Visit us on FaceBook for current news

VITAMIN B 1 OR VITAMIN B 12?

Vitamin B 1 is thiamine. Injectable B 1 (thiamine) in 100 mg/ml strength, which is the strength that goats need, is a vet prescription. If injectable Fortified Vitamin B Complex can be purchased (Jeffers carries this product 1-800-533-3377) , it also has 100 mg/ml of thiamine and is available over the counter. Regular Vitamin B Complex does not contain enough thiamine to be useful with goats.

A healthy goat's rumen produces Vitamin B 1 every day. It is water soluble, so what the goat doesn't need, it eliminates in its urine and makes more thiamine the next day. If the goat is ill and off feed, or if the goat is having neurological issues including seizures, thiamine must be administered every 12 hours until the goat is eating again and/or free of seizures. A correct diagnosis of goat polio, the symptoms of which are neurological and are unlike human polio, is a disease that requires the sub-cutaneous administration of Vitamin B 1.

Always give thiamine (Vitamin B 1) sub-cutaneously anytime a goat is ill and off feed.

Vitamin B 12 is used to treat anemia in goats. The blood-sucking stomach worm (Haemonchus contortus aka barberpole worm) is the primary cause of anemia in goats. Whatever the cause, SQ administration of injectable B 12, a red-colored liquid which is a vet prescription, is required. Injectable B 12 and oral Red Cell are used together to treat anemia and rebuild oxygen-carrying red cells that the stomach worms have destroyed. I have a detailed article on the Articles page at www.tennesseemeatgoats.com about Anemia and how to use B 12 (and Red Cell).

Unfortunately, many people tend to confuse B 1 and B 12. When I speak with goat raisers, I emphasize that B 1 is also known as thiamine. I also explain that B 12 is a red injectable liquid obtainable only from a vet and is used for a totally different purpose from B 1.

Jeffers carries oral B 12 which you should consider using if you are unable to get B 12 in injectable form. I believe that injectable B 12 is better than oral B 12 because we are dealing with a blood deficiency and not a rumen problem. I suggest keeping the Jeffers oral B 12 on hand in case you run out of injectable B 12 and have nothing else to fill the void until it comes back into stock. Lots of products are back-ordered indefinitely nowadays with no notice to the suppliers. You need both products in your medicine cabinet. Don't let the fact that a prescription is involved keep you from having B 12 on hand.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas 6.9.19