Bites and Stings

from July August 2016

2016 Ambassador to the Breed

Bites and Stings: What Should You Know

Walking through the pastures or barns in the summertime can be relaxing, but when you come head-to-head with one of nature’s slithering snakes or creepy crawlers your heart may start pumping a little quicker. Thinking quickly could mean the difference between a trip to the emergency room and a trip to the recliner.

But what happens when your goat’s curiosity gets the best of them? A trip to the veterinarian can save the life of your animal. According to Paul Daniel, DVM at Crossroads Vet Clinic in Victoria, Tx, early signs of snake bites can be detected if producers are quick to inspect animals that are acting lethargic or “off.”

“Many times there is swelling or puncture wounds around a snake bite,” said Daniel. “But sometimes an animal may simply act lethargic or may not be eating or foraging with the rest of the herd.”

The biggest concern with most snake bites in animals is swelling. However, the skin around a bite may turn colors and begin to slough off.

“If the animals was bitten in the face or nose, there is concern about the airways closing up,” he said. “During these emergencies, it is important to act quickly to take the appropriate course of action.”

There are anti-venoms available for some types of snakes. Daniel said that administration of the anti-venom has been successful in horse and dogs. It is important that you are able to identify the type of snake so that your local veterinarian can proceed accordingly.

Daniel said that most animals with snake bites are successfully treated with antibiotics and a course of either steriodial or non-steriodial drugs.

As for what NOT to do, Daniel said, “Don’t cut it open and try to suck out the poison.”

Daniel went on to say that wraps and turnicates only exacerbate the problem and should be avoided.

The best thing, he said, is to take the animal to your local vet as quickly as the problem is identified so you can put together a plan.

Snake bites can progress rapidly, Daniel said. “Swelling occurs within the first hour and continues until about the 12th hour. After 24 hours, the swelling begins to subside.”

Summertime is also the time when wasps, bees, spiders, ants, scorpions and many other poisonous critters are looking for food and water. Keeping pens free of ant beds, and wasp/bee nests can be an important part of your routine.

There are a number of insecticides than can be used on animals and in the your goat kidding / show pens.

Permethrin and Cyfluthrin are just two of the active ingredients in some products that can be used according to the instructions to eliminate pests.

While these may be bothersome to your animals, they won’t likely cause a trip of the vet. However, it is important that young kids are not born in the way of these pests. More importantly, may be your own safety when it comes to these creatures.

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Managing Minerals - Zinc

Zinc is a necessary mineral for cell division and growth. And, where would cell growth and division be critical in all adult animals, including Boer goats? If you guessed sperm production in the testes, you guessed correctly. However, zinc is also an essential element required by animals to maintain a healthy immune system and to produce keratin (a protein that aides in the formation of hair, hooves and horns).

Suboptimal Zinc Levels

Suboptimal levels of zinc will slow down cell growth, even though there may not be any classical deficiency symptoms. It is common to supplement zinc in feeds to improve semen quality/quantity. Testicular disruption, impaired spermatogenesis and subsequent poor semen parameters are found in males animals with zinc deficiency.

Zinc Deficiency

The most obvious symptoms of zinc deficiency are in the hair and skin. A goat with zinc deficiency looks scruffy with flaky dandruff and odd shedding at unusual times of the year. Zinc deficiencies can be identified by a large patchy hair loss (alopecia). This type of hair loss is often associated with hair loss to mite bites.

The skin in a zinc deficiency will become dry, scaly and thick and may even become encrusted.

Zinc deficiency is often caused by excessive calcium in the diet, either from mineral supplements or calcium-rich foods, such as alfalfa.

Deficiency symptoms include reduced feed intake, weight loss, parakeratosis, stiffness of joints, excessive salivation, swelling of the feet and horny overgrowth, small testicles, and low libido.

According to the Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, animals fed a low zinc diet showed smaller seminiferous tubules and less semen development than the control group.

Tests in other species have also shown that high zinc levels have negative effects on sperm quality. Excessive zinc intake have indicated a negative effect of increasing doses of zinc on sperm count and motility.

Supplementation

Zinc must be supplied continuously because little is stored in the body in readily available form. Direct and indirect evidence indicates minimum ration requirements of 10 ppm.

Injectable zinc supplements are available by prescription, but are mostly formulated with other minerals. Injectable vitamins with zinc can be used prior to breeding seasons to maximize semen quality.