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Those who keep wethers as pets (and sometimes bucks) need to be aware that they can sometimes develop urinary calculi (stones). These are an accumulation of minerals or other compounds that can cause trauma to the urinary tract and obstruct the flow of urine out of the body.

One reason calculi are more common in wethers and bucks is because of their physiology - the urethra is a common site for blockage.

Sometimes medication or simple surgery can solve the problem, but unless the root causes are found, the animal may need to have further surgery or eventually be euthanized.


Urinary calculi can be of various types. If a goat develops and is treated by a vet for urinary calculi, insist that the stones be sent for analysis. Further treatment and prevention may depend upon what caused the problem.

Three major types of calculi can cause problems in goats: phosphate, silica and calcium. Each of these may be caused by feed rations.

Phosphatic Calculi. Goats that eat rations high in phosphorus, such as cereal grains, can develop struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) calculi. Balancing the dietary calcium:phosphorus ratio is essential. ideally it should be 2:1. Feed tags for the rations fed to goats list percentage of contents, so that is a good place to start.

Ruminant saliva is rich in phosphorus and the route of excretion for phosphorus is the gastrointestinal tract. When the goats are fed pelleted grain, they produce smaller amounts of saliva, which then decreases the gut excretion of phosphorus, sending more to the urinary tract.

Silica Calculi. This type of urinary stone mainly affects sheep and cattle that graze the native grasses of western North America. As the grasses mature, the silica content tends to increase. Since the silica is not broken down in the rumen or bloodstream, if the animals don't drink enough water, they can develop silica calculi.

Calcium-based Calculi. Calcium carbonate and calcium oxalate urinary stones are found most commonly in sheep grazing lush, fast-growing clover pastures. this is because they are loaded with calcium, but have a low phosphorus and high oxalate content. The combination of oxalate and calcium makes the calcium unavailable for absorption. this makes the urine alkaline and leads to the development of calcium-based stones.

In North America calcium-based stones have been found in goats that ate mainly alfalfa.


Wethers can be more prone to urinary calculi because they are castrated. Since castration at an early age has been shown to be a risk factor for development of urethral obstruction, avoid wethers that are castrated at less than three months, if possible.

A study done in cattle showed that although calculi can form in the urinary tracts of both bulls and steers, bulls may be able to pass a stone that would be likely to obstruct the urethra of a steer. this is because the testosterone produced by the bull makes the diameter of the urethra 25% bigger than that of a steer. This is probably also true in bucks and wethers for the same reason.

One author speculates that since males kept for breeding are more valuable than wethers, they would be less likely to be fed a calculus-producing diet and would have better access to water. Knowing many wethers that are kept as pets, I would consider this unlikely.


The most important factor in preventing urinary calculi is to increase the water consumption of the goat. Keep water bowls clean and fill them with fresh water frequently. If you use automatic waterers, use shallow containers that can be refilled rapidly.

Use heaters of plug-in buckets during the winter or make sure to give your goats hot water regularly to encourage more consumption. During the summer, make sure that the water is in a shady spot.

In a large herd, use multiple watering sites so that all goats, regardless of their position in the herd, have access.

Some people have found that flavoring the water with sugar-free drink mixes will increase the water intake of their animals.

According to Canadian studies, the mineral content or hardness of water does not play a significant role in causing stones.


Wethers and bucks should be fed grass hay as their main source of forage, to prevent the development of calcium-based stones. Alfalfa and other types of legume hays contain more calcium than is healthy for them. Be aware that avoiding these types of hay does not guarantee the prevention of urinary stones; a genetic influence may still lead to problems.

Wethers and bucks should also not be fed large quantities of grain; as noted above, this can lead to phosphate stones. Whatever you decide to feed, remember to balance the calcium and phosphorus.


Because of chemical reactions that take place affecting urine concentration at each feeding, frequent of free-choice feeding is considered to be another factor in limiting urinary stones. Concentrated urine can cause urinary stones. Rather than feeding the goat once or twice a day, teach free-choice feeding from a young age, or give small portions several times a day.


Increasing the salt concentration in the diet promotes more water intake, leading to more diluted urine. According to studies in Canada, loose or lick salt provided free-choice was found not to be adequate in preventing urinary stones in animals that were considered to be at risk for silica calculosis.

They found that mixing the salt directly into the feed was the most effective means of providing it to the animals. Corn chips with extra salt were suggested as a treat; adding extra salt to moistened feed was another method. Spraying a salt solution onto hay, for those that do not feed grain, also can be helpful.

The recommended amount of salt in the diet is 3-5% of daily dry matter intake.


Ammonium chloride is another option for preventing urinary calculi. It should be fed at a level of up to 1% of dry matter in the diet. The action of ammonium chloride is to reduce the pH of the urine (make it more acidic), which will make various types of urinary stones more soluble in the urine. Molasses should be avoided as a way to get the goat to drink more water or to make the ammonium chloride more palatable, since its high potassium may make the ammonium chloride less effective. Sugar is a more effective alternative.

The downside of feeding a wether ammonium chloride over a long period of time is that is has been shown to reduce the mineral content in the bones in ewes. It may have the same adverse effect on a goat.


Urinary calculi can affect some goats and not others. Following these guidelines with all wethers is a good way to prevent the problem before it even gets started. If a wether does develop a problem, you can still take these necessary steps to prevent a recurrence in the animal and possible save its life.

Source: Urolithiasis in Small Ruminants: Surgical and Dietary Management, by David C. Van Metre, DVM, DACVM, Colorado State University.

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A short article was published on the deaths of four goat guardian dogs who died of heart problems over the course of three years, usually in the winter. (Pannill et al. April 2006) The culprit was cottonseed in the goat feed.

Cottonseed contains a high concentration of gossypol, which is a toxin that affects primarily the heart and liver. Ruminants can tolerate higher levels of gossypol than animals with only one stomach because it binds to proteins in the rumen. An animal with only one stomach, such as a human, a dog or a pig, is much more susceptible to the poison. However, even young lambs and calves have been found to have toxic reactions to gossypol; that can probably be said about young kids, as well. This is due to the fact that their rumens are not yet fully developed and, in many cases, occurs when they are on free choice feed.

Cottonseed and cottonseed meal are now used as additives in livestock feed. This is important to know if you have a livestock guardian dog that develops depression, difficulty breathing, appears to be having a heart attack and ultimately dies, and you know that the dog consumes goat feed. Gossypol toxicity also may be a consideration if you have a number of kids seeming to die of overeating disease, or developing chronic, difficult breathing, unthriftiness, failure to respond to antibiotics and going off feed. These can be signs of such poisoning.

No treatment currently exists for gossypol poisoning, although its course can be reversed with removal of the cottonseed in feed for a period of time.

The writers estimated the amount of goat food that a dog would need to have consumed to cause their fatal heart damage was only 3/4 cup daily for a few weeks. (Kid feed contained .01% and the does' was .06%.)

You can do at least two things to avoid situations such as this: 1.) Read the feed tag and make sure you know what you are feeding your animals/aren't buying feed with cottonseed or cottonseed meal; and 2.) Keep your guardian dog away from the goat feed. To read more, see the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension web site at www.osextra.com and look for the fact sheet "Gossypol Toxicity in Livestock."

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Soremouth, also known as orf (in humans), contagious ecthyma (CE) and contagious pustular dermatitis (CPD) is a virus in the family Poxviridae. Known since at least the 1800s, the disease is found throughout the world where sheep and goats are found. While animals of all ages and breeds are susceptible, young ones are more easily infected. Unlike most goat diseases, soremouth can also be transmitted to humans.


Soremouth lesions begin to develop within 2-3 days of infection and within 11 days are visible. They usually start as blisters around the mouth, but can also affect the nose, the udder, the mouth, the throat, many other body parts and, in some cases, even the rumen and lungs. Young kids that get it can spread it to their mothers’ udders. The sores last from a week to a month and can be spread to other animals or by objects that come into contact with the virus (known as fomites). The virus stays in the scabs and has been found in dried scabs for many years after the animal has recovered. After the blister stage the lesions turn into pustules and become scabby when they break. Goats that contract soremouth usually develop a strong immunity and are not re-infected for at least a year. While a malignant form of the disease has been reported, most animals recover easily as the disease runs its course. In cases where goats are exposed to thistles or other prickly bushes, they may have a harder time overcoming it, due to the skin breaks that let the virus in. While soremouth is usually considered to be extremely infectious—with up to 100% of some herds showing signs—in other cases, only a few animals are affected. Young kids are more at risk for serious consequences. Where death occurs, it is generally because of secondary infection or a fly infestation.


Because soremouth is caused by a virus, it can’t be treated with antibiotics. Infected animals should be kept clean, and the disease will clear up in one to four weeks with no treatment. When I had soremouth in my herd, I did an experiment, treating one group with tea tree oil, another with triple antibiotic and the other with nothing. All of them recovered at the same rate; apparently none of the treatments made a difference. One source recommends mixing Vaseline and iodine to treat the lesions, and also to keep insects off of them. Whatever treatment (or non-treatment) regimen is used, make sure to wear gloves and avoid exposure of any cuts or wounds to the active lesions, as it can be spread to humans.


A vaccine for soremouth is available, but it may even cause the disease in herds that have not previously been exposed. The best method for prevention is to either not bring new animals into your herd, or to quarantine those you do bring in. If a goat does show signs of soremouth, you can separate that animal until it recovers. I tend to subscribe to the theory of exposing the other goats to mild cases of soremouth, in order to develop immunity in the herd. I haven’t had an outbreak since the initial one, using this method. But then maybe I am just lucky.