Our Myotonic (Fainting) Goats

 

Myotonic goats, which may may also be called Fainting goats, refer to a breed with  the characteristic known as myotonia congenita.  This is a condition in which the muscle cells experience prolonged contraction when the goat is startled. The transitory stiffness associated with these contractions can cause the goat to fall down. 

 

This is not a true faint, but a muscular phenomenon unrelated to the nervous system.  The degree of stiffness varies from goat to goat, with some showing a consistently stiff response and others exhibiting stiffness only rarely.