What did you do today?

[Nanno]

It's a huge relief but also slightly frustrating. It would be heartbreaking to know that Rambo's offspring were prone to UC since that would mean contacting all my buyers for the last three years and keeping a hawks eye on my own herd. However, if it were indeed a genetic problem it would be easier to start culling that line than to look for other causes. I'm convinced these are probably calcium stones, not phosphorus. Axel has hard water where he lives and some alfalfa grows wild in his pasture. I'm not sure what could have caused Sox's stones but from the owner's description they sounded like the calcium type (smooth and roundish rather than sandy with rough edges). Calcium stones are thought to be less common, but I think this may only be true in the meat goat world where grain is pushed on wethers from a young age to get them quickly to butcher weight. Ammonium chloride is the accepted treatment for the phosphorus stones commonly found in meat goats, but it according to the research I'm reading right now, it does not do anything to calcium stones. However, vinegar may dissolve calcium stones, and magnesium supplements may prevent them from forming in the first place. I'm eager to post the info here as soon as I get the time!