disease in Baby Goats

Dried and powdered, the inner bark of the slippery elm tree serves as an herbal remedy for the intestinal ailments of humans and animals alike, including goats. Overeating disease, an illness that occurs in goats of all ages, is especially serious in baby goats, also called kids. Overeating disease (enterotoxemia) develops when clostridium bacteria in your goat's stomach multiply and produce a toxin capable of killing your goat kid quickly if left untreated. Successfully treating your baby goat's overeating disease with slippery elm requires that you identify the illness in its early stages.

Things You'll Need

  • Cooking oil
  • Drenching syringe
  • Vitamin B12 (injectable)
  • VAM (injectable)
  • Vitamin C (injectable)
  • Sterile syringe and needle
  • Vitamin C (powder)
  • Dolomite (powder)
  • Slippery elm (powder)
  • Garlic tablets
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Instructions

    • 1

      Identify overeating disease in your goat kid. Symptoms of overeating disease that your goat might show include decreased appetite, a high fever and profuse--often blood-tinged--diarrhea; these symptoms typically occur after your goat kid has consumed too much food. Inspect your goat herd every time you feed them (typically twice a day) so you can catch the signs of this disease promptly. These signs could occur with other illnesses as well, so if you're not sure, consult with your veterinarian to make a diagnosis.

    • 2

      Administer an oral drenching of 1/2 cup of warm cooking oil. Put the warm oil in a goat drenching gun (syringe with a long metal tip), insert the end of the syringe into one side of your goat's mouth (behind its teeth) and depress the syringe slowly. According to Pat Coleby, a livestock consultant and author of "Natural Goat Care," providing this solution to your goat can help lessen a severe case of scours.

    • 3

      Give your goat kid a subcutaneous injection of supplemental vitamins and minerals to boost its immune system: 5 cc of vitamin B12, 2 cc of VAM (a solution containing a mix of vitamins and minerals) and 50 cc of vitamin C. Tent your goat kid's skin over one of its shoulder blades, insert the needle into the skin and inject the mixed solution slowly. You should be able to obtain all of these supplements from a livestock supply catalog or website or from your veterinarian.

    • 4

      Treat your goat kid orally with supplemental vitamins and minerals, as well as slippery elm. Give it 2 tsp. of vitamin C powder, 1 tsp. of dolomite (a limestone that contains magnesium and calcium), 1 tsp. of slippery elm powder and 1 tsp. of crushed garlic tablets; all of these supplements are available for purchase at a natural health store or website. Repeat this oral treatment at 2-hour intervals for the next 6 to 8 hours.

    • 5

      Watch for signs of improvement. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, slippery elm contains a gel capable of soothing your goat's stomach and intestines. If your goat doesn't show signs of improvement (such as increased appetite or lessening diarrhea) or the kid starts to get worse at any point, then you should take it to your veterinarian for emergency treatment.