Get to know your veterinarian, especially first time owners of packgoats. They will fast become your best friend and advice counselors. Second best source is the Packgoat list online This is a free list and very informative as goat packers help each other. (See link page to subscribe to the All About Packgoats list)

Goats are easy to care for. These are the signs of a healthy goat.
     Eyes clear and bright. Tearing or cloudy eyes probably mean a pinkeye infection.
     Coat smooth and shiny. A dull coat could indicate parasites. Fluffed up coat means the goat is not feeling well.
     Appetite good.
     Attitude alert. Hunched back and droopy tail mean something is wrong.
Goat Statistics
     Body Temperature: 102.5° F-104° F
     Pulse/heart rate:  Adults - 70 to 80 beats per minute / Kids - 20 to 40 per minute
     Respiration rate: 15 to 30 breaths per minute
     Rumin Sounds: 1 to 1.5 per minute

Making the Wether: Banding vs. Surgical Castration
    Packgoats should be Castrated at 4-6 months, as there is less scarring to result in stricture of the urethra in wethers. Banding earlier as is common, leaves scarring in this area. Castration can be done with Ketamine, a quick acting anesthetic, with the kid up and active again very quickly. Also early castration at about 3 months keeps the growth plates open longer, resulting in a little leggier goat. Because of wethers tendency for urinary tract problems later in life, banding is not the best choice for a packgoat prospect.

Worming:
    Giving advice on frequency of worming is not easy, as too many factors are involved. The area you live in and the immediate environment your goats live in. Lots of animals in a small space may required worming every 2 months. While few animals on acres of land, may never need worming at all.
    The best way to know your needs is to do (or have done) a fecal exam before you worm unless your animals are symptomatic. And do another 2 weeks later to see if the drug you used was effective. The tests don't cost much, or with training can be done by the owner.
    Goats metabolize worm medications faster than other species. That is why they need a higher dose of most worm medications than horse, cattle and even sheep. Another good idea is to rotate the brand of wormer, so that you are not using the same one every two months (if frequent worming is indicated in your area) This is advised by many caprine trained Veterinarians.
    Routine worming when unnecessary only leads to drug resistant parasites, animals with little or no natural resistance and spending lots of money. Your local veterinarian or breeder can best advise about general conditions that lead to or away from worming in your immediate area.

Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Syndrome:
Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Syndrome (CAE) is a viral disease. In young kids symptoms include a weakness in the rear legs, with no fever, or loss of appetite, However, the unused legs lose muscle strength and structure and the infected kids eventually die. In older goats, the same disease is seen as swollen joints, particularly the knees. The disease develops slowly, and after 2 or more years, the animal has difficulty using its legs properly. Infected goats have no fever, remain alert, and eat well. However, they do not recover from the arthritis. An inexpensive blood test can be used to diagnose CAE. The disease is spread from older infected goats to kids, perhaps by contact or through the milk from an infected doe to her kid. There are no corrective procedures or treatments. Isolating kids at birth and raising them on pasteurized goat milk is done to prevent the spread. It's a good idea to make sure a goat is CAE free before  purchasing. However, the blood test only checks for antibodies, and it's possible that an animal is infected and not (yet) producing antibodies.

Pack Goat Nutrition
Pack goats should get 1-½% to 2% of their body weight in feed daily. This means that a 100 pound pack goat needs about 2 pounds of feed a day. A working pack goat needs about 2% to 3% of their body weight in feed per day. If a goat seems to be a little thin, add ½% to 1% more feed each day. When working, a pack goat needs extra fats and proteins which help their muscles work well. Fats and proteins come from the grain mixture. The grain mixture should consist of vitamins and minerals along with oil for fat - corn, oats and/or barley for protein.
Most packers agree that wethered pack goats should not be fed a continuous grain diet, nor should they be fed a continuos diet of alfalfa. Grass hay tends to be the best. Alfalfa and grain should not be overfeed to packgoats.
 Wethered goats are prone to urinary calculi (caused by too much phosphorus and not enough calcium). Urinary calculi in a pack goat can be life threatening. To avoid problems with urinary calculi, the grain mixture should be at least 2 or 3 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorus. A goat should have plenty of fresh water daily. In areas that are deficient in the mineral selenium be sure that goats get a mineral mixture that contains selenium (a horse or cattle salt mixture or block works well). In any area a mineral salt lick is preferred, made for that area's deficiencies.
Personal Notes on nutrition:
We use calf manna as a treat on the trail and for their first year of growing in preference to grain as there is less chance of bloating with it. We also use alfalfa/timothy grass pellets and beat pulp pellets for added supplements in cold months.