Is My Goat Bloated or Just Fat and Happy?

A question we get tagged in often on goat forums is “Guys! Help! I think my goat has bloat what do I do?!”

Then they’ll post a photo near identical to Polly’s here.

While we are always happy to help and would rather err on the side of caution, a goat who looks like this is NOT bloated.

Bloat in ruminants (and any animal really) is extremely painful and can become fatal very quickly if not addressed. Bloat in goats happens after they eat a meal and have issues digesting it. This often happens after goats get into chicken or horse feed, been free fed grain, or they’ve gone too long without water or proper forage. Bloat is a medical emergency that needs immediate intervention. While there are at home treatments that can be done such as using mineral oil via tubing, baking soda to break up gas, or punctures, we do not recommend you try any of those without contacting a vet first and having them teach you the methods. Some people leave free range baking soda out for their goats, but if their diets are balanced and they can’t get into other animal’s feed or toxic plants, there’s not real need to.

A goat or animal with bloat will be in obvious pain. They will cry, scream, lie down, and their stomachs will feel like rocks and be extremely tight with trapped gas.

Goats who look like Polly here have two main areas of their four chambered stomachs that can be felt easily. On the left (from if you’re standing behind them) is the rumen, the first and largest chamber of the stomach. This is all the food they’ve recently had that is currently undergoing fermentation and being broken down by microbes. If you push on it, it will feel hard but malleable. And the animal shouldn’t be uncomfortable while you press gently in to feel the bolus of food. The right side is the food that is in the fourth chamber of the stomach and is almost digested fully, as well as a bit of displacement of other organs and fat. This should feel soft even with as expanded as it is here.

Goats who look like this and are otherwise acting normal and not in pain are just fat and happy!