Small Farms

Occasionally even the best kept animals can become poisoned, often though no fault of the owners.  Animals can become poisoned by poisonous plants in the pasture, crop sprays, weed killers and less frequently, from eating lead-based paint.

Even though there may be toxic plants in your pasture, most goats instinctively avoid eating those that are poisonous.  If they do eat them, it is unusual for them to eat enough to do any serious damage.

Lead poisoning comes from animals chewing on wood that has been painted with lead-based paint.  Be careful when choosing wood for your pens, especially if you use old painted wood that has been discarded.  If you do use this wood, sand off the old paint with a power sander.  Lead poisoning can also come from feeding animals grasses from the roadside.  Car exhaust can poison these roadside plants and make your animals sick.

Crop sprays and weed killers are the most common ways animals can become ill.  When crop sprays drift across your pasture with the wind, some of the product will land on the grasses.  Given enough of this, animals can become ill.  Whenever possible, keep your animals out of the way and even indoors if possible when neighbors are spraying crops.

Weed killer can  kill animals if they ingest the product.  Some weedkillers look like pelleted food- always be careful to store pesticides away from other animal food- preferably in another building, to avoid making a horrible mistake.

Symptoms of a poisoned goat include:

• Vomiting
• Frothing at the mouth
• Convulsions
• Difficulty standing, or staggering

If you notice any of these symptoms, call your vet immediately.
~~Charlotte

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