Seems silly, doesn’t it? But, goat product should look like large raisins. If it looks like dog by-product, that is actually diarrhea. Of course, goat feces can become so liquid that it looks like what we normally think of is diarrhea. So, what can be the cause of less than raisinette-like goat stool? The two most common reasons for loose stool (dog-poop shape) in goats are intestinal worms and too much sweet feed. Need diagnosis? Bring a stool sample to your veterinarian and find out what kind of worms and how many are in your goats’ feces. Relatively, the number of eggs in a gram of stool tells us how badly a goat is infested with worms. A short-cut is to pull down the lower eyelid – if it is nice and pink, chance of worms is lower, if the inside of the lower eyelid is pale, chances of worms is much higher. Typically, people who raise goats feed too much sweet feed. Goats do great with just grass or hay to eat. Just like cows, they are ruminants and can make all of their nutrition from grass and hay. One final, scary reason, for goats to have lose stool – a bacterial disease called Johne’s (yo-nees). Johne’s causes diarrhea and progressive weight loss in spite of having plenty to eat. Call your veterinarian if you aren’t sure about your goat’s poop.
What should goat feces look like?
