CHAPTER MENU
| Clinical Examination for Diagnosis ofWeight Loss, 781 HistoryTaking, 781 Physical Examination, 782 Environmental Examination, 782 Laboratory Diagnosis and Necropsy, 783 Causes of Chronic Weight Loss, 783 Nutrition- Related Causes, 783 | Viral and Prion Causes of Chronic Weight Loss, 785 Bacterial Causes of Chronic Weight Loss, 785 Parasitic Causes of Chronic Weight Loss, 787 Miscellaneous Causes of Chronic Weight Loss, 789 References, 791 |
HistoryTaking
The loss of weight without other obvious signs of disease, also known as wasting or ill-thrift, is a common clinical presentation in goats (Figure 15.1).
While any given goat may present with weight loss for individual reasons, the abnormally thin goat may also be an indicator of herd-wide problems of infectious, parasitic, or management origin. For this reason, if thin goats are noticed during a farm visit, the veterinarian should ask to examine them even if they were not the reason for the visit.In mature animals, ill-thrift means that a loss of weight has occurred and the affected goat has become abnormally thin. In growing animals, ill-thrift again can refer to a loss of weight, or alternatively to the rate of weight gain being less than expected based on past experience, known breed standards, or in comparison with other animals on the premises. In the United States, such an animal might be referred to as a “poor doer.” Some conditions discussed in this chapter may cause either actual weight loss or a failure to gain weight in growing animals.