What a tough experience for you and that baby! You are both trying SO HARD. I hope the outcome is good, as I know this baby has full possession of your heart. Sending positive energy.

NeHi

We are all rooting for you and your little g**l !!! I don't dare spell out the "g" word for fear of getting censored again. Has anyone figured out why ONLY I keep getting censored for the word g**l ? It kept happening on my post about my new twins born 5/24.

She is still fighting this morning. Getting ready to go to the vet. I just hope he has positive things to say. She is trying her best to live. My mom did not call me all day yesterday, and finally I called her at about 8pm. She said she just knew she didn't make it, and didn't want to know. She came over and checked on her the day before, and she seen how bad she looks. BUT she is a fighter! And I am cheering her on, trying to encourage her to keep going. So I just hope all our hard work will pay off in the end. If not, all things happen for a reason I believe. So I will update you all when we return. They were fully booked and was squeezing me in, so I will probably be there a while. Thanks for all the jingles! Pam

Good luck!

This is a different vet, I hope, than the first one you went to?

Janis

Oh yeah, different one. I only make a mistake once :nono:

Good for you.

I'll keep my fingers crossed and look forward to what the new vet has to say.

Janis

Good Luck. I hope this vet is a good one. Bad ones can scare you and make you nutty.
I too would have taken this little girl even though I know better. I right now have a little boy curled around my back sharing the chair with me. I had to take him since he was in poor condition. Poor boy was so boney, still had his cord, was weaned too early and was infested with lice. I got him from someone I know which makes it worse. He has gained weight ( 5 pounds in a week!), lost his cord and is now parasite free. He looks better but not perfect and is a real sweetheart.
So hopefully your doeling will keep fighting and get better. They steal your heat pretty darn quick. Also when she does turn around for the better, you should get her a friend close to her age. They do better with a friend which is why I have a little girl curled up at my feet!

Prayers for you and the baby, Pam. I think you are doing a wonderful job and I really hope she makes it.

I agree about her having a friend. I have been trying to find breeders near by to no avail. Not particular to any breed so you would think I could find someone. I just want a small herd, 3 or 4, no breeding, no milking, no meat, just pets. So, any suggestions? Looks like I am going to have to drive a ways, but that is fine. I will see what this vet has to say, and then I will decide what to do. No matter what I am not giving up on my small friendly herd. Like I said, I got the goat for my great pyr puppy while he is little, so I do need another goat soon no matter what. But if she does not make it, I will feel horrible about trying again. I keep telling myself that if I was told how she needed to eat from the beginning all would have been good. Bottle feeding is no problem for me, I have nursed back many, many babies that no one thought would live. It's kind of my thing. My brother has even brought me a baby squirrel to rehablitate, he grown into a fine young man. So I am just keeping positive thoughts on my way out the door. I will update you all soon. Pam

If the vet you're taking her to has other goat patients, then he/she might be able to help you find someone.

You could also try your county extension office; they would have the names of goat club 4-H leaders.

There's also craigslist and freecycle.

Also, your local feed store. I used to work in a feed store and I sold many goats to people just walking through the door with the sole purpose of asking if we knew of anyone with goats for sale. That also worked well for my employer; people that bought goats from me would then buy the needed supplies from the store.

Janis

Pam, you can try Petfinder.com too! I see lots of goats on there.

I got my Gretta from putting a wanted add in the local paper. It just said "WANTED - pet goat" with my phone number. I got 3 responses from very nice people :)

Just returned from the vet. And she is dehydrated, has cocci(spell?), and has a few worms. SO, I have to feed her 1 liter of electrolytes today, and 1 liter tomorrow, then I do 50/50 with milk for a couple days. He gave her a shot for the cocci, a shot of vitamin b, a shot of vitamin e, and gave her albon suspension. He told me she would have already been dead, of course, and since she seemed to be fighting I may have a chance of saving her. And they also asked if she had a name, and I got to say "yes, baaabs with 3 a's" So that was the best news I could have heard. Her lungs, heart, and stomachs all sound normal. She has a touch of upper respiratory infection. So far so good! :clap: Pam

Do you know what the cocci shot was? Very curious about that, it's a new one for me...

Also I would not withhold milk for 2 days--I think that is a very very bad idea. (sorry to disagree with your vet, everything else seems ok)

I am not sure if this is the right one but it says ivermectin injection. and the electrolyte he gave her is Hydra-lyte, electrolyte replacement and nutritional supplement for young animals.

That is wonderful news. Congratulations on all that you have done.

I give you so much credit for taking this little girl not knowing anything about goats. I do not care what anyone has to say, you did the right thing and you hopefully saved her life. She is a Miracle baby. If you would of read up on goats before you took her she would for sure be dead.

Give yourself a pat on the back for all the you have done.

I had to try like 5 different nipples before I found one that my doe would take.:bow:

Just realized ivermectin is for worming, right? If so, what is albon?

Pam, the albon is for cocci. Sounds like your vet knew the right stuff to give this little baaaaby:)

Whoo Hoo!

Did the vet give you an educated guess as to her age?

Janis

Great news!!!!:dance::dance:keep us posted!!!!

That sounds great, but my understanding is that you never want to dilute milk, this will keep the milk from curdling in the stomach and it won't be digested by the goat. I would give the electrolytes and milk seperate.

I actually was going to feed it seperatly. I don't like mixing anything in milk.

I'm glad to hear the good news! It sounds like this vet knows a bit about goats, and actually cares about them, which is a very good thing!

Kathleen

I always believed she'd make it.. Now I think it's a sure thing.. Congrats!!!

He asked me how old she was, and I told him what the other vet told me and he he agreed that she is around 5 weeks. Oh and BTW, she weighed 9pounds 7 ounces. The other vet didn't even weigh her!

I sounds like every thing's on the right track now. Congratulations. You didn't give up (and neither did she) and you can be very proud.

When things settle down for you (and her), can you post pictures?

Janis

Can someone tell me how to tell if she is still as dehydrated? I know you pull up the skin, the vet was pulling up her skin everywhere, last night I tried to do what he did to see if I could see any difference and I couldn't "find" all that skin to pull on. Is it how fast the skin goes back to normal? I hope this makes sense. It is early for me:p

"Is it how fast the skin goes back to normal?"

Yes.

That's good news that she's hanging on and improving.

I am soooooo glad this little baby girl sounds like she's going to make it Thanks to you, Have been very worried about her & checking your posts everyday to see how things were going. Best of luck and Oh, I love the name, how cute for a special baby goat!

Just like "Backfourty" I have been checking the posts everyday to see how little Baaabs is doing. Whew, now I can breathe. What an ordeal "we" have all been through. Try not to do this to us again, O.K? We can't take it!! Seriously, I am so happy for the both of you and am so glad you are as sappy as I am and saved this little one from a sentence.

This is just so great that you were able to get her through the holiday weekend and to this vet! I am so happy she found you :dance:

Poor little thing, she is so small. She has some catching up to do!

is the doe still alive?

Yes, she is still here. She is still weak, but hanging in there. She looks better, though yes she is small. I believe she is a boer mix. I will get a picture of her for you all as soon as I can get photobucket to work. I have a slow connection since we moved and it drives me nuts. I have so many pictures of her before she went down I would like to show you, but.....I am trying.

I just got finished forcing some fluids in Baaabs, and I also gave her some milk. Everyone has said that goats will go down fast, and I think she is finally giving up. Since 2 hours ago, her eyes have sunken in alot more, and she is not caring if I wipe her mouth, that used to be the one way I could get her moving. Of course I haven't given up, but I don't know, it isn't looking promising again. Up and down is driving me insane. I will just keep going until she tells me different.

you need to hydrate this kid or she is going to die

at 4 weeks she should never NEVER have been weaned

you need to stomach tube some liquid, probably water with electrolytes into her or possibly some milk, just not sure she could handle digesting the milk

stop worrying about posting pictures and get yourself educated about how to keep this goat alive, she must be getting hydrated NOW

sorry to be so harsh but for goodness sakes HELP her!

Misty

Pam is helping her!!!! She is doing everything possible for this poor little goat and I believe she is in the best hands possible at this point! Just keep doing what you are doing Pam and and if she is meant to live she will. Big hugs to you

I just pushed 6 ounces of electrolytes and 2 ounces of milk. It was all she could handle. I am waiting, actually rocking my 2 yr old for his nap, and I will do it again. I am doing all I know to do.

And as far as posting pictures, you don't see any do you? Not wasting time at all, tried once, oh well.

Could you ask your vet for a lactaed ringers setup or get one from Hoeegers so you can subq fluids to her. Just a large handful sized bubble up over her shoulder for her to absorb if she needs it, replace the bubble on the other side until she is better.

Using electrolytes on a small ruminant (and obviously your vet doesn't know this) is a diasaster. She has nothing in her rumen right now that is nutrition. Mixed with water it makes the milk run through the system unabsorbed.

Kids nurse moms or bottles and the milk mixes with the acidic saliva produced in the mouth and like if you add an acid to milk it curdles. In the stomach more acids mix with the milk and with the 102 temp it turns into a mass of curd. The 'whey' is absorbed into the blood stream and also becomes urine. The curd slowly makes it's way down the other stomach 'chambers' into the large intestine where more nutrients and more fluids are taken from it, in the small intestine even more until it comes out pellets. Anything orally that liuqifys this curd mass, means a kid who is scouring, a kid who is not keeping their body temp up and a kid who is not growing, has no energy and can't build blood so gets anemic and is dehydrated.

Stop everything oral except the sulfa for the cocci. And do another fecal to make sure the vet has the right dose of sulfa for you to use. He should have given you Corid to use for 5 days and banamine to calm the gut.

Using a ringers setup subq, means only warmed milk in the mouth, it's really the only way of turning this all around.

Probiotics, just use a small amount on your finger and wipe it in the mouth will add beneficial bacteria to this depleted kid so she can curd that milk, you can also mix the probiotic paste with some rennet, even the junket rennet type to curd the milk for the kid.

Make sure she is pooping after every bottle, dehydrated kids will get constipated quickly use baby supositories after bottles. Vicki