Baby problems

[ilikefathorses]

We had a doe kid early this morning. The babies are permature. They were triplets. One was born dead, and the other two are in the house right now. One of them, a little buckling, isn't doing very well. He seems to be having respiratory problems, and he's too weak to even lift his head for more than a few seconds. He sucks fine, but he chokes on the milk and nearly drowns. Has anybody had kids born like this before? What's wrong with him, and what do I do?

[lazybee]

We had our first preemies born this year. They were a week early and from the start we weren't sure they were going to make it. I had a friend come help me cuz they both were coming out at the same time. We had them upside down to get all the junk out- stuck straw up their nostrils to make them sneeze and in their throats to cough. She gave them a shot of vit. B and an antibiotic. One of the bucklings we took in the house cuz he couldn't evn stand. It took about 3 days before he could walk. We fed them both every 2 hours with a syringe and milked the mom for the colostrum. Warmth was the big issue. Nutridrench might be another good thing to give at this point to get them going. Of the two bucks- one is still doing great and the other died at about a month old from white muscle disease- we're pretty sure that's what it was. Hope this helps and good luck to you.

[goatmarm]

Make sure the kids get their colostrum-- very important. If he is choking on the milk, but has good sucking reflex, I would guess the hole(s) in the nipple are letting out more milk than he can swallow at a time. Find a nipple with smaller holes, or make one with the finger tip of a rubber glove if you have to. Even try a human baby bottle. The nipple on these are smaller and might be easier for a premie to latch onto. You might have to actually make the holes bigger on these with a hot pin.

[goatkid]

Your vet should be able to give them dexamethazone shots to help develop their lungs.

[Goat Freak]

I agree with the hole being to big, and human bottles work great period, at least that is what we used on Zeke, it was all he would take, probly because on the baby bottle we have the nipple is softer than the goats bottle. Good Luck with the little ones, I will be praying for them, and for you. Good Luck. Bye.

[fricknfarm]

I have had preemies. As the others said warmth is very important. I always started feeding mine with a 10cc syringe (no needle!) as the preemies may not have a good suck reflex. Milk out their mom and use that,(be sure that you refrigerate the milk and reheat only as you use) it contains colostrum especially important for preemies. Put the syringe in the corner of their mouth,squeeze out very slowly. I usually set the baby on my lap and use the pinky of my left hand as a "nipple". Once you can get them to suck for a few feedings, then go to a bottle. Usually I do 3-4 10cc of milk(syringe) every 2 hours or so. Be careful you don't overfeed these little ones. Dehydration is another problem if you've got these little ones inside as the heated air tends to be much drier. I also give a syringe of water AFTER I've fed the milk. Try to get them to stand and move around a little too. Helps their digestion.
"It's a tough life if you don't weaken" Ma Hopkins 1966

[ilikefathorses]

Sorry I had not been able to reply. The baby died about ten hours after he was born. His sister survived, though, and is doing quite well. We got her a little lamb to keep her company. Thank you for your helpful advice. It should help next time.