|
Normal
Values
by
Lorrie
Blackburn,
DVM
It
is
as
important
to
notice
your
normal,
healthy
goats
as
it
is
to
notice
your
sick
ones.
Many
articles
are
written
about
various
diseases
of
goats
with
signs
and
treatments
being
discussed
thoroughly.
But,
how
can
you
tell
if
your
goat
is
sick
if
you
don’t
know
when
it
is
healthy?
| Rectal
temperature |
102.5
–
104
°F
(39.3
–
40
°C) |
| Pulse |
60
–
80
per
minute |
| Respiration |
15
–
30
per
minute |
| Puberty |
4
–
12
months |
| Estrous
cycle |
18
–
23
days |
| Estrum |
12
–
36
hours |
| Gestation |
145
–
153
days |
A
goat’s
normal
temperature
will
vary
between
102.5
–
104
°F.
An
individual
may
tend
to
have
a
normal
temperature
at
one
end
or
the
other,
but
temperature
readings
within
this
range
can
be
considered
normal.
At
the
risk
of
offending
most
people
reading
this,
I
should
remind
you
that
temperatures
must
be
taken
rectally;
goats
will
not
hold
thermometers
under
their
tongues.
Pulse
and
respiration
can
vary
greatly
depending
on
the
goat’s
nervous
state
when
the
rates
are
taken.
The
respiratory
rate
can
be
easily
taken
by
watching
the
rib
cage
movement
and
counting
the
number
of
breaths
per
minute.
A
highly
excited
animal
will
have
a
higher
rate
than
“normal”,
so
use
a
little
common
sense
and
allow
for
variations
with
circumstances.
A
pulse
rate
is
more
difficult
to
take.
It
is
easiest
to
take
a
heart
rate
(which
should
be
the
same
as
the
pulse
rate)
with
a
stethoscope
and
count
the
number
of
beats
per
minute.
You
can
also
feel
for
heartbeats
by
holding
your
fingers
tightly
over
the
area
of
the
heart
near
the
bottom
and
front
of
the
chest.
With
a
little
practice,
you
can
take
an
actual
pulse
rate
by
feeling
for
the
pulse
on
the
inside
of
the
rear
leg
up
near
the
groin;
you
probably
need
someone
to
show
you
just
where
to
feel
the
first
time.
Puberty
is
the
age
at
which
an
animal
becomes
sexually
mature.
Remember
that
sexual,
physical
and
mental
maturity
are
entirely
different
things.
Sexual
maturity
means
that
a
doe
is
capable
of
becoming
pregnant,
and
that
a
buck
is
capable
of
impregnating
a
doe.
The
normal
range
for
goat
puberty
is
4
–
12
months,
but
bear
in
mind
that
goats
don’t
read
books
or
lists
of
normal
values.
Does
have
become
pregnant
at
two
months
of
age,
and
it
may
have
been
litter
brothers
that
got
them
in
that
condition.
The
key
thing
to
learn
from
this
normal
value
is
not
to
believe
printed
lists
and
to
separate
buck
kids
and
adult
bucks
from
doe
kids
by
two
months
of
age.
A
female
goat
is
“in
season”
(estrum)
every
18
–
23
days.
This
interval
between
seasons
is
the
length
of
the
estrous
cycle.
A
doe
is
in
estrum
for
12
–
36
hours
and
is
receptive
to
a
buck
for
breeding
during
this
time.
She
ovulates
24
–
36
hours
after
the
beginning
of
estrum.
Some
does
have
very
quiet
seasons
and
you
may
not
know
they
are
in
season
if
you
don’t
have
a
buck
close
by
to
inform
you.
Gestation,
or
pregnancy,
lasts
145
–
153
days,
and
is
counted
from
the
day
of
the
breeding
to
the
day
the
kids
are
delivered.
Kids
born
at
145
–
153
days
are
usually
quite
healthy
and
ready
for
life.
Kids
born
at
139
–
144
days
of
gestation
will
be
immature
and
their
chances
of
survival
diminished,
and
kids
born
prior
to
139
days
are
not
likely
to
survive
beyond
a
few
hours.
By
learning
these
normal
value
ranges,
by
getting
to
know
your
own
individual
animals,
and
by
remembering
that
lists
of
normal
values
are
only
guidelines,
you
will
be
one
step
ahead
at
recognizing
illness
if
it
strikes
your
herd.
Excerpts
from:
Kinne,
Maxine,
ed.
Pygmy
Goats:
Best
of
Memo
2
(1982-1987)
National
Pygmy
Goat
Association:
pp
122
This
document
is
for
informational
purposes
only
and
is
in
no
way
intended
to
be
a
substitute
for
medical
consultation
with
a
qualified
veterinary
professional.
The
information
provided
through
this
document
is
not
meant
to
be
used
in
the
diagnosis
or
treatment
of
a
health
problem
or
disease,
nor
should
it
be
construed
as
such.
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