× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! Title: Natural Approaches to Liver Fluke Control in Goats: What the Research Says When our herd first moved to the lush bottomland, it looked like paradise: green, wet, abundant. But it didn’t take long for the hidden ecosystem to show itself. Within our first year on the new pasture, we lost a goat to liver flukes. I had never seen such a rapid and stealthy decline. The diagnosis felt like a punch to the gut. We were dealing with fascioliasis — a parasitic infection caused by liver flukes (primarily Fasciola hepatica) that target the liver and bile ducts of ruminants. This disease is especially insidious in wet, snail- and slug-rich environments. Read More
Category: Herbal Care
Oregano Essential Oil for Goats: Nature’s Broad-Spectrum Protector
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! Among the many tools available in holistic goat health, oregano essential oil (Origanum vulgare) stands out as one of the most potent and versatile. Often described as a “medicine chest in a bottle,” oregano essential oil has earned this reputation not only through centuries of traditional use, but also through modern scientific validation. Documented Uses in Goat Care In practical goat management, oregano essential oil has been used successfully in cases like: Veterinarians and practitioners alike have documented oregano’s antimicrobial breadth, which extends across antibiotic-resistant bacteria, parasites, and fungi. Mechanisms of Action The potency of oregano oil derives primarily from its phenolic compounds, notably carvacrol and thymol. These constituents demonstrate: These Read More
Comfrey Root for Goats
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! Comfrey root is banned for oral use in many first world countries. At the same time, it is being trialed as a livestock feed with good results. I encourage you to do thorough research before deciding if you want to use this herb in your animal care regimens and I am including some research at the bottom of this post. In the first link, you can gain a lot of information by looking at the primary sources at the bottom and gleaning from those the meat of the issue. The FDA also banned comfrey for a time. Now on to my personal story. My husband had a significant tear in a Read More
Natural Treatment for Barberpole Worms in Goats
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! Orange essential oil is studied to be effective against barberpole worm specifically. For a BP issue, this is the protocol I would use in my Nigerian herd. Start with a fecal if possible. Double all dosages for standard sized goats:
Oregano Essential Oil for Pregnant Goats
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! As goat owners become more aware of the power of using essential oils in therapeutic practice for their goats, one of the common questions I hear is, “Is oregano essential oil safe for my pregnant goat?” I won’t give you a direct answer, but instead will provide you with the sources and research available to help you make your own decision. So much of what we’re taught in articles and other resources is based on opinion and conjecture. If we look at the actual facts, the studies themselves, and the finer details, we can be better informed to draw the conclusions that make sense in our own lives. It’s a good Read More
Herbal Remedies for Goat Pneumonia
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! Goat pneumonia is usually fast acting and critically serious. I’d like to start with this: you will most likely need antibiotics for treating any case of pneumonia that includes a downed goat or one who is obviously lethargic. For cases quickly caught, here are the many herbal remedies you can use to treat pneumonia in goats. This article details herbal, natural and alternative remedies that I have personally used to treat cases of pneumonia in my own herd. It draws from nearly 15 years of personal experience as well as the wisdom gleaned in some of my favorite herbal remedy books. This is an article to read ahead of kidding time Read More