Why do goats lose their voice? This question has been on my mind for a day. My goats used to greet me every day in the morning with a meow and a loud call, but one day I went to take them out to the yard in the morning as usual.
I began to inspect them and wait for their friendly voice that I was accustomed to. However, I found that one of them was not making any sound. I was very surprised and I tried to initiate a conversation with her, but unfortunately I did not find any response or hear any sound!
When I inspected the rest of the goats, I found that some of them also had a hoarse voice, and I was very disappointed. Why does my goat sound raspy? why does my goat sound different?
Indeed, a goat may lose its voice or make different, unusual sounds. We have conducted our comprehensive research to answer all the questions on your mind. It has become clear that many reasons lead to a goat losing its voice.
Let us get to know them and learn about the most important tips that help keep our goats healthy, avoiding losing their voice or making unusual sounds, as they often may be the result of pathological or unpleasant causes.
Can Goats Lose Their Voice?
Yes, goats can lose their voice as a result of excessive calling and use of their voice which leads to inflammation of the vocal cords, and this is called laryngitis in goats. Although excessive moaning and calling are the most common causes of voice loss in goats, some other things may cause goats to lose their voice.
What Causes the Goats to Lose Their Voice?
A goat can lose its voice due to some things, including:
Excessive Use of Voice
Goats are very social creatures and love to communicate with others. Calling and moaning are the most important methods of communication in goats, as goats mainly use their voices to communicate with each other.
When goats are stressed or anxious, they exaggerate by using their voices to express this and seek help. She can also exaggerate the use of her voice if she is excited or happy! This may lead to voice loss due to vocal cord inflammation.
Injury
Goats may be exposed to injury. Goats may injure their vocal cords due to eating something stuck in their throat, hitting their neck with something hard, or hitting their throat, which also leads to loss of voice.
Infection
Goats can suffer from inflammation of the vocal cords as a result of an infection, which results in laryngitis or pharyngitis and leads to weakness, dullness or loss of the voice.
Mycoplasma is the most common cause of vocal cord infection in goats and is caused by infection with a bacteria called mycoplasma. Mycoplasma is often spread among goats through contact with infected animals or their secretions, and it may also worsen respiratory infections in goats.
Other possible causes of vocal cord infection in goats include viral infections, such as the common cold or flu, fungal infections, such as thrush, or some types of allergies.
Tumors
Goats can develop tumors on their vocal cords, but this is not common and occurs in rare cases. These vocal cord tumors can cause loss of voice in goats.
Growing Old
As goats get older, their vocal cords weaken, and they also become more susceptible to injury and infection as a result of poor health, which leads to a weakening or loss of the voice.
Environmental Irritants, Such as Dust or Smoke
If goats are exposed to pollution and inhale dust or smoke, this leads to irritation of the cords from the inhaled materials, which leads to hoarseness or loss of voice.
How Can You Be Sure that the Loss of Voice in Goats is Due to an Infection?
In general, you can easily differentiate between whether the goat’s loss of voice is due to excessive calling or screaming and it will return to normal quickly, or whether it is the result of laryngitis through the pathological signs that accompany laryngitis, which include:
- fever
- Sneezing
- cough
- difficulty breathing
- Anorexia
- Makes a rough or hoarse sound
If you think your goat may have laryngitis you should ask your veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment. The treatment will often be effective and the voice will gradually improve.
Your veterinarian usually prescribes antibiotics or anti-inflammatories to control inflammation and remove the infection. You mustn’t be lax in providing treatment to the goats, as the condition may deteriorate and the goat may need to be hospitalized to obtain therapeutic solutions and supportive care in late cases.
What Does a Sick Goat Sound Like?
Sick goats do not make a single sound but rather make a variety of sounds depending on their health condition and the cause of the infection. For example, a goat with pneumonia makes a coughing or wheezing sound, while female goats with mastitis may make a snoring or groaning sound. Other sick goat noises include:
- A persistent, high-pitched whine or moan
- Fast and labored breathing
- goat voice is hoarse
- A weak or painful cry
- No voice at all
Can Baby Goats Lose Their Voice?
Yes, baby goats can lose their voice which usually occurs due to overuse of their vocal cords. Baby goats may hyperventilate or scream in search of their mother.
Also, when Baby Goat sense danger, they scream as they have a fear of newly discovered things and do not have enough experience to deal with it properly, they resort to screaming for help, which leads to inflammation and swelling of the vocal cords, which makes it difficult for Baby Goats to make sounds.
If the cause of the baby goat’s voice loss is excessive screaming, then in most cases, the goat’s voice will return to normal on its own within a few days after a week or so.
There are some other possible reasons why baby goats may lose their voice, which we mentioned above, such as infection, injury, tumor, allergy, and inhalation of dust or smoke.
Some Tips to Help Prevent Goats from Losing Their Voice
It is important to take steps to prevent laryngitis from occurring in the first place and to prevent other factors that cause voice loss. This includes:
Don’t Stress them Out
You must provide the goats with a comfortable environment, including a suitable shelter free of objects that may expose them to injury, in addition to sufficient food so that they are not forced to go to the goats in search of food or for help if the environment around them is annoying or uncomfortable.
Provide Plenty of Fresh, Clean Water, and Diet Food
Lack of drinking water can lead to dehydration, which may irritate the vocal cords and make them more susceptible to damage, so you must constantly provide fresh, clean water to your goats.
You should also provide a balanced diet that includes plenty of roughage, which helps improve the health of the digestive system and prevent indigestion, which can also irritate the goat’s vocal cords.
Treat your Goats Gently
Do not hit your goat or deal with it violently when you are entering or leaving it in the yard or for any other reason. Respond to your goat if you find it screaming excessively try to calm it down and do not let it continue screaming so that it does not lose its voice.
Provide a Clean and Dry Environment
You should always keep the goat pen clean and replace wet, dirty bedding with clean, dry bedding. A dirty or damp environment can lead to the growth and multiplication of bacteria and viruses that can cause vocal cord infections in goats.
Provide Them with Companionship
Goats are very gregarious animals and love to live in groups and interact with others, so having company is necessary for goats, if they are left alone they may continue to scream and moan until they lose their voice! But it must be taken into account that the companionship is compatible with their nature.
Goats should not be placed with aggressive males, as they will harm them, but they should have a calm nature that is compatible with them.
Avoid Loud Noise and Crowds
The barn space must be sufficient for the number of goats so that the general atmosphere is calm and comfortable, as crowds and loud noises can irritate the vocal cords.
Take it to the Veterinarian
If your goat has lost its voice, it is best to take it to the veterinarian to diagnose the condition and rule out any other underlying medical conditions. Do not worry, even if there is inflammation of the vocal cords, most cases respond quickly to treatment and recover completely.
