Goats do pant and their doing so is nothing to worry about.
Though they can sweat, they get around eight times more temperature relief by panting as opposed to sweating.
If you notice your goat panting excessively, then it may be worth having them checked out.
Let’s look further into this.
What is panting?
Firstly, let’s just look at what exactly we mean by panting.
You’ll most likely be familiar with it in dogs.
It involves rapid, short breaths, usually with the tongue stuck out.
Dogs do this when they get hot—as indeed do many other mammals.
Humans are quite unique in our ability to regulate our whole-body temperature by sweating.
Most animals can’t, especially if they are covered in hair.
They can sweat, but not as well as we can.
So, for animals that can’t sweat—or can’t sweat very efficiently—panting is usually the preferred method of maintaining lower body temperature.
So, is panting normal for goats?
Is a goat panting normal?
Yes, is the short answer.
Goats can sweat, but given that their whole bodies are covered in hair, they can release far less heat this way than we can.
Sweating is part of the process, but it’s not enough on its own.
So, goats will pant instead in order to cool themselves down.
It is also usually quite natural for them to pant after they have been intensely playing or any physical activity.
This is still the same goal: to cool themselves down after exertion.
That said, panting can be excessive.
Like I said, it should only be in direct response to high heat or activity.
If you are sweating just from the heat of the day, it’s likely okay that your goats are panting.
Nonetheless, you should provide them with ways to cool down.
They could be overheating, so you need to make sure they can adequately cool down.
A pool is a great thing to use here.
Do goats pant to cool down?
Yes, they certainly do.
That’s really the main reason they would do so.
Again, though, just to remind you there are times your goats will need to cool down even when it isn’t very hot.
Goats that play a lot, for example, will get very hot and tired, and will need to cool down even if it is not a very hot day.
So, your goats will not only pant on hot days.
They will pant if they need to cool down.
But that doesn’t mean panting cannot be excessive.
If they are panting a lot over long periods of time, then they are clearly having a hard time cooling down.
So, you will need to keep an eye on it.
Where it can be even more of a concern is in juvenile and infant goats.
What do you do when a baby goat is panting?
Again, firstly, a baby goat panting is not something that will never happen.
They will often get worked up and overheated, and use panting to cool down.
If the panting only lasts a minute or two, then it’s nothing to worry about.
If, however, the baby does not seem to be able to stop panting, then it’s likely overheating and unable to cool down.
Take it to shade if you haven’t already, and bring some water for it to drink.
Splash small amounts of cold water on it to help it cool down.
If you can’t get your goat to stop panting, call the vet as soon as you can.
Overheating can be very dangerous.
Is panting a bad thing in goats?
Not inherently, no.
As I’ve said, goats use panting to cool down just like many other animals do.
It’s perfectly normal—under the right circumstances.
You just need to be conscious of the context in which your goat is panting.
Sometimes, indeed most of the time, it’s nothing to worry about.
However, when it is a problem, it can become a very serious problem very quickly.
Overheating can easily be fatal if it is not addressed, especially in young goats.
So, be aware of why your goat is panting.
As long as you keep a close eye on this and know what to look out for, panting shouldn’t be a problem.
So, while you need to be very vigilant and take nothing for granted, generally speaking, there is nothing to worry about if your goat is panting.
It’s perfectly normal behavior, and is a natural way for them to release excess heat.
However, they can only do so much by panting, and you should be sure they have other ways of cooling themselves down.
Overheating is still entirely possible in goats, so don’t take any chances in that sense.