How to Treat Goats With Kaopectate

In livestock, the condition of diarrhea is called scours. There are many causes: bacterial, viral, parasites and diet. You can use Kaopectate to treat non-infectious cases of scours in goats. Diarrhea can be symptomatic of other diseases or conditions, so make sure that you know what the animal is afflicted with before using the stomach medicine.

Things You'll Need

• Thermometer

Instructions

1. Take the goat's temperature with a rectal thermometer. If it is above normal range (102-103°F), fever medications and antibiotics might be better suited to control the infection. Consult your vet if that's the case.

2. Use only Kaopectate or Pepto-Bismol; the other medicines for stomach conditions might have different results.

3. Give the medicine in small doses. Follow the instructions for adult humans until the symptoms clear up.

4. If scours continues, consult your vet. Don't continue to administer the Kaopectate.

5. Keep an eye on the animal during treatment; a mild case could become worse if not treated correctly.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't give the animal too much of the medicine. If it's a serious condition, you want the "bad stuff" to come out. Pepto-Bismol is actually recommended more often than Kaopectate because of this.

References

• University of Maryland Extension: Small Ruminant Info Sheet
• Goat Link: Goat Medicine Cabinet