Urinary Calculi
Goats are prone to a few specific conditions that can be alleviated with proper dietary adjustments.  The first is urinary calculi, a very painful and potentially fatal condition in which large crystals called stones form in the urinary tract and block the urethra, the tube going from the bladder to the outside of the body.  This means the goat cannot urinate.  If not immediately treated, the goat’s bladder can rupture in less than 48 hours.  This condition is most common in pygmy goats and castrated males whose urinary tracts are underdeveloped, resulting in narrow urethras. While females have short, straight urethras and seldom get stones, males have long, twisting urethras with lots of opportunities for stones to lodge. Diets high in phosphorus, such as a diet high in grains, or diets with an imbalance of calcium and phosphorus (the ratio should be two calcium to one phosphorus) encourage the formation of urinary stones.  Low water intake also contributes, because it makes the urine more concentrated.  The more dilute the urine, the less likely that minerals in the urine can physically combine to form a stone. 

You can help prevent this condition by feeding a well-balanced diet with the proper ratio of calcium to phosphorus and by feeding a compound called a urinary acidifier.  Purina Mills® brand goat diets makes pelleted feeds that contain ammonium chloride, a common urinary acidifier.  This compound very effectively makes the urine more acidic, which chemically inhibits the formation of crystals.  Ammonium chloride in the feed, combined with Purina Mills® brand Goat Chow® Mineral and plenty of clean water to encourage your goat to drink more, will go a long way toward helping your goat avoid urinary calculi.

Bloat
Bloat is the symptom that occurs when a ruminant animal cannot burp.  The rumen produces a lot of gas, and goats normally get rid of it by belching.  If something blocks the escape of gas from the rumen, the rumen will begin to expand.  You will notice a large bulge on the animal’s left side, as if it had swallowed a soccer ball.  There are two major causes of bloat.  One is an obstruction of the esophagus; the goat may have swallowed something large and it is stuck.  In this case, you may be able to feel the obstruction in the throat.  If you cannot gently work it down the esophagus, get a veterinarian’s help.  You never want to be rough with an obstruction, since you don’t know if it has sharp edges.  The second major reason for bloat is that the goat has gotten into a source of soluble carbohydrates such as grain, or someone tried to change its diet too quickly, and the rumen microbes cannot deal with the unfamiliar feed (and resulting rumen pH change) in that amount.  Common sources of soluble carbohydrates are grain and the first fresh grass and clover in the spring.  The result of eating too much of these feeds is a shift in the pH of the rumen, resulting in death of the normal microbes, leaving bad microbes to work on the feed and produce foam.  The foam fills up the rumen and blocks the entrance to the esophagus, preventing the escape of gas. (This response is often the result of a mild grain overload or a meal of the first fresh clover of the season, as opposed to a severe overload that could quickly kill the goat.)  The best course of action is to call your veterinarian.  Common traditional treatments include mineral oil to try to settle the foam, but your vet will have much more effective surfactants that will decrease the foam and allow your goat to belch away the problem.  Serious cases may require stronger intervention from your vet.  The best prevention is to keep the goat separated from food it is not supposed to have, and to make any dietary changes very gradually.

Enterotoxemia - Overeating disease
Enterotoxemia, also known as "overeating disease”, is caused by the bacterium Clostridium perfringins, Type C and D. This bacterium is a normal inhabitant of the intestinal tract of goats and other mammals, and normally, is not a problem. However, there are certain conditions which trigger excessive bacterial growth in which lethal amounts of toxin are produced, resulting in death of the animal.  Enterotoxemia type D is most commonly associated with heavy concentrate feeding or an abrupt change in the diet, usually to a better feed. It usually affects weaned kids that are consuming at least 3/4 of a pound of grain per day. In contrast, enterotoxemia type C most often affects nursing kids within the first few weeks of life, causing a bloody diarrhea.
Animals with enterotoxemia are frequently found dead, without symptoms. The disease progresses rapidly and often strikes the best-doing kids. When symptoms are observed, they are often confused with other diseases such as e.coli scours or polio. Affected kids will appear depressed, may grind their teeth, twitch or convulse. Abdominal pain is common.
Management which will aid in prevention of the disease includes avoiding sudden changes to the diet. There should be a gradual transition of two to three weeks when going from a roughage to a highly concentrated ration. Feeding at regular intervals, proper ration mixing and providing adequate feeder space will also help to prevent problems

Pregnancy Toxemia / Ketosis
These diseases are often (though not exclusively) seen in dairy goats, especially in good milkers.   The situation occurs either very near the end of pregnancy (pregnancy toxemia) or after birth, when the goat begins milking (ketosis).  The problem is that late-term pregnancy and especially the onset of lactation require considerable energy, more than can be derived from the feed.  The problem is compounded in a goat carrying multiple fetuses, because the kids press on the rumen and the goat simply cannot physically eat very much.  Consequently, the goat must call on body reserves of fat for energy.  The breakdown of large amounts of fat results in compounds called ketones floating around in the blood.  In large concentrations, these ketones actually have a toxic effect; the animal may develop acidosis of the blood (goat blood, like human blood, should be slightly alkaline), and if this becomes severe enough, the goat may go into a coma.  Early symptoms include apathy, poor appetite, a decrease in milk production (if the goat is milking), a rough coat, and disorientation.  You will need a veterinarian to administer glucose and electrolytes to help your goat get well.

To prevent ketosis or pregnancy toxemia, you must get more energy into the late-term pregnant and early-lactation doe.  Gradually increase the concentrate (grain) portion of the diet and reduce the hay portion (remember, you don’t want to change the rumen pH too fast).  The grain is much higher in energy and will take up much less room in the rumen.  A small amount of fat on the feed will also help increase energy intake.  Providing more frequent and smaller meals will also help.  Some people give their does a little honey or molasses right after they give birth to provide some immediate carbohydrate energy.  Keep good records so that you know which does are prone to ketosis or pregnancy toxemia, as some does sail through pregnancy and lactation without problems and might actually get fat if given extra energy in their feed.

Copper Toxicity
In addition to carbohydrates, protein and fiber, goats need minerals and vitamins, and copper have been a mineral of interest in goat nutrition.  Copper is necessary as a structural compound in many enzymes, as a blood constituent, a metabolism regulator, and an immune system component. However, animals differ in their ability to utilize copper and clear it from their systems.  The copper requirement for goats is higher than that of sheep, but lower than that of horses and cattle.  Therefore, a sheep mineral supplement is deficient in copper for goats, but a cattle mineral mix may be too high.  Copper requirements can be affected by the presence of other mineral elements, especially molybdenum and sulfur, as well as iron and calcium carbonate, which interfere with the availability of copper to the animal.  If you are feeding adequate copper but your animals show symptoms of deficiency, have your soil and forages analyzed for these compounds.

Purina Mills brand goat feeds are supplemented with the right amount of a copper source which is highly available.  In addition, Purina Mills® brand Goat Chow® Mineral is balanced properly to meet the unique needs of goats, no matter their life stage.

Milk Fever
With the onset of milk production, the goat loses a large quantity of calcium with the milk.  The goat normally has more than enough calcium reserves in her bones, but if she has been on a diet high in calcium; her body may have “forgotten” how to mobilize those calcium reserves because it hasn’t needed to.  Consequently, when she starts lactating, and she needs to deliver calcium to the mammary gland for milk production, her blood calcium levels may fall to a dangerous level.  Moderate milk fever will make the goat lethargic, with poor appetite and poor milk production.  Acute cases of milk fever can leave the goat in a coma; she will need immediate veterinary attention.  Your veterinarian will need to administer calcium gluconate into the bloodstream to restore the normal concentrations of blood calcium and re-establish your goat’s health.  Your goat cannot absorb enough calcium nor can she absorb it fast enough from food to meet the immediate needs of lactation, and if she is ill, she won’t be eating anyway.

You can help prevent milk fever by not feeding too much high-calcium feed, such as alfalfa, during late pregnancy.  If the doe’s body does not get all the calcium it needs in the feed, it will start pulling calcium reserves from the bones.  By the time the doe gives birth and begins milking, the body is familiar again with quickly mobilizing bone calcium, and the doe will not suffer a potentially fatal drop in blood calcium. You can then begin feeding high-calcium feeds again to support the calcium needs of lactation.  As the goat progresses through lactation and begins to decrease her milk production, dietary calcium will be used to restore bone reserves.