What is Bottle Jaw and How Do We Fix It?
Let’s discuss a very common issue with goats, especially young ones.
This is called Bottle Jaw. It is a symptom of anemia, not an actual disease itself.
Little Lyric with bottle jaw when she was 5 months old.
Bottle jaw is noted by the bilateral swelling of the lower jaw in goats. It occurs due to anemia, which is usually caused by the very annoying, and sometimes resistant, barber pole worm.
Barber pole ONLY affects sheep and goats. It cannot be transmitted to other animals. This is why it’s beneficial to have chickens grazing on goat pastures because chickens help break down the poop that barber pole likes to live in. It’s why we allow the chickens to be in with the goats a few hours a day. It’s beneficial to both of them.
How to deal with bottle jaw:
1) Act Immediately. This can become life threatening if not treated right away. As you know, I spend hours a day with my animals and personally check every single one of them for injury or sickness multiple times a day. I noticed Lyric having bottle jaw late Friday night and acted within minutes. Her vet was notified and a plan of action was made.
2) Check temperature. Goat temperature is between 101.5-103.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not give anything by mouth if they are below or above this range. Their rumens (stomachs) will not work.
3) Check FAMACHA and make a note of it. FAMACHA scoring is a wonderful tool for goats and sheep. By noting the color of the mucus membranes of the lower eyelid, we are able to determine the iron concentration of the blood with relative certainty and determine how much intervention is needed. (See blog post titled: FAMACHA SCORING)
4) The most likely culprit is barber pole worm. As it is an annoyingly resistant parasite, it needs two types of dewormers to kill. Both of which I keep on hand. Cyndectin (a macrocyclic lactone), and panacur (a benzimidazole). Lyric was given one dose of each for her weight. Note: most dewormers are for sheep and the dose is doubled for goats. Always verify with your veterinarian. Some research is showing Cyndectin to be potent enough on it’s own over two doses, again, check with your vet to verify the strength of the barber pole worm in your area.
5) Assess overall activity level and appetite. Lyric never stopped wanting to eat, drink, or nurse. She just wanted to sleep more.
6) Give vitamin B complex either via subcutaneous injection or orally. This helps keep their thiamine levels at the correct concentrations and also helps their body make new red blood cells. We also give a goat iron vitamin. We prefer the oral Vit B as the goats much prefer the taste and it’s less stressful for them.
7) Continue giving Vitamin B complex as recommended by your veterinarian. Watch for daily changes. If can take a few days for the bottle jaw to completely resolve. Your vet may recommend an anemia protocol based off the FAMACHA score of your animal.
8 ) Take photos to track progress. Have your vet run a fecal to make sure you also aren’t dealing with another kind of parasite.
If you own goats, you’re going to deal with this at some point. Having a plan and things on hand takes it from an emergency situation to something significantly more manageable.
