Pygmy goat gave birth to a stillborn kid do we need to do anything

[Pamela333]

Our pygmy gave birth a few hours ago to a stillborn baby. The mom is up and doing ok. I need information about what we need to do to get her milk to dry up. Thanks for any help

 

[Stacykins]

Our pygmy gave birth a few hours ago to a stillborn baby. The mom is up and doing ok. I need information about what we need to do to get her milk to dry up. Thanks for any help

I am sorry for your loss. Did you bounce the doe to make sure there were no other kids remaining? Basically you wrap your hands around her tummy and gently bump upwards. If there is a kid left, you feel a hard knobby object rather than soft, squishy innards.

You can actually save the colostrum she is producing, it would be highly recommended to milk her out and freeze it all. That way, if you ever need colostrum, you have it on hand. And then to dry her off, only milk her a little bit to relieve the pressure so she doesn't become engorged. Don't milk her out completely, or her body will produce more to fulfill the demand. Keep an eye out for mastitis.

Probably too late now, if you disposed of the kid. But with stillborn kids, sometimes it is good to have a veterinarian do a necropsy. Unless it is for a reason that is fairly obvious, like a deformity. It is good to know why the kid died, so it doesn't happen again. Where you there for the kidding? Is she an experienced mother who knows how to take care of kids, or a first time mom?

 

[Pamela333]

Thank you for the advice. She was a first time mom and we were not there when she had the baby.

 

[Stacykins]

Thank you for the advice. She was a first time mom and we were not there when she had the baby.

If she was a first timer, she might've not known what to do. It is possible the kid was born alive, and died because of an inexperienced dam.Sometimes they have great instincts, other times, not so much. If the dam doesn't remove the amniotic sac from the kid's face in time, for instance, it'll suffocate. Other potential problems is that the kid didn't get dried off quickly enough (a chilled baby of any species is not a good thing) or couldn't nurse. Heck, she could have even stepped or rolled on the kid accidentally and killed it. So many possible reasons a newborn kid can be lost, sadly.