High Protein Treatment for Goats

Goats, like many other mammals, are subject to developing anemia if heavily infected by one or more of any number of parasites. These parasites include liver flukes and barber pole or wire worms. Because both of these parasites feed on the blood of the host, it is extremely common for animals to develop anemia and hypoproteinemia, a protein depletion that commonly occurs where there is a rapid reduction in the number of red blood cells. One treatment for reversing hypoproteinemia is to feed a high protein diet to the goat to stimulate new red blood cell production.

  1. Symptoms

    • Symptoms of anemia and hypoproteinemia include: pale or white mucous membranes, listlessness, loss of appetite, bottlejaw or edema of the chin (the swelling of the chin area throughout the day), and incoordination. A quick test to determine whether or not the goat in question is anemic is to gently pull down the lower eyelid and expose the membrane that surrounds the eye. In a normal, healthy goat this membrane will be red or pink. In an anemic animal, this membrane will be gray, white or pale pink, depending on the severity of the condition.

    Treatment

    • Treatment consists of two steps. The first step is to determine the cause of the anemia. Most often the cause is parasitic or by blood loss attributed to trauma. Look the animal over carefully to see if it has been injured. If so, take the proper measures to clean and care for the wound(s). If you suspect that the cause is internal parasites, take a sample of feces to the veterinarian for testing, parasite identification and proper deworming medication.

    Supportive Care

    • The second step involves supportive care. The goat's body will need to be externally supported until it begins to recover. Regular Vitamin B-12 injections will be necessary, as well as high protein feeds and iron supplements. The high protein feeds are extremely important for reversing the hypoproeinemia condition and restoring the fluid balance in the blood vessels, reducing the chance of blood clots.

    Warning

    • In animals that are too debilitated to eat, stomach tube feedings with electrolyte and high protein solutions are necessary to ensure that the goat is receiving the nutrients it needs to reverse the life threatening condition. This process may take up to two weeks to get the goat back on his feet and eating on his own. The goat will remain on a high protein diet until the anemia is completely resolved.

    Recovery

    • Recovering from anemia and hypoproteinemia is a long process, taking as long as several months to get blood counts back to normal, and requires constant diligence from the owner to ensure that the goat is receiving the proper supportive care. High protein diets should be continued for several months to continue to stimulate the goat to produce red blood cells and replace lost proteins.