Have you ever tried to give a goat a pill and discovered how difficult it is? It’s definitely not an easy job, but there are better ways to give a goat a pill than stuffing your hands down its throat. In this article, we’ll show you how to give a pill to a goat.
Of course, keeping your goats healthy always should be a top priority. Don’t let them go without the necessary medication just because they refuse to take it or it is hard to give it to them.
Giving a goat a pill by hand is risky because it may bite you. While goat bites are usually not painful, there is a chance that the bite will break your skin and cause an infection. Therefore, we’ve included methods to give a goal a pill in this article to help save your hand from being bitten.
How to give a goat a pill?
You can give a goat a pill by disguising it in food, pill pockets, crushing it, or using a syringe, balling gun, or a pet piller.
Disguise pills in food
This may be the simplest and most effective method of administering a pill to a goat. If it works for small children, it should also work for animals. Many livestock owners support this strategy because the food distracts the goat from the pill.
Animal crackers, cheerios, other cereals, and even apples can be used. You can use whatever you think your goat will enjoy! To disguise pills in food, either stuff the pill into the food or begin by feeding a treat your goat enjoys, followed by the pill, and then quickly followed by more treats to mask the taste of the pill. In this manner, your goat will not even notice that you have given it a pill.
It is important to carefully monitor your goat for a couple minutes after to ensure they don’t spit out the pill.
Make pill pockets
Pill pockets are little dough balls that can help you hide your goat’s pills much easier. To make pill pockets, you’ll only need peanut butter, molasses or apple sauce, and flour. In a mixing bowl, combine the three ingredients and stir until a dough forms.
Make small balls of dough, about the size of cereal. Make holes in the dough with a chopstick or pencil, then place it in the fridge. To use it, insert the pill into the hole and pinch it shut. Then you can give it to your goat! You can also buy pill pockets online if you don’t want to make your own.
Crush the pill into a powder
If hiding the pills in food does not work, you can crush them into a fine powder with a grinder or a mortar and pestle. If you decide to crush it into a powder, check with your veterinarian first to see if it’s okay, as some pills must be given whole. Also, some medication usually needs to be injected, such as penicillin.
Place a pill in a grinder or a mortar and pestle to crush it, or place it in a paper envelope and crush it with something heavy. Mix the powder with something sticky that your goat enjoys, such as cooked carrots, yogurt, honey, or applesauce, and then add it to the goat’s regular feed.
Use a syringe
Another option is to administer a pill to your goat with a syringe. Crush the pills into a powder, then mix it with water infused with kool-aid or other drink flavorings to mask the taste. Raise your goat’s head and insert the syringe as far back into its cheek as possible, then press the plunger. You will need to follow a similar technique as when you bottle feed a goat.
Don’t shoot the mixture down your goat’s throat, as this could choke it. Instead, shoot it into your goat’s cheek and hold its nose until it swallows.
Use a Balling Gun
You can also use a balling gun to administer pills to goats. A balling gun is a device designed specifically for giving boluses, capsules, or pills to goats. Simply insert the pill into the balling gun by pulling back the plunger. To release the pill, insert the balling gun into the back of your goat’s throat and press the plunger.
Use a Pet Piller
A Pet Piller is a plastic pill gun that makes giving pills to small animals much easier. It’s designed for dogs and cats, but it can also be used on baby goats. It functions similarly to a balling gun, but it is much smaller.
Conclusion
Giving a pill to a goat can be difficult, and while you can do it by hand, it is not recommended because the goat may bite you. They might also try to headbutt you.
If your goat bites you, thoroughly wash the bite with water and soap. Wrap the bite in a clean bandage after applying antibiotic ointment or cream.
While there are several methods for giving a pill to a goat, we believe that having your goat accept treats in which you can hide the pill is the best. This is the quickest and most convenient method, and your goat will enjoy the treats as well.
I hope that now that you know how to give a pill to a goat, the process becomes easier for you. Good luck!
