My goat has lost appetite and weight. How can I tell if it's anemic?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Loss of appetite can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. This could absolutely be due to anemia given her pale mucous membranes. I recommend that you have Snow evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a good night! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

The best way to find out whether your goat has worms is to take a fresh sample of his poop to your veterinarian for a fecal exam. Symptoms only occur if the worm burden is huge for many months. You do not want to let it get that bad. So collect a poop sample, take it to the vet and if your goat has worms, your vet can give you a proper wormer.

I am sorry Molly is not feeling well..If mollys mucous membranes (inside of there mouth) are pale I would be concerned she is anemic. It is possible Molly could have parasites. Tapeworms can cause weight loss,anemia,and an itchy rectum. Anemia happens to a patient when red blood cells are being destroyed ( parasite or immune mediated disease ), lost ( trauma, damaged spleen) or not being made (bone marrrow disease ). I would recommend taking Molly to a veterinarians to see if she is anemic and possibly the cause. A complete blood cell count will look at the concentration of her red blood cells and show if she is anemic. A fecal exam will test for parasites like tapeworms.

Cat gums can normally appear more pale than you would expect on a dog. Also, pale mucous membranes is not a great indicator of anemia, because the color can be influenced by other factors such as blood pressure and environmental temperature. Pictures are not a great way to visualize colors, but this does not seem unusually pale to me. If you feel like you are noticing a drastic change in the color, then it is possible that something is off in her body, but not likely if she is otherwise acting normal. The conditions that cause pale mucous membranes would cause other clinical signs such as weight loss, decrease in appetite, and/or decrease in activity. I think you have little to worry about right now, but it's difficult for me to tell for sure without examining her. The best way to make sure she is healthy is to schedule a wellness exam with your vet. They will be able to help you further with this concern. I hope that helps and all is well with Kitty.

Hi! So sorry to hear that Paris is not feeling well. It sounds like Paris is anemic based on the color of her gums and the fact that she does not feel well which means that she is clinically affected. I recommend that you have Paris evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible to figure out what is wrong and start therapy for it. At the very least, she could have bloodwork done to see if she truly is anemic and go from there. Keeping my fingers crossed that evrything goes well!!

The gums do look pale. Anemia in a puppy is usually caused by fleas or intestinal parasites. Please use a flea comb to remove any fleas. You can dip it in warm soapy dishwater to rinse it off and kill the fleas. I'm glad you are taking her in for an exam tomorrow. Please bring a fecal sample also so they can do a exam for parasites. If she's feeling good and playing she should be fine, I would not have her be too active, let her rest since they get tired and weak from anemia. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Kota.

Sounds like either enterotoxemia (Clostridium spp) or parasites like tapeworms. What parasites did you treat for? Tapeworms need a special deworming medication as they are not killed with a general dewormer. Are you vaccinating against Clostridial diseases? If you have a local vet, I suggest you consult with them.