With the increasing popularity of organic, backyard food caused by the initial increase in keeping backyard chickens, we have noticed more and more people looking to add a pet goat to their little backyard farm.
Although goats are generally easy to care for, we have noticed some people worried about their pet goats health reaching out and asking various questions about why their pet goat is panting.
Goats will usually pant, sometimes excessively in hot temperatures or just after running as a way to regulate their temperature and to catch their breath after exercise.
If your goat is wheezing while panting then it may be a sign of a respiratory infection in your goat rather than a natural panting session so seeking advice from a veterinarian is recommended.
You can book a video call with a veterinarian to have them check your goat over via the video camera on your smartphone with this usually working out to be much cheaper than a trick to your local veterinarian’s office.
For the most part though, there will be nothing to worry about and many goats will pant for natural reasons rather than there being something wrong with them.
Is It Normal For A Goat To Be Panting?
It can be normal for a goat to pant on a hot day or if they have just been running around with some goats panting if they are scared due to you having a dog with you while out walking too.
There are some health problems that can cause your pet goat to pant but these do tend to be rare compared to the natural reasons that a goat will pant.
We totally understand why some goat keepers will be worried the first time they hear their goat panting as unlike dogs who can only pant to regulate their temperatures, goats can also sweat.
This means that many goats will just sweat to regulate their temperatures if they get too hot rather than panting and many people who keep goats in areas with moderate temperatures or areas where their temperature gradually increases will not be used to hearing their goat panting.
Then the heat in your local are may spike at a rate where your goat is not able to regulate its temperature via sweating so it starts to pant excessively due to the heat.
Although this can take many people, even experienced goat keepers by surprise, it can be totally natural, especially on hot days that see a rapid spike in their temperature rather than a gradual ramping up.
Why Is My Goat Panting?
Most goats will pant due to being hot or having just recently ran around with this usually being east to diagnose as the cause of the panting due to being able to work out if it is a hot day or not or having seen your goat running.
If your goat is wheezing when it is panting or has a “deep” sounding pant or any other signs of labored breathing then this could be a sign that the panting is due to a health problem.
Respiratory infections in goats tend to be rarer than in many other types of animals due to goats being hardy animals that tend not to partake in behaviors that make other animals more susceptible to respiratory infections.
Still, they can take hold of a goat and the sooner you start the correct treatment for the respiratory infection or other issue in your goat the higher its chances are of making a speedy recovery.
This is when you really do need to be taking professional advice from a veterinarian that is specific to your goats unique situation though.
Although respiratory infections do tend to be the most common health problem, there are other issues that can be difficult to diagnose for normal people where as a vet will be able to diagnose problems such as fluid on the lung and other less common health problems quickly and advise you on the best treatment to move forward with.
How To Stop Your Goat From Panting!
You can stop your goat from panting by making sure that is has plenty of drinking water available to help keep it hydrated on hot days to make it as easy as possible for the goat to regulate its temperature.
If your goat is panting due to a health problem then anti-biotics will be required in the majority of situations with a vet having to prescribe the medication in most countries.
Depending on your setup, you can use a cheap garden sprinkler to help keep your goat cool on hotter days with this being one of the most effective and budget friendly options available.
The majority of goats tend to hate water so having a body of water such as a pond will only usually be used for drinking where as a sprinkler will essentially create fake rain to help cool your goat down.
If your goat is panting due to having recently been running around or playing then the panting should stop within a couple of minutes without you having to take action.
In some older goats it can take longer for the panting due to exercise to stop but this is usually due to old age rather than due to health issues in older goats.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over why your goat is panting to an end, we hope that we have been able to help you better understand the more common reasons why your goat will pant and how you are able to help your goat regulate its temperature to prevent it from having to pant so much. Thankfully, unlike some other behaviours in goats, there is usually no need to worry as the majority of panting from goats will be due to natural reasons rather than health problems and even respiratory infections that can cause a goat to pant are generally easy to treat provided you catch them early enough.
