19/10/2026
🐐 A Coughing Goat Isn’t Always “Just a Cough”
A cough in a goat can be easy to brush off, especially if they're otherwise bright, eating and acting normally.
But lungworm can cause respiratory disease ranging from a mild, occasional cough all the way through to severe pneumonia. 🫁
🌱 Mild lungworm infection
Some goats may show very few signs, perhaps just an occasional dry cough, particularly after exercise. They can otherwise look completely normal.
😮💨 Heavier infections
As the lungworm burden increases, coughing may become more frequent. You may also notice increased breathing effort, reduced exercise tolerance, weight loss or poor condition.
🚨 Severe disease
Large numbers of lungworms can cause significant inflammation and damage within the lungs. This can create an opportunity for secondary bacterial pneumonia, resulting in a much sicker goat.
These goats may develop:
• Increased respiratory rate or effort
• Fever
• Depression
• Reduced appetite
• Significant coughing
• Nasal discharge
• Severe breathing difficulty
And in severe cases, lungworm-associated pneumonia can be life-threatening.
🔎 So how do we find out if lungworm is involved?
One useful diagnostic test is a faecal sample. Lungworm larvae can be detected in faeces using a specialised larval recovery test, such as a Baermann technique.
This means we don't always have to guess whether parasites are contributing to a goat's respiratory signs.
💊 And this can help us choose the right treatment.
If lungworm is identified, treatment can be tailored to the individual goat and the parasite situation on that property, rather than automatically reaching for a routine drench.
This is particularly important because anthelmintic resistance is a growing problem. Using the right treatment, at the right dose, for the right parasite helps us get better outcomes while protecting the effectiveness of the drenches we have available.
⚠️ But remember: a negative faecal test doesn't necessarily rule out lungworm, particularly if the timing or sample collection isn't appropriate. And not every coughing goat has lungworm, bacterial pneumonia and other respiratory diseases can cause very similar signs.
🐐 If your goat has a persistent cough, increased breathing effort, poor weight gain or recurrent respiratory problems, don't just put it down to “a bit of a cough”.
A faecal sample can be a simple and useful part of working out what's going on, and help your vet choose a treatment plan specifically suited to your goat.
📩 If you have a coughing goat or want to know more about lungworm testing and treatment, get in touch with The Lifestyle Vet.
