Goat Talk with the Goat Doc
101 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 208 ratingsDr Cara Sammons-Shepard, DVM is a practicing veterinarian in Maine and New Hampshire, and when on the road, the majority of her patients are goats. She and her husband have owned and operated a commercial farmstead creamery since 2009. In this podcast, Dr Shepard discusses different topics related to goat medicine and husbandry.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc.
Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
Tales From the Farm Vol 11
July 15, 2022 08:32 - 38 minutes - 31.4 MBA long overdue update on what's been going on at Flying Goat Farm this spring/early summer. Questions, comments, just wanna say hi and send me cute goat pics online? www.goatdoc.com, [email protected], Insta: @goat_doc. Want another place to talk about goats online? Come say hi on the Discord server: http://discord.gg/am66zGny2b Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...
Registered Goats - Why?
June 03, 2022 08:11 - 42 minutes - 34.5 MBWhy should we care about whether our goats are registered? It's more than just being able to say that your animal is "purebred" or not. In this episode, I talk about my experience and opinion about why you should register your goats. I'm obviously biased, but it may not be why you think someone would be biased towards registering animals. Questions, comments, just wanna say hi and send me cute goat pics online? www.goatdoc.com, [email protected], Insta: @goat_doc. Want another plac...
Dystocia
May 27, 2022 08:09 - 25 minutes - 20.9 MBDystocia is our veterinary doctor word for difficult birth. (I guess maybe we call it something different for humans? I don't know, all species but one over here). In this episode I talk about different causes for dystocia, my experiences with what is more common in goats, and some dystocia do's and don'ts. Questions, comments, just wanna say hi and send me cute goat pics online? www.goatdoc.com, [email protected], Insta: @goat_doc Want another place to talk about goats on the inter...
Lookin' at Poop: Fecal Diagnostics
April 30, 2022 08:12 - 38 minutes - 31.2 MBSeems like we talk about poop a lot sometimes doesn't it. While I'm sure I've touched on fecal analysis as part of a parasite management program in the past, I thought I would take some time and talk about the different types of fecal analyses we have available to help assess and monitor parasite levels in our goats and other animals. This episode covers the difference between qualitative and quantitative fecal analysis, Baermann fecals and touches on the usefulness (or not) of FAMACHA as a...
Enteric Protozoa Part 2: Other Guys
April 23, 2022 08:08 - 25 minutes - 21.3 MBWhile coccidia is the big player in problem protozoa for ruminants, there are a couple other guys I see around that I sometimes care about as well, so Entamoeba and Giardia get a couple minutes of attention in this episode and I also spend some time discussing considerations for treating enteric protozoa in general- why, why, how, and what to consider when you are doing it. Questions, comments, just wanna say hi and send me cute goat pics online? www.goatdoc.com, [email protected], Ins...
Enteric Protozoa Part 1 : Coccidia
April 16, 2022 08:08 - 51 minutes - 42.1 MBIt's been a while, but I'm back for at least a few episodes to talk about enteric protozoans - single celled critters that live in the guts, and may or may not be a problem. First things first- Coccidia. I managed to get a little long winded here talking about these guys and options for treating them when you may have a problem. Questions, comments, just wanna say hi and send me cute goat pics online? www.goatdoc.com, [email protected], Insta: @goat_doc Support this show http://sup...
Breeding Season Thoughts 2021
October 01, 2021 08:34 - 30 minutes - 24.9 MBTalking a little pause from calcium to talk about the fall breeding season. The leaves are turning in Maine and in a strange turn of events, I finished my 2021 breeding plan several weeks before it's actually needed!!! #signsoftheapocalypse. This episode is just my thoughts about how I approached a breeding plan for about 45 does for the 2022 milking season- things I think about, what options I use for bucks and why, how we are planning our timing for breeding and kidding for the next rou...
Calcium - Overview & Regulation
August 20, 2021 08:47 - 31 minutes - 25.5 MBThis is the first of a couple of episodes talking about calcium. For this first episode, I go into the physiology (I think I kept it mostly under control) of where calcium hangs out in the body and the systems that regulate how much calcium is available for important life functions. The goal of this episode is to have an idea of how this all works when things are normal, so that when things are not normal, we have something to compare to. Questions/comments/etc? www.goatdoc.com, goatdo...
Tales From the Road/Clinic - July 2021
July 23, 2021 08:26 - 49 minutes - 40.1 MBA departure from your more goat oriented podcast. In this episode I am going to tell you all about what is going on in the veterinary field as of this moment in July 2021. If you have not already been made aware, the veterinary profession all over the world is experiencing unprecedented and overwhelming demand for services and we are all just trying to keep our heads above water while we try to help as many patients as we possibly can. The field is experiencing higher than normal rates of...
Tales From the Farm Vol 10
July 16, 2021 08:22 - 35 minutes - 29.3 MBDevin and I recap what all has been going on over the winter and spring at the farm on a rainy truck ride up to my parents' house on the 4th of July. (Sorry about the windshield wiper noise!) Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Some Goat Health Topics That Could Use Some Clarification
July 09, 2021 08:09 - 19 minutes - 16 MBGot some stuff to clear up for people! You may already know some of these things, but I've had a few things bouncing around in my head lately that I hear people say, or do or read people talking about on the interweb that *aren't* quite right, so here's what I've got to say about those things! Talking about parasites and goat kids, milk fever and pregnancy toxemia, and probably some other stuff stuck in there too. Questions/comments/things you want me to clarify more? Send me an email a...
Buck Keeping
July 02, 2021 08:08 - 40 minutes - 32.7 MBI got a couple of requests to talk about general buck keeping, so here we go! Also go check out Episode 39 for a more reproductive focused buck episode. This episode starts with a step back to talk about the "why" of keeping a buck, then my general nutrition recommendations, and then some of the less charming aspects of keeping bucks. Questions/comments/etc? Shoot me an email at [email protected], check out the website at www.goatdoc.com, or come say hi on instagram @goat_doc. Sup...
Passive Transfer, Colostrum, etc Part 2, mostly FPT and the like.
April 02, 2021 08:27 - 37 minutes - 30.9 MBMore Goat Talk about the whole passive transfer of maternal immunity for our goat kids coming at you in this episode. We talked about the actual amazing importance and complexity to the seemingly simple system of goat kids drinking colostrum in the first 24 hours of their lives in Part 1, so in Part 2, I go into what problems can arise from the failure of passive transfer (FPT), sequelae of FPT, and goat and human behaviors that can cause FPT to be a problem. Come say hi on the internet a...
Passive Transfer of Immunity, Colostrum, etc. Part 1
March 26, 2021 09:23 - 48 minutes - 39.3 MBCrash course in immunology of neonatal goat kids part one! In this episode, I try to give a foundation for understanding what all is going on with goat kid immune systems and how they manage to survive a world full of bacteria and potential pathogens for the first 1-2 months of their lives while their immune systems get geared up. Talking about a whole bunch of things in this episode including placentation (refresh yourself with Episode 23: Ode to the Placenta), antibodies and what the hec...
Goat Respiratory Stuff, Part 2
January 29, 2021 10:15 - 41 minutes - 34 MBPart 2 of Goat Respiratory Stuff - I talk about non-infectious causes of respiratory issues in goats. Discussion includes, inflammatory/allergic issues, cardiogenic, neoplastic, anatomical, and functional causes, and talk about what I'm looking at in a physical exam focused on respiratory problems. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Goat Respiratory Stuff, Part 1
January 22, 2021 09:54 - 48 minutes - 39.8 MBTalking about coughing goats! Well, more accurately, talking about respiratory disease in goats. This is going to be a two parter. In part 1, we get into infectious causes of respiratory disease in goats, some anatomy talking about normal respiratory defense mechanisms, and the interplay of primary respiratory problems and secondary invaders. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...
Tales From the Farm Vol 9
December 11, 2020 09:33 - 29 minutes - 24.2 MBFarm update and talking about what we want to get done this winter and in 2021. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tales From the Farm Vol 9
December 11, 2020 09:33 - 29 minutes - 24.2 MBFarm update and talking about what we want to get done this winter and in 2021. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Milk & Mammaries Part 3
December 04, 2020 09:16 - 47 minutes - 38.4 MBAnnnnd I totally uploaded the wrong episode file for Part 3! And then we had a ridiculous snowstorm and we lost power, then the power came back on, but no internet. So here is the correct episode! Sorry! Devin joins me for Part 3 of the series on Milk and Mammary Health. We talk about proper milking procedure and protocol and why recommendations are what they are, monitoring milk and udder health and mastitis. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member ...
Milk & Mammaries Part 2
November 27, 2020 10:00 - 38 minutes - 31.2 MBMilk & Mammaries Part 2 builds on what we talked about in Part 1 and we get into more anatomy and physiology of what type of cells make milk, how the milk comes together into the udder and what that all looks like. Important differences between how goats and cows make milk. Anatomy of the udder and a little bit about how that plays into udder and milk health. Questions, comments or just want to say hi? Find me at @goat_doc on instagram or at www.goatdoc.com Support this show http://suppor...
Milk & Mammaries, Part 1
October 04, 2020 15:14 - 41 minutes - 34 MBThe first in a series of episodes talking about milk and mammaries. Not quite sure how many episodes it will take to get through all the stuff I want to talk about. As usual, I think it's useful to talk about basic stuff, so in this episode, milk is defined, I talk about what all is actually in there, and get into the casein thing a bit. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...
Tales From the Farm Vol 8
September 15, 2020 08:37 - 38 minutes - 31.1 MBDevin and I regroup and discuss how stuff has been going on on the farm this summer... 2020 has been kind of a dumpster fire, eh? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tales From the Farm Vol 8
September 15, 2020 08:37 - 38 minutes - 31.1 MBDevin and I regroup and discuss how stuff has been going on on the farm this summer... 2020 has been kind of a dumpster fire, eh? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
So You Think You Want Goats, Part 4
September 11, 2020 08:27 - 23 minutes - 19.5 MBI joined Devin on the road for his deliveries so we could record the last part of So You Think You Want Goats: Why You Absolutely Should Not Get Goats. A little bit tongue in cheek, but we discuss a couple of major reasons why you should consider NOT getting goats if you're on the fence. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
So You Think You Want Goats, Part 3
August 28, 2020 08:30 - 54 minutes - 44.6 MBSo I get a little verbose and long winded in this episode talking about health considerations for acquiring your new goats. Quick overviews of CAE, CL, and Johne's diseases, parasites, and things to avoid/ask/otherwise be aware of when you're goat shopping. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
So You Think You Want Goats, Part 2b
August 21, 2020 08:46 - 35 minutes - 28.7 MBFor Part 2B of our series- So You Think You Want Goats, I'm going to continue the nutrition discussion, now switching gears to grain and additives or supplements that may be already added to prepared grain, or ones you may add yourself. What is a "medicated" feed? Should we be feeding grain with ammonium chloride? Should we be feeding grain at all? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...
So You Think You Want Goats, Part 2A
August 15, 2020 17:07 - 44 minutes - 36.4 MBSo you still think you want goats? You're going to end up a crazy person like me who can go off on an almost-full-podcast-length talk about differences in cuts of hay. Part 2 of So You Think You Want Goats is focused on hay- cuts of hay and the differences between them, practicalities of feeding your goats hay, important considerations for providing water to your goats, and some goat keeping protips related to hay and water. Talking for 40 minutes about hay and water sounds kind of si...
So You Think You Want Goats, Part 1
July 17, 2020 09:01 - 33 minutes - 27.1 MBSo you think you want goats? Another multi-part series comin' at ya. For this first episode, we're going to talk about lifestyle changes that should be considered before getting goats, and basics for goat housing and fencing. Future topics to include: feed, preventative care routines, and Why you should NOT want goats! ;) Shoot me an email at [email protected] or at www.goatdoc.com with other suggestions for new goat owners and/or what questions you might have as a potential future g...
7/16/20
July 16, 2020 16:37 - 49 seconds - 1.23 MBJust a quick check in. New episode coming tomorrow! Thanks for bearing with me! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vet Perspective: Goat Breeds
May 30, 2020 17:44 - 28 minutes - 23.5 MBTime for some fun goat chat! I was asked on Instagram to share my perspective as a vet on different breeds of goats! Come say hi on instagram at @goat_doc or www.goatdoc.com and tell me about your breed. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Herd Immunity
May 23, 2020 10:02 - 26 minutes - 21.9 MBHerd Immunity. I bet you didn't hear this term very often until the past 2-3 months and now it's almost a media buzzword. These kinds of things get tossed around and lots of times, people think they know what it means, and they don't *actually* quite get it. In this episode I talk about the concept of herd immunity, what it means, talk about it in terms of goat health situations, how do we know what kind of percentage of the population needs to be immune, what is R0, and how does it hel...
Herd Health
May 15, 2020 09:00 - 43 minutes - 35 MBA relevant topic in the current times- What is herd health? How do you approach thinking about this topic in an animal population? What does it entail and where do you start? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tales from the Farm Vol 7 - COVID 19 Edition Part 1
May 12, 2020 09:01 - 40 minutes - 33.3 MBDevin and I sit down and recap some of the insanity of the last two months. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tales from the Road Vol 3 - COVID 19 Edition
May 06, 2020 09:01 - 31 minutes - 25.9 MBAfter a month of kidding and building and the start of a global pandemic, I'm back with some tales from the road. In this episode I talk about how my life as a vet has changed over the last couple of months. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Checking in 3/25/20
March 26, 2020 09:01 - 4 minutes - 4.15 MBA quick check in. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Goat Hooves Part 1: Anatomy and Basics
March 14, 2020 09:05 - 40 minutes - 32.9 MBThis episode was a little slow in the making- sorry! I needed a couple of tries to gather my thoughts and figure out the best way to approach the topic. Your goats' hooves are their foundation and very important to their longevity and mobility! Lots of comparative anatomy discussion in this episode to try to help explain what all is going on in goats' hooves and distal limbs. I think it's helpful to understand this stuff at least a little bit because it helps with preventative care and ...
Tales from the Farm Vol 6
March 06, 2020 17:50 - 32 minutes - 26.9 MBExciting life changing events in the barn - Electricity! Hot water! Laundry! New kids, first fresheners and baby rabies. Still lots of work to do, but Devin and I sat down to give a farm update. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Neonatal Kids
February 22, 2020 13:45 - 34 minutes - 27.9 MBIn this episode, I discuss how we manage our goat kids during the first 1-3 days of their lives, what we do immediately after birth, the MOST IMPORTANT 2 THINGS to do with your neonatal kids, and talk about a few things that people tend to want to do with goat kids, that mostly don't do anything to help the goat kids. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tales From the Farm Vol 5
February 14, 2020 10:15 - 28 minutes - 23.3 MBWhat we've been up to for the past month. This episode is probably not as exciting as previous TFTF episodes, but if you're curious about what we've been up to, here it is! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kidding 2020 - Recap & Reassurance
February 06, 2020 10:00 - 44 minutes - 36.1 MBKidding season is upon us. By request, this episode recaps some of my thoughts about kidding, when to intervene in a delivery, what things I get excited about, and what things I don't get excited about. For more kidding info, also make sure to check out Episode 19: Care of the Pregnant Doe, Episode 21: The Periparturient Doe, and Episode 23: Ode to the Placenta. Happy #kidding2020, y'all! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast....
Tales from the Farm Vol 4
January 15, 2020 09:54 - 35 minutes - 29.2 MBThe next volume in the saga of moving in and some of the problems, solutions and new critters on the farm. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Pregnancy Toxemia
January 11, 2020 10:14 - 33 minutes - 27.6 MBJoin me as I geek out about the physiology of pregnancy toxemia. This small ruminant metabolic disorder of late pregnancy is characterized by a negative energy balance- the doe can't take in enough energy to meet her needs and the energy needs of her growing babies. What all is happening there from a physiological standpoint, what do these does look like in real life, what do we do about it? I keep going back to the physiology in this one, sorry guys, but hopefully I didn't get too intens...
Tales From the Farm Vol 3
December 19, 2019 10:45 - 36 minutes - 29.7 MBTales From the Farm continue with me and Devin recapping the last few months leading up to moving our lives, goats, home, and dairy to a new location. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
GI Parasites in Goats Part IV/IV: Perils & Pitfalls (AKA "Please Don't Do That")
November 23, 2019 10:09 - 24 minutes - 20.3 MBWrapping up the series about GI parasite management in goats! You made it this far, and this last episode talks a little bit about why I recommend the things I recommend and talk about the things that I don't think do anything but seem to be very popular recommendations on the internet. After this episode, I will be taking a bit of a short break to finish moving my life and my farm and my goats to our new home. I will talk to you all in December! Support this show http://supporter.aca...
GI Parasites in Goats Part III/IV: Strategy
November 16, 2019 10:20 - 54 minutes - 44.4 MBPart III of the GI Parasites in Goats series. If you haven't listened to Parts I and II, go back and have a listen because there is some info there that will make this episode more useful. In this episode, I talk about strategies for parasite MANAGEMENT in goats and small ruminants. Developing a parasite management plan and utilizing strategies to do so is always going to be a multi-faceted and ongoing part of owning goats and other small ruminants. It's not a quick and easy topic, it ...
GI Parasites in Goats Part II/IV: Know Your Weapons
November 09, 2019 17:00 - 42 minutes - 34.5 MBPart II of our series on gastrointestinal parasites in goats. It's time to talk about the things we have in our arsenal that we can use to keep parasite numbers in check. If you missed Part I, go back one episode and have a listen to get to know the enemies. In this episode, I'm going to break down the families of anthelminthic drugs ("chemical" dewormers), talk about copper oxide wire particles, and nematode entrapping fungi. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Be...
GI Parasites in Goats Part I/IV: Know Your Enemy
November 02, 2019 14:44 - 35 minutes - 29.3 MBMany people have asked, and here it comes- Gastrointestinal Parasites in Goats. This episode is Part 1 of what is planned to be a 4 part series, and we are going to get to know the enemy. In order to have a plan to manage GI parasites, it is vital to know which ones you're dealing with and know about their life cycles and survival strategies. In this episode, I break down the major GI parasites- HOT Complex (Hemonchus, Ostertagia, Trichostrongylus), Cestodes (tapeworms), and Nematodirus. ...
Bucks - Repro
October 11, 2019 09:01 - 48 minutes - 39.6 MBMaking up for missing a week with an extra long episode talking about our stinky boys- the bucks! I looooove my bucks. In this episode I talk about keeping bucks and focus on reproductive aspects of health and selection of breeding animals and about the goal to #buildabettergoat. We're going to talk about a lot of reproductive organs and this episode talks about goat sex, so if that's not your scene, maybe sit this one out. ;) If you love your bucks as much as I do, post them on instagr...
Pain Awareness for Goats and other Animals - Part 3
September 28, 2019 09:00 - 31 minutes - 26.1 MBThe final part of my series talking about pain awareness for September's Animal Pain Awareness Month, and I'm getting into a kind of nebulous discussion about the legal differences in how different countries regulate animal welfare, which can have to do with how we are aware of pain in animals, especially our livestock species. The United States, where I live and practice veterinary medicine, is pretty lackadaisical about animal welfare regulations as pertaining to livestock, especially as ...
Pain Awareness for Goats & Other Animals - Part 2
September 20, 2019 09:00 - 36 minutes - 29.9 MBSo... I can apparently talk about pain and what we can do about pain in animals for a few minutes... This episode is Part 2 of what looks like is going to be a 3 parter for Animal Pain Awareness Month. In this episode, I largely focus on what we've got in our human medical bag to combat pain in our non-human species. As with the first pain awareness episode, I do talk a bit about other species besides goats, but largely this episode focuses on three major categories of drugs we have to preve...