Goat banding, possible infection?

[mysticmoonfarm]

Hi everyone.
Im posting today in regards to my 5month old Anglo-nubian buckling, Murphy. We banded Murphy about a month ago. When I saw him this morning i noticed that there was an opened wound all the way around his testicles. I can't see the elastic anymore. Im not sure if it broke or if it is inside the wound. Also there is what looks like to me a slight whitish infection. This is the first time i have banded and so i don't know what is normal or not. But he seems to be in good spirits. He doesn't mind me looking or checking on him but im not sure what to do. A vet is kind of out of the question due to distance and ridiculous price tag. Does anyone have any ideas as to what i should do?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi
Glad you could join the flock! I'm afraid I can't be of any help to you, you would be better posting your question in the other livestock section of the forum,here is the link https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/22/other-pets-amp-livestock

Hope Murphy is well soon and your able to get him sorted. Enjoy BYC

 

[Stacykins]

Hi everyone.
Im posting today in regards to my 5month old Anglo-nubian buckling, Murphy. We banded Murphy about a month ago. When I saw him this morning i noticed that there was an opened wound all the way around his testicles. I can't see the elastic anymore. Im not sure if it broke or if it is inside the wound. Also there is what looks like to me a slight whitish infection. This is the first time i have banded and so i don't know what is normal or not. But he seems to be in good spirits. He doesn't mind me looking or checking on him but im not sure what to do. A vet is kind of out of the question due to distance and ridiculous price tag. Does anyone have any ideas as to what i should do?

Why would a vet be out of the question? If there was a large issue, like a raging infection, it would need veterinary care. If you had a bad infection, you'd go to a doctor. Except a goat can't hop in the car and take themselves to the walk in clinic. Look around, there might be a livestock vet that is closer and more reasonable. Getting veterinary care when necessary if part of responsibly owning any animal.

That is not normal. Testicles that have been banded shrivel up, dry out, then fall off, leaving no wound where they were attached to the body. Did you use the wrong size band? Are the testicles still there? If so, they will need rebanded. You have dead tissue still attached to the body. Leaving the body full access to the scrotum could lead to septicemia. Spray the area with antiseptic, like blu kote, red kote, or vetericyn, twice a day. Get him started on an antibiotic, because there is already purulent drainage.

You will need to get an accurate weight on him in order to properly dose him. Pen G and Oxytetracycline are two that are available over the counter, very easy to obtain. You should actually keep both on hand for when you need them, rather than waiting until there is an issue. Dose depends on which medication you can acquire. There is a long acting Pen G given once a day, and short acting Pen G given twice a day. Clearly read the bottle to know what kind of Pen G you have so you can dose correctly. And goats need HIGHER doses than what the bottle says. Their metabolism is different than sheep or cattle, they metabolize the drugs faster. A drug needs to stay at a therapeutic level in the body to actually kill bacteria. Too low, it does no good and bacteria become resistant to the drug.

 

[H Diamond]

If the testicles are still attached, you need to fine out if the band is still in there or if it broke and fell off.
In addition to the info Staceykins gave on antibiotics, I also am wondering if he's has his CDT vaccines or tetanus shot of any kind? If not, I would seriously add that to the list of things also.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

It sounds to me very much like an infection and a vet will need to remove the band, testicles, and infected tissue. Banding is not a bad practice, but things can go wrong and in those cases, a vet should be called.

Many large animal vets are both reasonably priced and travel to farms. Some small animal vets may treat goats, but it's usually more expensive because they treat them like exotics.

If you are new to goats, it's a good idea to get to know a vet so you can begin a client relationship. Chances are, you'll need one eventually.