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 2
September 18, 2019 09:00 - 26 minutes - 21.9 MBRecent thoughts and experiences about the past month or so which was our first month as owners of a gigantic old farm house that needs tons of work to become a goat dairy. 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.
Pain Awareness for Goats and other Animals - Part 1
September 13, 2019 09:00 - 36 minutes - 29.8 MBSeptember is Animal Pain Awareness month! Animal Pain Awareness Month was established by the IVAPM (International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management) to coincide with the human medicine Pain Awareness Month, with the goal of educating animal owners about the signs of pain and what we can do to help our animal companions have an improved quality of life with the use of different modalities of pain therapy. Pain management is a particular area of interest for me in all of the species I see...
Ode to the Rumen Addendum
September 06, 2019 09:00 - 28 minutes - 23.4 MBA few more thoughts about the rumen and how goat kids do that. 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 1
September 03, 2019 09:00 - 31 minutes - 25.6 MBAs previously mentioned, this is going to be one of those episodes where I'm going to talk about what all has been going on on our farm for the past year. This episode was originally recorded on July 17, 2019, so it's a bit back dated, and I recorded this on the day that we found out about the financing for the purchase of the new 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 mo...
Ode to the Rumen
August 30, 2019 09:00 - 48 minutes - 39 MBThis episode is dedicated to the amazing organ that our goats, cows, sheep and other ruminants are named for - the rumen. In this episode, I break down, what all is going on in goat guts, why ruminants are so special, and the general anatomy and physiology of the ruminant. The rumen is AMAZING. 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.
8-26-19 - Quick Check In!
August 26, 2019 09:00 - 5 minutes - 5.22 MBJust a quick thing to say hi and where I've been and what is going to be coming your way! Thanks much for listening! 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.
8-26-19 - Quick Check In!
August 26, 2019 09:00 - 5 minutes - 5.22 MBJust a quick thing to say hi and where I've been and what is going to be coming your way! Thanks much for listening! 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.
Teeth
July 26, 2019 09:23 - 35 minutes - 28.6 MBNo hoof no horse, no tooth no goat. I think I just made that up, but it should be a thing. In this episode I talk about goat teeth, general dental anatomy of goats and ruminants, what kinds of dental issues I see in goats and what I do about them. 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.
VCPR
July 19, 2019 09:40 - 34 minutes - 28.2 MBWhat is the Veterinarian Client Patient Relationship? I talk about it at the beginning of every single podcast, and I think that vets in general are kind of bad at talking about the VCPR and what it is and why it's important. A VCPR helps me help you. A VCPR involves trust and responsibility on both the client side and the vet side. In this episode, I discuss the AVMA definition of a VCPR, what that means to me, what that means about the reality of vet med and my ability to help you and you...
Long Overdue Q&A Part 2
July 14, 2019 19:17 - 35 minutes - 28.9 MBPart 2 to mostly wrap up the email inbox of questions... Topics in this episode include: ticks and goats, minerals and baking soda, goat butter, recommendations for starting a goat dairy, mosquitos, buck behavior, and tying goats up. 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.
Long Overdue Q&A
July 07, 2019 19:11 - 29 minutes - 23.8 MBListener questions have been coming in and I haven't had time to site down at my computer to answer them! This Episode is Part 1 of listener questions going back to March... eeek... sorry guys! Topics in this episode- goat vision/visual acuity, barn/stall bedding and cleaning, sedating goats for things, fecal floats. Come on back for part 2 in a few days! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Hosted on Acast. See ...
Feral Goats
June 28, 2019 09:15 - 23 minutes - 18.7 MBThis episode is a little bit of a departure from your normal goat owner oriented topic and delves into the problem of feral goats in several locations in particular in the world. Check out the show notes at www.goatdoc.com for links to the other podcasts and other things I refer to in this episode. 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 Supplies
June 21, 2019 09:02 - 35 minutes - 28.8 MBEpisode 27 marks the One Year Anniversary of Goat Talk with the Goat Doc! Thanks everyone for listening and your feedback and interaction with me on this project! This episode is a topic that I've been mulling over in my head for a while: What Things I Think That Goat Owners Should Have on Hand. I've probably missed some things, but shoot me an email or hit me up on instagram and let me know! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.co...
Mini Episode #8 - Goat ProTips
June 15, 2019 23:39 - 17 minutes - 14.4 MBFor National Dairy Goat Awareness Week 2019, I hijacked my husband Devin (herd manager, cheesemaker and all around driving force behind our farm, Flying Goat Farm), and had him sit down with me to record some mini episodes to answer your dairy goat related questions from instagram! We are wrapping up our week of mini podcast episodes today with our best Goat ProTips. We are going to try to post one mini-sode every day this week, #NDGAW2019 Enjoy listening to an old married couple discu...
Mini Episode #7 - Some Thoughts on Raw Milk
June 14, 2019 10:00 - 19 minutes - 16.1 MBFor National Dairy Goat Awareness Week 2019, I hijacked my husband Devin (herd manager, cheesemaker and all around driving force behind our farm, Flying Goat Farm), and had him sit down with me to record some mini episodes to answer your dairy goat related questions from instagram! We had a request today to talk more about raw milk, so in this mini-sode we share some of our thoughts about raw milk. We are going to try to post one mini-sode every day this week, #NDGAW2019 Enjoy listening...
Mini Episode #6 - Several Unrelated Questions
June 13, 2019 14:44 - 17 minutes - 13.9 MBFor National Dairy Goat Awareness Week 2019, I hijacked my husband Devin (herd manager, cheesemaker and all around driving force behind our farm, Flying Goat Farm), and had him sit down with me to record some mini episodes to answer your dairy goat related questions from instagram! Today's minis ode answers several questions that are not related to each other except that they have to do with goats! We are going to try to post one mini-sode every day this week, #NDGAW2019 Enjoy listening...
Mini Episode #5 - Organic v Conventional Dairy
June 12, 2019 10:03 - 18 minutes - 15.1 MBFor National Dairy Goat Awareness Week 2019, I hijacked my husband Devin (herd manager, cheesemaker and all around driving force behind our farm, Flying Goat Farm), and had him sit down with me to record some mini episodes to answer your dairy goat related questions from instagram! Today's question was to address organic vs conventional dairy farming practices and whether we think organic certification is worth it. We are going to try to post one mini-sode every day this week, #NDGAW201...
Mini Episode #4 - The Goat Dairy Industry (in Maine and Beyond)
June 11, 2019 10:25 - 16 minutes - 13.6 MBHalfway through National Dairy Goat Awareness Week 2019! In this mini-sode we talk about the goat dairy industry in general and in Maine specifically. For National Dairy Goat Awareness Week 2019, I hijacked my husband Devin (herd manager, cheesemaker and all around driving force behind our farm, Flying Goat Farm), and had him sit down with me to record some mini episodes to answer your dairy goat related questions from instagram! We are going to try to post one mini-sode every day thi...
Mini Episode #3 - Copper & Minerals & Kelp
June 10, 2019 11:01 - 16 minutes - 13.4 MBWe're in the truck for Mini Episode #3 and talking about copper, minerals and kelp! For National Dairy Goat Awareness Week 2019, I hijacked my husband Devin (herd manager, cheesemaker and all around driving force behind our farm, Flying Goat Farm), and had him sit down with me to record some mini episodes to answer your dairy goat related questions from instagram! We are going to try to post one mini-sode every day this week, #NDGAW2019 Enjoy listening to an old married couple discuss...
Mini Episode #2 - Getting Started & Udder Prep
June 09, 2019 12:25 - 21 minutes - 17.3 MBNational Dairy Goat Awareness Week 2019 Mini Episode 2! Resources for getting started with dairy goats and our favorite things for udder prep. Enjoy listening to an old married couple discuss one of our favorite topics - Goats! For National Dairy Goat Awareness Week 2019, I hijacked my husband Devin (herd manager, cheesemaker and all around driving force behind our farm, Flying Goat Farm), and had him sit down with me to record some mini episodes to answer your dairy goat related quest...
Mini Episode #1 - Favorite Dairy Breeds
June 08, 2019 18:35 - 11 minutes - 9.19 MBFor National Dairy Goat Awareness Week 2019, I hijacked my husband Devin (herd manager, cheesemaker and all around driving force behind our farm, Flying Goat Farm), and had him sit down with me to record some mini episodes to answer your dairy goat related questions from instagram! In this mini-sode, we talk about our favorite dairy goat breeds. We are going to try to post one mini-sode every day this week, #NDGAW2019 Enjoy listening to an old married couple discuss one of our favorite to...
Horns Addendum
June 06, 2019 23:38 - 11 minutes - 9.84 MBI forgot to talk about a couple of things about horns! So here they are! 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.
Horns
May 30, 2019 15:01 - 51 minutes - 41.4 MBGoats have horns. Humans keeping goats may choose to prevent horns from growing or let them be. In this episode I talk about horns in general, and different ways they may be removed or prevented from growing, and my personal preferences for horns in my own animals. 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.
Urolithiasis
April 30, 2019 17:39 - 49 minutes - 39.8 MBUrolithiasis = formation of stones in the urinary bladder. All kind of animals can make urinary stones. For goats, particularly castrated male goats, this can cause a problem when the crystals or stones block the way for the urine to get out. This episode gets into the physiology of why and how urinary calculi form, why it's a problem for goats in particular, what to look for if you think this is happening to your goat, and what treatment and prevention look like. Support this show http://...
Selenium
April 12, 2019 09:05 - 52 minutes - 41.9 MBI finally got brave enough to open the can of worms that is Selenium. In this episode, I get into the chemistry and biochemistry of Selenium, what the body needs it for, where the body should get it from, what happens when there isn't enough, what happens when there's too much, etc. Strap in everyone, this is a long episode. 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 informa...
Ode to the Placenta
March 30, 2019 22:12 - 27 minutes - 21.9 MBWhen I said that I don't get excited about the placenta in Episode 21, that was totally a lie. Placenta is crazy. Learn all about this amazing temporary organ in this episode. 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.
Normal Goat Kid Things
March 27, 2019 17:45 - 17 minutes - 14.6 MBAKA: Things That Are Normal for Neonatal Goat Kids That People Freak Out About But Are Not Really Anything to Worry About. Kidding season has officially arrived at my place and it reminded me about the little funny things that can seem to be "wrong" with fresh goat kids and can cause people to freak out, when these things are actually normal and not anything to worry about. Questions about neonatal goat kid poop and joints are very common, and what I talk about in this quick episode. S...
The Periparturient Doe
March 10, 2019 17:01 - 47 minutes - 37.9 MBFollowing up on Episode 19, Care of the Pregnant Doe, this episode includes some of my "kidding pro tips," a discussion about the stages of labor and what those look like in goats, and things that I do and don't worry about in these animals. 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.
Quick Listener Q&A
March 05, 2019 00:04 - 17 minutes - 13.9 MBJust a quick episode to check in and answer a couple of email questions from listeners! Thanks so much for listening and your questions! 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.
Care of the Pregnant Doe
February 03, 2019 19:48 - 37 minutes - 30.7 MBMaking babies is hard work. In this episode I talk about considerations for feeding and care for your doe from shortly after breeding up through the later stages of pregnancy. 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.
Winter Goat Keeping
January 15, 2019 20:33 - 25 minutes - 20.9 MBBrrr it's chilly up in Maine! In this episode I talk about what you can do to help your goats and other livestock critters handle the chilly temperatures we see in New England winters. 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 Detection
January 05, 2019 23:28 - 26 minutes - 21.6 MBEven though I said episode 16, it's really number 17, and it's time to talk about pregnancy detection. This time of year, I need to set aside time to run my does through the milk parlor and verify how many are bred. There are other methods of pregnancy detection if you don't have an ultrasound or a vet that can check with one and I'm going to talk about the different options for pregnancy detection in this episode. These does can be sneaky! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goat...
1/1/19 - Still Alive & Coming Back Soon!
January 01, 2019 22:06 - 3 minutes - 2.72 MBI'm still alive and I didn't drop off the face of the earth! Just a quick blurb to say Happy New Year and thanks to everyone who has listened this year and people who continue to listen even though I've been a slacker at podcasting and completely absorbed by other life stuff. I hope to be back to better podcasting regularity as we start 2019! 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...
Meningeal Worm
October 20, 2018 09:30 - 38 minutes - 31.1 MBBrain worm! Parelaphostrongylus tenuis aka meningeal worm aka brain worm is a problem for small ruminants, camelids and cervids in areas where there is a white tailed deer population. These weird worms do not have negative effects on their normal definitive hosts, white tailed deer, but when they get lost trying to complete their lifecycles in other species, they cause issues. In this episode, I talk about what P teuis does, why it causes issues, what the issues look like, how I tend to tr...
Tales from the Road Vol 2
October 15, 2018 18:12 - 22 minutes - 18.1 MBRecording this story to remember to include it when I write a memoir or something someday. The story of delivering a bunch of my does to western PA. 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.
Listener Q - Establishing a New Herd
September 23, 2018 20:08 - 55 minutes - 44.7 MBI love it when people think carefully about what they are doing before they purchase and take responsibility for any type of animal. In this episode, I discuss a listener email with questions about what to think about when establishing a new goat herd. I go off on some tangents about how I got into the goat world, some analogies to dogs and puppies, priorities and pros and cons of different ways to get goats and what to look for. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Becom...
ARTs (Advanced Reproductive Techniques)
September 15, 2018 21:33 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBI finally finished my breeding plan! To celebrate, I spend an hour in my truck talking about Advanced Reproductive Techniques (mostly AI) in small ruminants (but mostly goats.) This episode builds on what I talked about in the last episode about the hormonal influences of normal goat reproductive cycles and how we use that to build a better goat via ARTs (advanced reproductive techniques) including Artificial Insemination (AI), and a little bit about ET (Embryo Transfer), what are considera...
Breeding Basics & Reproductive Physiology
August 31, 2018 09:30 - 36 minutes - 29.8 MBIt's that time of year when I'm just waiting to wake up to the sounds of hormonal does screaming outside my window. In this episode, I talk about basics of the goat estrus cycle, timing and breeding, and quite a bit about the hormones and physiology that's going on with the whole thing. And I get on a soap box for a minute to talk about thinking about why we do all this breeding goats stuff in the first place. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https...
Vaccinations
August 23, 2018 09:00 - 35 minutes - 28.9 MBVaccines are designed to prevent disease, so what preventative vaccinations should your goats have? Which vaccines should all goats have and which ones should only some goats have and why? Core vaccines and risk based vaccines- what is that about, which are which, who should get vaccinated and when and why? So much conflicting information is out in the world about all kinds of vaccinations, so I'm going to try to break down what we can do for our goats in this episode! Support this show htt...
Castration
August 16, 2018 20:10 - 37 minutes - 30.6 MBSometimes those testicles have to come off. In this episode (which is, in fact, Episode 10, even though my brain to mouth connection misfired and said 7...), I'm going to discuss the different methods for castrating small ruminants, focusing on goats, what age you should think about castrating, how your vet can help make this a less unpleasant endeavor for everyone, and some other considerations related to the topic. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member a...
Goat Skin
August 02, 2018 10:20 - 33 minutes - 27.1 MBGoat skin is different from goatskin. Dealing with skin stuff while the skin is still on the goat is the topic of this episode. This episode talks about external parasite (lice, mites, fleas, ticks), a little bit about Orf (aka Soremouth), zinc responsive dermatoses (and my pet theory about well water's role in that skin condition), and touch on the "zebras," skin cancers, and non-healing lesions, and what to do with those (hint: call the vet, but I'll explain why). Support this show http:...
Quick Episode: Listener Q&A
August 01, 2018 00:08 - 9 minutes - 7.8 MBA quick episode to answer a couple of emails I have received over the last few weeks. And say thanks to everyone who is tuning 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 Kid Nutrition
July 29, 2018 20:16 - 50 minutes - 40.9 MBWhat do I feed this goat kid? How do I feed this goat kid? When do I wean this goat kid? In this episode I provide an overview of goat kid nutrition and recommendations, largely based on my own experience raising probably close to hundreds of goat kids over the last ten years. I have been surprised in clinical practice by the problems with inadequate nutrition and misunderstandings and misinformation about what adequate nutrition consists of for young and growing animals. Support this show...
Eyes
July 06, 2018 10:30 - 24 minutes - 20.2 MBAre you creeped out by eyeballs? I’m not – eyes are totally cool! In this episode I go over some common eye problems in kids and adult goats and what I do to fix them. Usually these things look really scary, but, in my experience, goats can heal their eyes from some really crazy looking stuff. 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.
Grab Bag: Biosecurity, Listener Q&A, and A Story.
July 04, 2018 19:29 - 26 minutes - 21.6 MBRecording on the road because that's where I spend my life. A few different topics in this episode: Biosecurity testing - What is it? Why should I do it? Who needs to be tested? How often do I need to test? Listener Question! (Someone is listening to my podcast and it makes me excited!) Story from my dairy. It's always something. 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 mo...
Signalment (aka What You Need to Tell Me on the Phone)
June 28, 2018 11:00 - 18 minutes - 14.5 MBHelp me help you! In this episode, I go over how to efficiently and effectively tell me (or your own primary vet) about your goat's problem on the phone. 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 1.
June 23, 2018 20:05 - 25 minutes - 20.4 MBA little departure from your regularly scheduled goat educational podcast- telling a kind of ridiculous story about what happened on the road last week.... 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 Road Vol 1.
June 23, 2018 20:05 - 25 minutes - 20.4 MBA little departure from your regularly scheduled goat educational podcast- telling a kind of ridiculous story about what happened on the road last week.... 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.
Permanent ID for Goats
June 23, 2018 18:58 - 22 minutes - 18.3 MBWhat is permanent identification and why should you have it for your goats? In this episode I get on my soapbox for a couple minutes about why permanent identification is important for livestock owners and veterinarians (hint- it's not because vets are trying to be a pain), and then over some options that are available for goats for legal permanent USDA approved identification. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/goatdoc. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/goatdoc. Ho...
Goat Kid Diarrhea
June 21, 2018 16:39 - 29 minutes - 40 MBFirst episode ever and we’re gonna talk about poop! There is a LOT of advice, some good and some terrible about diarrhea in goat kids available on the internet! I’m going to break down some common causes of diarrhea in kids, what to do, and when to worry. 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.