Do any of you have an explanation for a goat foaming at the mouth?  This is not a sudden thing, like poison, it has been going on for several weeks.  The goat apparently feels fine, has a good appetite, no temp.  It is not my goat, it is a 5 yr. old wether that I sold to a friend as a kid.  I really had no answer for her.  Any ideas?

Tooth issue? Something stuck in the mouth (like wedged between the teeth). Maybe a clogged salivary gland?

The two serious conditions of foaming at the mouth is Poison (ruled that out already) and frothy bloat.

Past those two reasons, would be as Dragon stated, a bad tooth, blocked gland, but other than that, there really aren't too many reasons why they foam at the mouth.

Does he chew cud?  Maybe is cud is all messed up from a plant that isn't real toxic but is enough to make him wish he hadn't eaten it? 

When I think of foaming at the mouth the first thing that comes to mind is rabies.

That's a pretty drastic diagnosis.  I've had goats do that foaming at the moouth, and it ususally stops within a few days.  Nothing seems to be wrong with them.

Well, if it's been going on for a while, that rules out poison unless the animal keeps going back for more day after day, and frothy bloat. With Rabies, the animal can't eat or drink and is dead within a few days. If it's still eating and drinking while foaming, rabies can be ruled out.

The goat doesn't act at all sick.  He eats normally.
Today we attended a Goat Symposium and I asked the question of a couple of the vets.
One really didn't know and the other said it would indicate a lack of some mineral.  So tomorrow I will call and ask if she gives him any mineral.  I also told her to give him Probios because in my mind it is something to do with digestion.  Maybe his rumen is messed up!  Anyway, I didn't think it would hurt to try it.

the probio's most certainly can't hurt a thing.  Maybe a slice of bread..white or wheat would help too. 

the one Vet didn't know huh?  wow, that's shocking..but the other vet might be onto something there.  Glad you asked them if he has minerals out to him.  Let us know what you find out.

Not surprised at all that the vet "didn't" know.  But I am impressed that he/she admitted it.

You are right, Sally.  We expect the vets to have the answers and they don't.  We as goat breeders and owners have more answers than any vet around here.
I talked to the goat owners tonight and found out that they thought all the needed minerals were in the feed.  I told them to get some loose mineral and put it out free choice.  So hopefully that will make a difference.

I would suppose it all depends on "your" vet.  I'm happy that ours did have answers back home and happy to have found the one I have here in LA. 

It wasn't our vet.  We went to a goat symposium this weekend in St Paul MN so there were a number of vets there. 
There are no vets in our part of the state  (WI) who know anything about goats nor care to.  This is "cow" country, although now there are getting to be a large number of goats with the milk and cheese industry growing by leaps and bounds.  The vets don't really care to know about goats and we get our info from each other.  One vet used to call me when he had a goat problem and I am no vet!  But when you have had goats for 40 years you do pick up a bit of knowledge!!!!

Why are vets so clueless as to diagnosis and treatment of goats?  I had one do a preg check several years ago, on one doe we had who we couldn't seem to get bred.  He said she definitely was and the other was not.  Well guess who kidded 3 months later and who didn't??  With the popularity of goats now you would think that vets would at least try to get on the ball. To my vet's credit he did tell me he didn't know much about goats before hand.

Because for years goats were not as common as other livestock, so the vet schools do not teach much on goats. They still don't but they are getting better. More after school training on goats is becoming popular.

I had a little Nigerian doe I bought with her adult daughter and granddaughter. She was supposed ot have been bred. She never kidded so I had her checked. The vet did an untrasound and said she had twins.

Well, several months later, and still no kids, I spoke to the breeder I got her from, who in turn spoke to the woman that returned the doe. Come to find out, Molly had been spayed after a bad kidding!