Aboutgoatlady Expertise Specializing in New Goat Owner understanding of goat physiology, goat anatomy, goat care and herd management. *I am not a veterinarian, any advice and information should be verified by your veterinarian before administering to your goats.
Note: Keep in mind, the goat expert is volunteering her time to help other goat owners, she also runs her farm with her own herd of 100 goats and may not be at her computer at all hours. Questions are answered as soon as she can possibly read and answer them, usually within 24 hours.
(! During times of severe summer weather in the Midwest, I may experience a delay in internet service due to the interference of the satellite reception - but will answer your questions as soon as service is restored. !)
Experience 17 years experience of raising goats and herd management. Active hands on experience with goat herd and research with various Caprine University Research and Extension Centers nationwide. 15 years dedicated to helping other goat breeders/owners with goat anatomy, goat disease and goat health care issues via phone, published goat care articles and internet interaction.
Organizations 5 year active member of International Veterinary Information Service
Publications United Caprine News, Homesteaders Magazine, Columnist for Goat Magazine, Owner and Author of GoatPedia™
Education/Credentials Graduate Programs in Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University
Expert: goatlady Date: 7/18/2008 Subject: baby goat 2 weks old
Question QUESTION: our mama goat had 3 babies 14 days ago we noticed about 2 days ago that the lil girl was smaller and crying alot when I got home today she was down couldn't even lift her head I went to tsc and bought kid repayment and goat nutidrench and started warming her up is their any thing else I can do for her she is so weak we are new at this and the other boys are healthy
ANSWER: Hi Beck,
I fear she has not been eating as sometimes happens with triplets if they are not watched like a hawk- the smaller one gets booted off and the 2 larger ones eat- do not give her the replacer as this will create more of a problem than you have now- Instead use milk from the grocery store- whole cows milk like you drink. I think you need to tube feed her electrolytes with sugars in them for her energy- right now she cannot digest the milk properly and needs nutrition and fluids- I fear you do not have a tubing set up being new to goats- if not maybe you can get her into a vet for stomach tubing. If you DO have access to the tubing equipment here is an article on how to tube feed a baby goat (with a photo of the tubing set up you need to use so you can see what to get):
Some of what you must do is very similar to handling a birth chill kid: http://goat-link.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=77
You can see in the article which of these things will apply to you and your situation and this gives you an immediate alternate way of handling her until you can get her into the vet in the morning. You do not need to follow the warming the baby in the sink or heater method rather the feeding information you will need.
Also any time you have a sick goat- you need to take the rectal temperature - I will assume this baby is below normal -
normal is 101.5 to 103.5, because I believe from your description that she is seriously malnourished right now her temp will be in the 90's.
Honey, I fear you may lose this little girl :(
- if you can get a vet out there asap to help you with her is your best bet.
goatlady
Goat-Link.com
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank You I would like to say that this morning she did both her duties and is holding her head up and can stand briefly I did feed her the kid replacement before I read your anser and gave her nutriboost supplement she is more alert and i am using warm bottles of water to keep her warm if should i switch her to vit D milk
ANSWER: HI Beck,
Her first few bottles should be half the electrolyte mixture you have been feeding her and half VitD milk- always with karo or molasses in them for awhile till she regains her strength. (About a tsp per bottle)
keep up the nutriboost supplement- you do not want too much too soon or she can have a set back with her gut getting over done after not having much in it for this past while. Easy and steady.
let me know how she does- keep an eye on her rectal temp too.
goatlady
Goat-Link.com
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: she is can nurse now i just tried it with her mom i took the boys away and she nursed should i seperate the boys from her at night and take care of her during the day this is so unreal because she couldnt even stand yesterday or hold her head up
Answer HI Beck-
You don't really want to take the boys away at this early age yet- maybe (if you are up to it) fix a situation so you can go in every couple hours and get the boys away and her up to the teats to eat so they can all stay together and the boys can also be with mom and eat and then continue to supplement her with a bottle her during the day (maybe once at night) in between her eating from mom with AND without your help. She may be able to sneak in some when the boys aren't looking .. In other words be supplementing her while she is also able to eat from mom- and a few time during the day and night (While still having her on a bottle) get the boys aside and get her up to mom to eat too. Keeping the boys away at this early age may send them into a health problem then you will have a big mess - just do not go over board and fill her up too much or you will end up with enterotoxemia- a little at time - continuous. Continue the karo or molasses in the bottles for a few days yet for the energy that is keeping her going right now - Watch her poop and the very second she has sloppy poop give her a CD Anti toxin injection - do NOT wait even hours when you see it. She would get 2ccs injected SubQ if she starts to get sick-hangs head, eating and then not wanting to eat- full belly-
I say all of this because she has already been down with a starvation situation and she very well may overdo it trying to catch up and this may bring on the enterotoxemia - best to have it on hand and not need it than to not have it and wish you had- ;)
If your tractor supply does not have it on hand order it from Valley vet or Jeffers- Do NOT get the CDT toxoid vaccine, this is different!
Valley Vet: http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e077e0-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204...
Clostridium Perfringens C & D Antitoxin
250 ml
Use for the prevention and treatment of enterotexemia caused by Clostridium perfringens types C & D. Provides immediate but temporary protection. Administer SQ or IV - calves and sheep 10 ml; suckling kids and lambs 3 ml. Give 2 ml SQ or orally to baby pigs.
Give this every 6 hours
Adult dose (for future reference is 1cc/5lbs yes this is a lot)
It takes just a few days (maybe 5 or so at the most) for whatever has stopped up the gut initially (such as FKS or grain overload or too much milk replacer or grass bloat or whatever) that to turn into full-blown enterotoxemia. You see, when the naturally occurring clostridial organisms stop passing routinely out of that now stopped-up rumen it takes that long for them to multiply within the rumen until they are in sufficient number to create Enterotoxemia in the gut.
Enterotoxemia, by the way, is a disease caused by the overproduction of toxins by the Clostridium perfringens organisms that are found naturally in the rumen of the goat. As they multiply in the rumen, which they will do if it is slowed or shut down for any reason, the toxins quickly reach the level where they start to destroy the intestinal walls, eventually passing through them and into the peritoneal cavity where they systematically begin shutting the organs down, killing the host. It is a very painful way to die.
It is incredibly rewarding to me to learn that more and more owners have actually avoided enterotoxemia by giving the Antitoxin preventatively when the goat's gut is compromised in this manner. By comparison, it's so sad to learn of goats that have died unnecessarily but could have been saved, only because people (INCLUDING many vets!) didn't realize the danger inherent in a stopped up gut and prepare ahead to have CDAntitoxin on hand for such emergencies.
Addendum: Keep in mind that the CD Antitoxin has only one function. That is to destroy on contact any entero toxins detected in the gut. So if, due to the animal's own immune system having sufficient antibodies present, there are NO entero toxins developing in the stopped-up gut, it has no other role to play and will just dissipate from the goat's system.
