Help! Watery scours in baby goats!

[Livia Stouffer]

Hi
We recently got 2 doelings (got them last Saturday, were born on 02/04/21) we were feeding them whole milk with evaporated milk and buttermilk, but they had runny poop. So we called the vet and he said to switch to a milk replacer for goats only (we also got a their cdt vaccine in while we were there), and we did yesterday. Now their poop is way worse. We've been giving them electrolytes. One is much more energetic than the other, but the less active one is still excited to eat and will hop a little bit, but not nearly as much as her sister. The vet didn't say anything about her being less active so I didn't think anything of it. But now she seems like she doesn't want to lie down and when she does she makes some sounds before sleeping and I was wondering if she was in any pain.
Their bellies are also a little swollen, and I read that bloat can sometimes be caused by milk replacer so I gave them some baking soda in water (1 c with 1/2 tsp), but their bellies are still kinda round.
I really need help figuring this out, because my family and I are very new to goats and don't have too many trustworthy sources around here besides the vet.

 

[hysop]

Have you tried contacting the people you bought the goats from? Usually people only sell bottle babies to experienced goat owners since so much can go wrong.

Have you tried contacting your vet?

Sorry I have no experience with bottle kids. I always leave mine with their mommas.

 

[hysop]

Try checking out BYC’s sister site BackYard Herds. They may take a little to reply but more people over there may be experienced with goats.

https://www.backyardherds.com/

Sorry you’re going through this.

 

[Livia Stouffer]

Try checking out BYC’s sister site BackYard Herds. They may take a little to reply but more people over there may be experienced with goats.

https://www.backyardherds.com/

Sorry you’re going through this.

Thank you, I already posted something on there, but they usually aren't very active on there so I thought I'd try both.
They guy who sold them also isn't very experienced yet. These were his first kids on his farm. But they did stay on the mom for the first week to make sure they got enough colostrum.

 

[hysop]

Here’s an older thread slightly similar. Not sure if you’ve come across it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-bloated-baby-goat.1120643/

Are you more concerned with their bloat or runny scours?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I've raised lots of goats on milk replacer. Make sure it's made of goat milk and follow the mixing directions exactly. My guess is you are feeding way too much. How much and how often? Also how old are they?

 

[Livia Stouffer]

Here’s an older thread slightly similar. Not sure if you’ve come across it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-bloated-baby-goat.1120643/

Are you more concerned with their bloat or runny scours?

Currently, both. The less active one has been standing then laying down a lot and that worries me about the bloat. But they both are having awful scours quite a lot.

 

[Livia Stouffer]

I've raised lots of goats on milk replacer. Make sure it's made of goat milk and follow the mixing directions exactly. My guess is you are feeding way too much. How much and how often? Also how old are they?

They're 14 days old. They actually haven't been drinking the full 10 oz they're supposed to all day. I've been feeding them 3-4 times a day. I also have hay available for them to nibble, but they're not too interested yet.

 

[hysop]

Currently, both. The less active one has been standing then laying down a lot and that worries me about the bloat. But they both are having awful scours quite a lot.

Were you able to check out the link of the old thread? There seems to be some useful info there. Similar situation as you.

 

[Livia Stouffer]

Were you able to check out the link of the old thread? There seems to be some useful info there. Similar situation as you.

I just started reading through it. Thank you