The Bose For Goats Treatment Guide

You want to make sure your sweet baby goats are starting out on the right foot as well as keep your adults happy and healthy. Both of those goals can be accomplished with one supplement; Bose for goats.

In This Article

Before going any further, please note that we are not veterinarians nor do we have any professional/academic background in medicine; livestock or otherwise. The following information is intended for reference only based on our experience and discussions with our vet SPECIFICALLY regarding our herd.

The use of Bose in this article is considered to be off-label use. Many livestock medications do not take goats into consideration when making dosage recommendations.

Please, please, PLEASE discuss any medical decisions with your vet prior to treatment.

What exactly is Bose For Goats?

Bose is a supplement designed for the use in cattle and other forms of livestock. It is a combination of Selenium and vitamin E.

We have made it a must have item in our goat supplies, medical supplies, and kidding kit.

What Is It For?

A very large portion of the United States has a severe lack of selenium in their soil and plant life. That means, many grazing animals, including goats and other livestock, are potentially missing it as one of their nutritional needs.

Selenium is a mineral that plays a role in reproduction, brain and thyroid health, as well as muscle development. In fact, it is this last point, muscle development, that is one of the biggest issues for selenium deficient goats.

How Do I Know If My Goat Needs Bose?

There are two schools of thought on giving goats Bo-Se. You can either treat for specific issues, as needed, or you can give it as a routine boost to your entire herd.

Our personal practice has been to give newborn kids a dose immediately and only treat adults if/when they show symptoms. Fortunately, we have not had our herd suffer from any significant issues, due to a selenium deficiency.

However, we are definitely not the norm and selenium deficiency can be a major problem if left unchecked.

Signs Of Selenium Deficiency

If you live in an area that is not selenium deficient, then you do not need to really worry about it. However, if you are in one of the problem areas in this selenium deficient zones map, you should take note of what to look for.

Most of these symptoms seem to affect goat kids. However, they can also apply to adults. A selenium deficient goat can suffer from:

slow or stunted growth
lack of suckling ability (goat kids)
partial paralysis
heart attack
white muscle disease

White Muscle Disease

White muscle disease (WMD) is caused by a lack of selenium in a goat’s nutritional intake. It is a degenerative muscle disease. WMD can also attack the skeletal system of goats.

Skeletal problems can lead to joint pain and stiffness. Eventually leading to the inability to walk comfortable or even stand.

Muscular issues can include cardiac arrest. Symptoms in kids sometimes go unnoticed at first because they often “remain bright and have normal appetites”. WMD is then noticeable once the kid is too weak to nurse normally.

Where To Find It

While there are other, over the counter (OTC), options to treat selenium deficiency, like gels, they are not quite as affective as a Bose injection. So, where do you get Bose?

Vet/Prescription (Rx)

As of the time of this writing, Bose is only available via prescription (Rx) from your veterinarian. This is likely to keep people from injuring their animals due to off-label use.

We have never had any problems being able to get it from our vet when we needed it. You should be able to talk with them, express you concerns, and pick up some for treatment fairly easily.

They will also, likely, give you dosing and injection instructions.

How To Give A Bose Shot

There are three ways you can give a goat an injection; intramuscular (IM), subcutaneous (subQ or SQ), and intravenous (IV). Bose is given either through IM or subQ; we prefer subQ.

Intramuscular (IM)

Intramuscular essentially means into the muscle. We have found the easiest and least painful way, for the goat, is to target the thick muscles in the hind legs.

Once you have found your injection site, stick the needle in and draw back on the plunger a bit. You do this to ensure that you have not gone into a vein. If you have hit a vein, you will draw blood into the syringe.

Assuming you have not hit a vein, slowly depress the plunger and medication into the muscle.

Subcutaneous (subQ or SQ)

Subcutaneous means under the skin. This is the easiest, and most common for us, type of injection. To give a subQ injection you locate your injection site. We often target the loose “armpit” skin where their front legs meet their body.

Lightly pinch the skin and pull it outward. You will notice this creates a sort of tent shape. Stick the needle into the entrance of the tent. Be careful not to pierce all the way through the skin or go into the muscle.

Slowly press down on the plunger until the medication has been delivered. Sometimes this can leave a large knot at the injection site. If you rub over the top of the injection right after giving it, that will sometimes help keep the swelling down.

This is our preferred method for giving Bose shots.

Intravenous (IV)

Intravenous means into the vein. This is a pretty difficult method, especially if you do not have much experience with it. You will need to find a large vein, typically in the goat’s neck, and stick the needle into it.

Like the IM injection, pull back on the plunger to see if any blood draws into the syringe. If it does, you are in the right spot. Slowly press the plunger down to give the shot.

As we said, this is a difficult type of injection and is best left to a vet if you do not have enough experience. We often have our vet give these shots.

What Is The Dosage Of Bose For Goats?

As we stated above, we are not medical professionals. Since the use of Bose for goats is considered off label, you will need to discuss the proper dose with your veterinarian.

Bose Alternative

If you do not have Bose or are unable to get it easily, you can also try using a Selenium gel. The gel is available over the counter. Just be warned, it is not quite as affective or fast acting as a Bose injection. But if you are in a pinch and need something right away, you can definitely use it.