HELP with a goat. EMERGENCY

[babsbag]

4 year old doe, kidded almost 48 hours ago. This morning she can't stand, tries, but can't do. No obvious mastitis. Of course no vet on Mother's Day. Any ideas and treatments I can do at home? I am thinking along the lines of eclampsia, ketosis. ??? Please help me try and save her, she is my herd matriarch and I don' want to lose her. Again, no access to vet today, I have left messages with no replies.

 

[babymakes6]

I can't help much, but maybe this will help: http://www.goatworld.com/911/
Keep us posted! I hope everything turns out okay!

 

[dfchaser]

Hows the doe doing?

If you have some goat drench give her that, if not warm water and molasses. You can try a vit b shot, never hurts to give one. also give her some probios just to make sure the belly is working.

When was the last time she was wormed or had a cdt shot?

Make sure she has plenty of grain and good quality hay.

Hopefully that will get her through the day and night until you can get a vet in!

 

[dutchhollow]

Are you sure all the kids are out?
Take her temp.
Did you deworm her after she kidded?
Get some thiamine into her asap.

 

[MissJenny]

Here is a link to Backyard Herds -- this particular poster had an issue of "ketosis" (sp?) with her nanny who had recently kidded: http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4326

I hope that is of some help and direction. You can pick up tons of drugs at most feed stores, particularly at Tractor Supply Companies.

I am wishing you and your goat the best of all possible outcomes.

Jenny

 

[babsbag]

My goat is ALIVE....Whew. I was able to get ahold of a vet finally. And she was kind enough to meet me on a Sunday. It really pays to "network" with people that have some of the same interest. My goat, Moonpie, had hypocalcemia or milk fever, basically it is a low calcium level brought on by the sudden demand of kids nursing and me feeding her too much alfalfa during pregnancy. It is a crazy condition and really counter-intuitive to me. I am suppose to limit their alfalfa intake late in pregnancy so their body learns to metabolise its own calcium and not depend on getting it from food. Also, limit the grain, which I really did anyways. They get maybe 3/4 cup morning and night, which isn't much.

We got her to the vet and she gave her calcium through IV. Poor Moonpie was totally out of it. Couldn't walk, cold, shivering, eyes dialated, she was just not really in this world. Within 30 minutes she was alert and warm. That was the best Mother's Day present I have ever had, I think. I tried to get her to take some tums before I found a vet but she didn't much care for them and then they told me later that she would have needed to eat the entire bottle to get enough.

If I hadn't found a vet she would have died. Now I know to have some calcium on hand, and to watch what I feed. She is a really heavy milker and came into milk a week before kidding and they say that makes a difference as well. It was sorta the perfect storm.

Thanks everyone for the ideas and support. The goat drench and molasses would have been the best idea, but unfortunately I had neither on hand. It was almost 3 hours before we met the vet and I was a nervous mess. I have to more does kidding within the next 3 weeks, but this time I will be ready. Also, they are first fresheners and usually they don't have a problem.

 

[dutchhollow]

So glad she made it!

 

[babymakes6]

So glad she is fine!

 

[Tap Dancing Chickie]

I am SOOOOO happy she made it !!!!

 

[babsbag]

It is such a great feeling when it all works. I have had rotten luck with animals lately so this was a nice ending. I tease my vet that I finally brought her something she could fix.

My dogs killed one of my parakeets last week, it chewed through a wire tie on its door and I had no idea it was out. but they sure did. Even though they dropped it on command, it was too late.
I lost a rooster on Monday, necropsy is being done.
Lost a hen to Marek's in Feb
Just noticed another hen with gray Iris (probably Marek's)
Neighbors dog killed a hen
Lost another hen a few months back to ? (probably Marek's)
Lost a doe to unknown disease last fall
Found out my older does test positive for CL- no cure (goat people will know what that is)
Lost 2 cats to old age, expected but hard.

Just had a wild dove die. While I wasn't attached and I knew it was sick, I still had to try and was just the icing on the cake.

So with a bunch of young chicks that have not been vaccinated and knowing now that I have Marek's everyday is like a ticking bomb. The poor things can't even sleep without me hovering over them. And the same with my goats. Knowing I have CL positive goats makes me really nervous for the young kids that were born and raised around them before I knew I had it in my herd. I baby and spoil all my animals and it seems that crap still happens.

Sometimes I think I should stick with house plants and trees.

But my goat is fine