So, if your goat is coughing, you don’t necessarily need to worry.
You should, nonetheless, move quickly to understand what the problem is.
It could be nothing, but it could indicate there is a deeper problem.
Let’s look further into this.
Why does my goat have a cough?
As we’ve seen, there could be a wide variety of reasons.
The simplest one is that your goat is simply chewing its cud.
If you weren’t aware, goats digest their food by chewing it, swallowing it, then regurgitating it to chew it again.
This process very often causes coughing.
If this is what’s happening, there’s nothing to worry about.
Another less worrying possibility is that they are breathing in dust.
If you live near a gravel road, for instance, and gravel gets thrown up when cars drive by, this could be causing the coughing.
This isn’t a huge concern, although you should do your best to minimize the risk with this.
Try to move them during busy hours of the day.
If you’ve eliminated these two possibilities, then there’s a chance your goat may be sick.
There are a variety of illnesses that can cause a cough, and most of them are going to be difficult to diagnose yourself.
One of the most common causes is lungworm, which I will get into later.
The other main possibility is that they are eating moldy hay.
Goats may have a reputation for eating anything, but moldy hay could cause a variety of illnesses that lead to coughing.
Be sure to check their feed.
Now let’s look at how to treat it.
How to treat a cough in goats
Assuming you have eliminated the possibility that they are coughing as they chew their cud or from dust, then frankly, your best bet is to contact a vet.
As I said, if it is an illness, then most of the time it’s going to be difficult to identify without veterinary training.
Most of the time, the vet will prescribe anti-inflammatory medication pertinent to the particular situation.
Medication is going to be the only sure way to treat whatever is causing the cough.
While some minor illnesses might run their own course, there’s really no reason to assume this will happen.
Some of the more serious illnesses could lead to death if untreated or even treated too late.
So, you need to call the vet if you think your goat is ill with a cough.
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How do I know if my goat has lungworm?
Lungworm, as I said, is one of the main reasons goats get a cough from an illness.
Lungworm will result in the goat having a dry cough, even chronic if the case is severe enough.
So, again, one of the easiest ways to identify lungworm is by a dry, consistent cough.
To definitively diagnose lungworm, though, you are again going to need to speak to a vet.
They will have to do specialized tests to diagnose with any certainty, as sure as you or they might already be about the lungworm.
So, if your goat has a cough that is not obviously from dust or eating, then lungworm is a possibility, so you should speak to the vet as soon as possible.
Why is my goat coughing and sneezing?
Any of the respiratory issues we have discussed here could also cause sneezing as well as coughing.
In kids, it is much more of a concern than in adults.
Common issues like pneumonia can cause these symptoms, and any respiratory issue in young goats can be quickly fatal if not treated.
So, if your goat is both coughing and sneezing, then there is likely something more dangerous going on.
Things like lungworm will not typically cause coughing, although it is again entirely possible that they also have lungworm.
If your goat is coughing and sneezing, then, it could still be attributed to dust.
At the same time, it could indicate a potentially fatal problem, so you need to speak to a vet as soon as you can.
There is a wide spectrum of possibilities when it comes to goats coughing, then.
It could be that they are simply coughing up as they chew their cud, which is perfectly normal.
It could also be something more dangerous, like that they are suffering from lungworm or even pneumonia.
Ultimately, it’s going to be up to you to identify the cause and apply proper treatment—vigilance is always key in your goat’s health.