My pygmy goat died unexpectedly..?

Question

I have two pygmy goats (sisters) they are about a year and a half. I came home today and went out to feed them and I couldn't find one of them at first, which was odd because she usually comes running. I looked around and found her in her shed dead. I have no idea what could've happened to her. The weather hasn't been too cold. (well I live in Montana so it is cold, but nothing the goats aren't used to..and it has been warmer this week than usual) I just don't get it. I saw her yesterday and she looked just fine, her normal happy self. Does anyone have any ideas on what could've happened? And does anybody know of anyone who might want a pymgy goat in MT? Daisy (the goat who died) was the friendlier of the two and I can't see keeping the other one without Daisy because she'll get really lonely. Also how do you think Lily (the other goat) will react to a new home without her sister?

Answer 1

Yup- we had the same thing happen to us. We had two goats, both perfectly fine and then one died overnight. In our case, it was bloat, which is pretty common in ruminants for a cause of death. Was her belly bigger than normal? Bloat is when fermented air gets caught in one or more of the stomachs. There are a couple drugs that can get rid of bloat, but the most common way is a tube down into the first stomach, which will release the pressure.
Your 1 goat should be fine by herself. We had the one boy that was left by himself for 6 months before we got more goats (my sisters show 4-H). He would baa every time he saw someone, but he was just more friendly. He was very lonely for the first week or so, and then got over it. Just spend a lot of time with her and she should be fine.

Answer 2

Whatever the situation Lily will be much happier with a friend, whether you choose to sell her or keep her and get another goat. They are herd animals and don't do well alone. Daisy may have eaten something poisonous, or she could have had a genetic defect you never would have known about such as a heart murmer, etc. That's awful young to die of cancer but you never know. It would be hard to tell as she can't tell you she's out of breath all the time, or has a tummy ache. I'm assuming she wasn't injured and was still eating and drinking normally prior to this happening as you didn't mention any other symptoms. Sorry for your loss.