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Yes, it is true, however extremely rare, that goats can get copper poisoning.
A couple years ago my son bought a beautiful young boer doe. She was in excellent condition, she had a
great personality, and was very healthy. She lived here in quarantine for three weeks then suddenly
became very sick. She died within 24 hours. My vet had been by several times and was baffled. He said it
looked like copper poisoning, because he'd seen it in sheep. However, he had never seen it in goats.
After she passed on, he took some samples for a necropsy. When the results came back there was every
indication that it had, in fact, been copper poisoning.
My vet explained to me that when a goat gets a toxic level of copper in their system the liver can do very
well at keeping it from poisoning the goat. It can hang onto very high levels of copper for a long period of
time - in some cases even up to a year. The liver eventually fails and the goat's system is flooded with the
poison and it will die within a day. This was the case with my son's goat, it was something the goat ingested
prior to coming to our farm.
Goats tend to be copper deficient far more often than toxic, but copper exposure should be watched. If
you suspect that your goat has been exposed to high levels of copper contact your veterinarian. There is
medication that may help prevent chronic copper poisoning if administered early.
Some common causes of copper poisoning:
-Long term use or gorging on feed not intended for goats
-Long term use or accidental ingestion of mineral supplements not intended for goats
-Grazing in areas that previously housed poultry or hogs
-Grazing in areas that were previously fertilized with poultry or hog manure
-Mineral imbalance in the goat's diet
For more information read the following article from Merck's Veterinarian Manual:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/210700.htm
A couple years ago my son bought a beautiful young boer doe. She was in excellent condition, she had a
great personality, and was very healthy. She lived here in quarantine for three weeks then suddenly
became very sick. She died within 24 hours. My vet had been by several times and was baffled. He said it
looked like copper poisoning, because he'd seen it in sheep. However, he had never seen it in goats.
After she passed on, he took some samples for a necropsy. When the results came back there was every
indication that it had, in fact, been copper poisoning.
My vet explained to me that when a goat gets a toxic level of copper in their system the liver can do very
well at keeping it from poisoning the goat. It can hang onto very high levels of copper for a long period of
time - in some cases even up to a year. The liver eventually fails and the goat's system is flooded with the
poison and it will die within a day. This was the case with my son's goat, it was something the goat ingested
prior to coming to our farm.
Goats tend to be copper deficient far more often than toxic, but copper exposure should be watched. If
you suspect that your goat has been exposed to high levels of copper contact your veterinarian. There is
medication that may help prevent chronic copper poisoning if administered early.
Some common causes of copper poisoning:
-Long term use or gorging on feed not intended for goats
-Long term use or accidental ingestion of mineral supplements not intended for goats
-Grazing in areas that previously housed poultry or hogs
-Grazing in areas that were previously fertilized with poultry or hog manure
-Mineral imbalance in the goat's diet
For more information read the following article from Merck's Veterinarian Manual:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/210700.htm
Hastings, Michigan Call: (269) 945-6247 email: sleepyz@mei.net |
| I am not a vet. I am only a goat farmer sharing my experiences and the things that I have learned along the way. NEVER believe or use anything you find on the Internet without first speaking with a LOCAL professional that you trust. |