Moe The Goat Has Allergies, And Needs A Home

MASSACHUSETTS—It's pretty rare for a goat to have allergies, and even fewer are fortunate to get the care they need if they do have allergies.

Moe, a homeless five-year-old Pygmy-cross goat, is getting 24-7 emergency and specialty veterinary hospital care for severe allergies to dust mites and several common pollen types. This goat is currently bunking down at the MSPCA-Nevins Farm in Methuen and is receiving the care that doctors hope will cure him.

Moe was surrendered to Nevins Farm in April 2017 after severe itching led to crusty and scaly skin-marked by inflamed open sores-that made him miserable and baffled the veterinarians who tried to help, said the announcement from the MSPCA.

"It took us so long just to understand what Moe was suffering from so that a treatment plan could be developed," said Nevins Farm barn manager Gia Barss, whose team first tried a number of treatments designed to resolve common goat health issues such as ringworm, mange and other common skin ailments, in a statement.

After a month of treatments that included antibiotics and medicated baths, Moe was no better-and his skin condition raged on.

"At that point we knew we needed a biopsy to understand exactly what we were dealing with, and whether or not we could help him," said Barss in a statement.

Dr. Klaus Loft of Angell Animal Medical Center's Dermatology team evaluated Moe's biopsy results and ran additional tests, ultimately concluding that the sweet-natured goat is allergic to highly common "grain" and "storage" mites as well as several common pollens.The allergies cause Moe to scratch and bite at his skin so often that he all but loses much of his fur, resulting in the open wounds that inhibit the healing process and spark secondary infections, said the MSPCA."

It's rare that we see this kind of allergy response in goats-much less a response this severe," said Loft in a statement. "Nevertheless, I'm confident that we can at least resolve some of his symptoms while we try to successfully manage his allergies for the long term."

Moe's treatment involves a series of allergy injections, similar to those many humans endure, to encourage his immune system to recognize the allergens without going into hyper drive.

"It's our hope that by 'turning down' Moe's hypersensitive immune response we can help him coexist with the allergens without developing the persistent itch that exacerbates his skin issues," said Loft.

Moe remains on treatment for the next month or so, after which he will be placed in a permanent home. "It's likely we have the perfect home already lined up for him," said Barss. "But we want to do everything we can for him-and his new family-by trying to resolve the allergy issue before he goes home."

Photos and information via MSPCA