this little guy doesn't see like it bothers him that is only way i can tell you what it looks like.It is not real hard or any thing like that at frist I just thought he looked like he was gaining weight under his neck it is not on the sides at all,does any one know what this is.thanks all

-- Pastor Hughes (hbchurch@brightok.net), April 20, 2002

Answers

Might take a look at this picture, http://web.vet.cornell.edu/CVM/HANDOUTS/plants/birth- defects647/sld054.htm and see if it looks similar to your goat’s problem.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 20, 2002.

I am not exactly sure if kids can develope a milk goiter that young, but if they are nursing and getting a lot of milk suppose they can. We usually see goiters a few weeks after they are born.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 20, 2002.

That link didn't work, I copied and pasted it and got a white cannot display message. Here is the Cornell link I have.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 20, 2002.

OOPS, forgot to mention that this is usually a good sign and the kids are growthy. You can't really do anything I know of and in our experiences they go away when they stop nursing.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 20, 2002.

The url is too long, so plug goat goiter into google and you get this result:

Goat kid with goiter First Previous Next Last Index Text. Slide 54 of 63. web.vet.cornell.edu/CVM/HANDOUTS/plants/birth-defects647/ sld054.htm - 2k

So do a search and use the google result and see if that picture resembles what your goat has. Hope this helps.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 20, 2002.

OOPS, heres the link I have. http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/Kevgoat/goatlist.htm

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 20, 2002.

Found this info at this site: Goat Wisdom, http://www.goatwisdom.com/faqs.html#jawswell

Would appreciate you posting what you finally decide it is/was and the outcome or treatment.

"One of my goats has a swelling under the jaw. How can I tell what it is?

One option is "milk throat" a swelling which occurs in suckling kids, usually ones which are nursing rather heavily off a good producing Mom. It goes away when they stop nursing. If it is goiter (iodine deficiency) it will be down lower, nearer what would be the equivalent of the Adam's apple in humans. You would be able to feel it as a rather solid mass. If it is a goiter, you would best seek help from a vet.

Another scenario is "bottle jaw" which is a significant swelling below the chin and sometimes down front of the throat. This is an indication of fairly significant worm (internal parasite) infestation. The treatment is a good solid dose of worm medicine, perhaps exceeding the normal recommended dose a little and repeated 2 or 3 times until symptoms disappear. The only sure diagnosis is a fecal sample.

The other possibility is an abscess, which takes a little experience to diagnose, but it will show changes over time and probably some solidifying in parts of it and maybe erupting into something that bursts on its own, spreading organisms all over the place. Sometimes it is really hard to tell the difference between bottle jaw and a large abscess; but the abscess will eventually show changes in size or shape and possibly burst. Abscesses in this area can be rather dangerous and lead to difficult breathing or reduced blood flow."

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 21, 2002.

I wouldn't think at 3 days old this is either bottle jaw or an abscess. From reading the above posts I also think its related to drinking milk and probably will dissapear by the time he is weaned. As long as he acts good in other ways and its not affecting his eating or breathing , I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep an eye on him for any complications.

-- Kate in New York (Kate@sheepyvalley.com), April 21, 2002.

Goiter (enlarged thyroid) can also be a genetic condition. I have a Nigerian dwarf doe that has had two kids with goiter. She herself does not have goiter, and some of her kids, including a twin to an affected kid, do not. She was in a herd that included about ten other does with no problems. We ruled out toxic plants and dietary deficiencies, and have concluded it is genetic. I now have her and her last kid which was found to have the goiter when it was less than a week old, at my place. The kid is now a year old and still has the goiter, but is otherwise very healthy. This condition is readily distinguished from other causes of swelling in the neck. It is not painful when touched, and if you feel it carefully, you can tell it is really two lobes of equal size, close to each other, on the neck right below the jaw. The thyroid gland normally has two lobes, but in the normal animal, they are difficult to feel. Although this type of goiter seems to not have any adverse affects on the health of the animal, they should not be used for breeding.

-- Sandy in KS (scwilson@mindspring.com), April 21, 2002.