Articles
The Lancet Fluke
The Lancet Fluke (Dicrocoelium dendriticum) infects the liver and bile ducts of goats and sheep. This parasite has an interesting life cycle involving two intermediate hosts. The second host, an ant is controlled by the larval form to allow itself to be eaten by the host.more ...
Internal Parasites of Goats
The relationship of internal parasites to the host is often complex. Larvae can go through phases in which one stage bears no resemblance to another. Some parasites require more than one different species of host, while others can alternate between free-living or parasitic forms.more ...
External parasites - Lice
Lice are members of the insect class. Like all the other insects lice have a head, a thorax which bears 3 pair of legs and an abdomen. Goats can be host to both biting and sucking lice.
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External parasites - Mites
Mites belong to the Arachnoidea class which includes spiders and ticks. Like spiders, mites have 4 pair of legs. Mites are usually microscopic in size and their body and legs are covered with long hairs. Goats can be host to three different types of mites. Psorptes and Chorioptes mites are non-burrowing. Sarcoptic mites burrow into the skin.more ...
Milk Goiter in Goat Kids
Owners of Nubians, Boers and a few other breeds of goats are familiar with the large throat swellings that occur on the sides of the neck just under jaw line and sometimes including the area under the jaw in young kids.more ...
The Case of the Polydactyl Goat
Polydactyl means having more than the normal number of toes or fingers. An essay of photos, with an illustration and xray describe a goat that was born with this rare condition -- an extra toe on the left front leg.more ...
Selenium - the essential trace mineral
Selenium was originally identified as a potentially toxic element long before it was recognized to be an essential trace mineral. Plants absorb selenium from the soil if it is available and incorporates it into several amino acids replacing sulfur as part of the normal structure.more ...
Do Your Own Fecal Exams
Simple instructions teach you how to look for parasite eggs in fecal samples collected from your goat.more ...