HEAT STRESS AND HEAT STROKE IN GOATS

Stress, including heat and cold stress, is life threatening to goats. Goats tend to stress more easily than other species of livestock.

Producers often focus on the effects of cold stress on goats, but heat stress can be equally dangerous.Heat stress is defined as the body's inability to cool itself. Symptoms include panting, mouth breathing, rapid heart beat, difficulty standing, head down, lethargic, reduced feed intake, off feed, and off water, which are so generalized that they may indicate a variety of problems.

Heat stress, also known as heat exhaustion, is not likely to pass on its own. You must learn to identify symptoms and take immediate corrective action to keep heat stress from morphing into heat stroke.

Drought and heat stress go hand in hand, but very hot weather isn't the only cause of heat stress. Extremely high humidity, even on a moderately hot day, can result in heat stress. Newborn and very young kids have difficulty regulating their body temperatures under normal conditions. Add heat stress and death becomes a real possibility.

Female goats are very susceptible to heat stress when they are pregnant. Heat-stressed does may abort their kids or may not be able to deliver them when parturition (birthing) occurs. Age of the goat is also a factor affecting response to heat stress.

Inadequate nutrition can result in heat stress because more body heat is required to digest poor quality forage/browse/pasture. Goats on dry forage need increased amounts of cool clean water. Feed that is high in starch takes more energy to digest, creating more heat that the goats have to eliminate from their bodies. Processed grains tend to be high in starches. Growing kids and juvenile goats require more water as a percentage of body weight than do mature goats.

Growth rates can be slowed by high heat. Goats can wind up in an energy deficit condition when their bodies are unsuccessful in eliminating heat. Dark-colored goats have more trouble staying cool than light-colored goats. Goats that are too fat have major problems eliminating body heat. Check for fat accumulation where the leg meets the chest. If you can pinch an inch of flesh at that juncture, the goat is too fat. Some of this may be genetic (Boers), but it is usually the result of feeding too much sacked grains.

Heat stress can cause infertility in both sexes, including a reduction in sperm counts in bucks. Six to eight weeks may be needed for a heat-stressed buck to return to optimum sperm production. Goats eliminate heat from their bodies by panting and through their horns, which serve as "radiators" for their bodies. Disbudding and dehorning remove this cooling mechanism and is bad for the goats' health. Polled goats, especially polled bucks, have more difficulty eliminating heat than horned goats.

Heat stress also compromises the goats' immune systems, making them more susceptible to diseases like pneumonia. Normal body temperature for a healthy goat is 101.5*F to 103.5*F. Body temperature above normal requires immediate intervention. Adequate shade for goats is critical; shade trees in areas that provide good air flow are excellent places for goats to rest. Easy access to cool clean water is essential.

Barns and loafing sheds should have fans installed if they aren't sufficiently ventilated to have good air flow. Misters may need to be installed in confined areas to keep the goats cool. Installation of an overhead hose spraying system is an excellent idea. Run all hot water out of the hose before spraying the cool water onto the dirt floor and on overheated goats. Monitor newborn and young kids for panting and mouth breathing and wet them down if needed. Electrolytes like Bounce Back or ReSorb should be put in water troughs and pails to reduce heat stress.

Offer baking soda free choice in pans near the goats' water source. Baking soda helps maintain the balance of body's electrolytes and stabilizes the blood's pH. Heavy panting/mouth breathing results in a loss of carbon dioxide in the blood. Baking soda helps prevent ruminal acidosis.

If goats cannot or will not drink water on their own, then provide oral electrolytes in appropriate amounts using a stomach tube. Water sources with electrolytes added must be freshened daily, because electrolytes contain simple sugars that both sour and attract insects. Administration of Lactated Ringers Solution (vet prescription) under the skin (SQ) may be needed to rehydrate heat-stressed goats. Goats in this condition cannot be left with the herd but must be brought into a confined "sick pen" for rest and ease of treatment.

Heat-stressed goats cannot keep up with the herd. A 100 pound goat usually requires one gallon of fluids daily under normal conditions. A heat-stressed goat's body may easily utilize a greater amount, given frequently but in small quantities.

Working goats (herding, sorting, vaccinating, deworming) should be done in the early morning hours rather than in the heat of the day. In dry Texas, I water down the alleys and working pens before I move goats so that the ones in the back of the group do not inhale dust and develop dust-induced pneumonia.

Goats with heat stroke are goats that have not been able to overcome heat stress, are down, cannot get up, are mouth breathing, and may be unconscious. These goats are close to dying. They need to be hosed down with cool (not cold) water. Ice packs should be put on the head between the horns or where the horns should be, and ice packing between the back leg and the udder or scrotum (near the femoral artery) may help. A cool water enema is also advisable. At the direction of my veterinarian, I once put ice cubes into a buck's rectal opening to try to save him.

All of these things sound obvious but are easy for you to overlook unless you remain aware of the dangers of living outside in excessive heat, drought, and and/or high humidity. Get the supplies needed on hand now. You won't have the luxury of time to find them when heat stress or heat stroke occurs.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas revised 9.1.26

The author, Suzanne Gasparotto, hereby grants to local goat publications and club newsletters, permission to reprint articles published on the Onion Creek Ranch website under these conditions: THE ARTICLE MUST BE REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY AND THE AUTHOR'S NAME, ADDRESS, AND CONTACT INFORMATION MUST BE INCLUDED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE REPRINT. We would appreciate notification from any clubs or publications when the articles are used. (A copy of the newsletter or publication would also be a welcome addition to our growing library of goat related information!)

All information and photos copyright © Onion Creek Ranch and may not be used without express written permission of Onion Creek Ranch. TENNESSEE MEAT GOAT ™ and TEXMASTER™ are Trademarks of Onion Creek Ranch . All artwork and graphics © DTP, Ink and Onion Creek Ranch.