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.
(! During times of severe 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. !)
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.
Experience 18 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. The information I have to offer is not only from personal experience and years of research updated often as new information is made available to me, but supported by many Veterinary Research colleges and all medications and information I have to offer on how the medications work and what dosages "I" use, is information I have acquired by discussing directly with the company's veterinarians and staff research experts.
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
Question QUESTION: Yes this is my same goat that is pregnant that has now developed the CL, she was moving right along in her pregnancy. The doctor say's at least twin's due anytime now, and all of the sudden her udder has gotten smaller and she is solid as a rock in her stomach now. She did drop drastically but we don't feel movement. What could be going on?
ANSWER: HI Brenda,
Just before a doe kids, the babies will move into the position for delivery and often times get quite still. As far as the udder getting smaller, this is not normal. Could "she" be self sucking? This happens sometimes especially with dairy goats whose udders get big and painful, they will figure out how to empty them by themselves- a real pain to stop them from doing. Was there any kind of physical stress involved with dealing with the CL lump? If so, this may have caused her to mal-position her babies. Does she have ANY signs of pending delivery?
Typical Signs of Early Labor (Not necessarily in order):
1. Appears restless, shys away from herd
2. Eyes glossy or luminous
3. Paying much attention to her sides and smelling the ground
4. Pawing at bedding or dirt
5. Looking behind her and talking to her sides (typically in a voice you have never heard="mama talk")
6. Talks to you alot as if she is telling you she is getting ready (she is, so listen)
7. Gets dreamy eyed or star-gazy (euphoric)
8. Looks less pregnant than she did before-sides have hollowed out, under-belly is full
9. Lifts tail frequently and urinates frequently, usually not much urine at a time
10. Lays down and gets up more than usual-figidty
11. Udder begins to fill more-looks tight and shiny-teats get full
12. Vulva becomes flabby then looks flat and opening looks longer
13. White discharge (this may or may not happen) changing to an egg-white looking discharge, sometimes may have some blood streaking in it.
goatlady
Goat-Link.com
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: She was under a lot of stress vet had to lance one of them open and they have had to give her shot's. She has had a shot for 5 day's straight. I did feel a little movement yesterday but not much.
ANSWER: HI Brenda,
Is she showing ANY signs of pending kidding?
Any discharge or flabbyness in the vulva? Any pawing at the ground? Any vocal changes? Peeing frequently? Most importantly any pushing and not producing any kids? If she starts to actually start pushing and has not produced any sort of anything (water bag or mucus plug anything) - for more than 60 minutes I would have the vet there asap. I mean actually having visible contractions. If she does break her water and then is still pushing and not producing ANY signs of a kid for 20 minutes- call the vet out or if you feel that you can yourself glove up and go in to see what is wrong with the baby position- this can mean the life and death of the kid-
From my article: http://goat-link.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=33&limi...
Kids Are Coming:
Let me say one thing that is very important first: If the doe’s water has broken or she has a bag of fluids showing and has not produced a baby within 20 minutes or less-you must go in to find out why-This is not normal.. she could have a mal-positioned baby or a dead baby blocking the way for a live baby behind it... I have seen many people not know this and lose the baby or the doe or both because they saw her water had broke that morning and by that evening wondered if they should do something.. 20 minutes or less maximum!
The shots should not stress her to the point of not kidding- I don;t know how stressed she was for the lancing, this "may" have had an effect - Do you know what her due date is exactly?
The babies will move less and less as time of kidding nears- When I get nervous about feeling babies, I try to get a feel every hour or so - sometimes you just pick a time when they are not moving much and it makes you worry more.
goatlady
Goat-Link.com
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: no real signs just the discharging the white for 3 week's now. Don't understand that but, hopefully within the week or 2. The vet said last Friday she might have a week or 2 left. So we'll see he said she could go any day though too. Thank you so much for your information, and we are ready to glove up and go in. My daughter the nurse had to reach into her mommy and help. So she is on call 24/7. Thanks again.
Answer HI Brenda,
Wonderful you have your daughter ready to go- When she does go into early labor I would have her there ready to go in, I would be suspect that there may be fetal positioning issue with this delivery. At the first onset of contractions start timing them and if after 10-15 minutes of pushing she has not yet delivered any part of the baby, I would have your daughter glove up and go in to see why. Also have the vet's phone number close at hand in case she needs a C-section.
Let me know how she does.
goatlady
Goat-Link.com
