REALLY need help with new goat issues!!!

dk_40207 · #1 04/22/06, 02:07 PM

We just recieved our momma(Nanny) Saanen and two 4 day old doelings yesterday afternoon. We have a double eye infestion in one kid, and the other is breathing sort or rasy/heavy. Nanny has a VERY runny nose.
Nanny's udders are VERY full and VERY low. I've seen the kids TRY to grab on a few times with little success. I've tried milking and bottle feeding. They won't take much from the bottle, and I'm not altogether sure if they are getting much from mom.

These pics are of the eyes, Nanny's runny nose and the full udders(which may be perfectly normal, as we are new to goats). The kids want to nurse, but are not doing so well with it. They have been sleeping basically since yesterday early evening. Also the mom doesn't want her ration...

Are my goats not well? Do I need to contact the breeder I got them from? I was told they were all healthy...and tend to be very trusting(my achielies sp? heel). When they were delivered, it was raining, etc...so we didn't get much of a chance to inspect.... I just really don't want to lose any of them

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...d/DSC01039.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...d/DSC01040.jpg
These are only two of the pics. We are going out to milk, and will do the others in a bit...
Blessings,
Christina & Derek Kelley

Carrie C · #2 04/22/06, 02:40 PM

They sound sick to me. Do you have a vet? I don't know if I'd trust the breeder again...
~Carrie C.

BrahmaMama · #3 04/22/06, 02:49 PM

I noticed in yesterdays pics Christina that they seemed to be a bit thin, and Momma looked small but I couldn't tell if it was the photo or not.
These new pic's to me say they LOOK SICK! Green stuff coming out of the eyes and running nose is never a good thing. Especially if they are becoming lethargic.

Get them to the vet and at the very least have a thorough examination done!

Good luck to you and yours.

mpillow · #4 04/22/06, 02:53 PM

http://www.fiascofarm.com/goats/respiratory.htm

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/pinkeye.htm

**mygoat** · #5 04/22/06, 02:53 PM

If the udder is very large and low, try milking her out daily. She should be making more than enough milk for the babies, and sounds like she is.

dk_40207 · #6 04/22/06, 03:24 PM

Tried to post these, but it didn't work...here we go...
Just milked out two cups. Kid#1(eye infection) took 3 3/12 ounces. kid # 2 (breathing funny) took only andbout 1 ounce. They seemed a bit perkier after, but kid #2 appeared to pant like a dog. Then they went to sleep

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...d/DSC01043.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...d/DSC01042.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...d/DSC01041.jpg
These udder pics are before we milked out two cups.....
Thank you all so much for your help. I am going to see about getting a hold of the breeder after I hear back form some of you folks again.
Sad. We don't have a vet for them yet...wern't prepared for sick ones. Sigh.
The Kelleys

mpillow · #7 04/22/06, 03:41 PM

They should be eating minimum 6 ounces 4x daily and I often feed 8oz by 4 days old and up to 10oz 4x daily by 10 days.....if the kids seem lethargic give them some coffee (1-2tsp in milk)
milk mom often and if she wont eat her grain...tempt her with corn flakes or other cereal if you have some....

get the antibiotics mentioned on fiasco farm website, probiotics and some b-complex for her appetite...your feed store should have pennicillin as well as other mentioned products if you cant get a vet....Also ask your breeder when nanny was last wormed....and worm with whatever works in your area (I use horse Ivermectin)

fricknfarm · #8 04/22/06, 03:48 PM

goats do look sick, upper respiratory infection maybe? a vet would definitely be in order. If they got wet this is only going to make it worse. Where did they come from? Nearby? were they shipped? Could be shipping fever if they were exposed to a lot of other goats. I think shipping fever is some form of brucellousis (sp?) The mom doesn't look too bad, but I gotta say OUCH about that udder. Her teats are way swollen that's why the kids can't nurse. You need to really milk her out. it looks like the kids have not been suckling properly for days. You probably would want to take at least a quart of milk out of her. Goats can go downhill pretty fast, so if at all possible get a vet ASAP. They also recover really fast once they get proper treatment. Probably just pennicilin, but the vet is your best guide for that.
Here's a thought, are you positive those are HER kids? How much interaction is there between them?

allenslabs · #9 04/22/06, 04:02 PM

Hey there all I am just wanting to post on here as I am the breeder of Nanny and her two little does. I received an email today from Christina apologizing for the post on here but I just didn't have any idea what she was talking about as I hadn't gotten a phone call or email (until the one apologizing).
She didn't say that it was 64degrees out and raining when we delivered her. I do think that yes she does have a little bit of a runny nose in the picture (notice though it is clear and without color?). And those little does do look thin yes I agree but they are eating and have kept one side of Nanny completely drained. They aren't taking to the bottle as they've never been fed a bottle! They have been on momma from day one and I made sure to help them as yes she does have a low udder and I did tell her that. They are only 4 days old and came out huge from a little momma. She is a very short saanen that is 2 years old.
And to Christina and ALLLLL new goat breeders....... if you ever move a goat you SHOULD expect a runny nose and possobly even the runs as THAT IS A FORM OF STRESS which I donh't know if any of you have ever moved but that is stressful. I just delivered these 3 girls yesterday for $200 DELIVERED for all. Yes momma has a low udder but these weren't show stock. Nanny is a milker but nothing to show with and she knew that and that was why I was selling her. I sold her cause I am wanting to show and didn't want to take her to shows just to milk her even though I can't show her (I can't leave anything in milk at home as I"m the only milker.). And if she was unhappy she should have let me know and I would have helped her in some way even if that meant buying them back. So I don't know what to tell you all but my question is....... why was I not aware of this if it was such a problem and had to read about it on here? Don't know what to tell yuns......

dk_40207 · #10 04/22/06, 04:21 PM

Goodness Jessi, I was not trying to be nasty in ANY way. Please forgive me if that is how you took this. I wasn't meaning to "air dirty laundry" or anything like that. I don't even feel like it is dirty laundry

You said that you would take care of any serious illness, and I believed you. I didn't even say where I got them from. I was just genuinly concerned for the health of the babies! I apologized that I posted for advice before contacting you because I wanted as much advice, as quick as possible.
It is hard, sometimes to tell the "tone" of a message. Let me be clear. I am not in any way being nasty, or ungrateful, or offensive. I just needed help, quick. There is no need to be defensive, Jessi(because I am trying not to be offensive). I don't think that you would have purposly given me deathly ill kids, I mean, that is bad for buisness....and you are trying to build your up

I just want the babies taken care of, and the price I paid for them should have no bearing on their health, right? You seemed like a really great person, and seemed like a "do unto others" type of gal.

I was hoping that we could be friends, as we both homeschool the kiddos and live close by one another

Like I said--in the email, I think that Nanny is just stressed. Her snot is clear, and this afternoon she ate a bit of browse. It is the kids I'm worried about. We've got a heavy/loud breather and two seriously snotty eyes.

You know that I can't call you, it is long distance. It is a fact that I wish I could change, but can't. Have to rely on the comp....

Friendly, Friendly Friendly--not angry--just worried--

Christina & the gang
God has this all figured out for us, anyway, right?

dk_40207 · #11 04/22/06, 04:49 PM

Jessi,
Forgot...I don't want you to buy them back. It's only been a short time, but we are attached.

I knew that Nanny was just a milking gal. Thats what we want. I'm just very concerned for the kids. That's all. Sigh. This is just making my stomach turn. I didn't mean for it to be taken this way. I wish I could talk to you on the phone....darn rural co-ops! I sent you two emails, hope you get to them...
Let us know what you want us to do...

Prayin' for the wee ones,
The Kelley family

stacygoats · #12 04/22/06, 04:58 PM

Any time you move goats (even acrossed the road) you should expect some ill effects, caused by stress alone. Add some cool wet weather and the chances of sickness increase.
I would clean those eyes and noses frequently, give all three doses of nutridrench, try not to stress them anymore then necessary and make sure momma has lots of fresh water/hay. If the nanny is tame you need to try to assist the kids in latching onto the udder, try repositioning pointing forward and hold it up while the kid nurse. I'm guessing as the kids get older they will figure out how to get under there and latch on themselves. You might want to pick up some antibiotic and 1/2" needles to give the raspy breathing kid, if it doesn't show signs of inprovement. You can also use the injectable antibiotin as eye drops to clear up the eye infection.
Also look for Vet RX to treat respritory problems.
Welcome to the "goat owner" world, you will find that having all the misc. supplies around to treat all of the potential health issues is a necessity, my supply cabinet just keeps growing.
Good luck!

Laura Workman · #13 04/22/06, 05:23 PM

Hi folks, thought I'd chime in here. That udder looks nothing like a full Saanen udder to me, which is why you could only get two cups of milk. Yes, the teats are large, and the foreudder attachment isn't what it could be, but an overfull udder looks like a water balloon. The skin is glossy, not crepe. The teats are turgid, and these look lax. An overfull udder is not soft or squishy in any way.

Additionally, goats frequently get a little runny nose, even when they haven't been stressed, if the weather's nasty. If the goop is clear, and the chest sounds fine, I just make sure they have a dry, well-bedded, draft free area to hang out in, and in a few days, the nose clears up. The kid eyes look goopy, but to me, they don't look like pinkeye. After all, they don't look pink! They may have gotten some dust in them, or other irritant. I'd take a warm wash cloth to them a couple times a day, and see if that doesn't clear it up.

Have you changed the doe's feed at all? Try to give her what she was getting. Being a Saanen, it's likely she'll need more, now that she's feeding kids, but ease into any grain slowly. You can give alfalfa pellets more quickly, and that should help fill her out some. Start out with two cups, twice a day, and increase each day by two cups each feeding until she's eating all of them that she'll take.

Oh, and very, very important. Was she wormed when she was moved? Moving is very stressful for goats, and stress lets the worms just go to town. They can kill your goat very quickly if not dealt with at these stressful times. Even if they don't kill her, the weaken her so she'll be much more susceptible to any little bug that comes along. So, if she wasn't wormed when she moved, do it immediately. I like to use Ivermectin horse paste, and for a one hundred pound goat, I give enough for a two hundred pound horse.

Lastly, do try to relax a bit. It is very easy, when you first get goats, to break into a cold sweat every time one sneezes, but if you keep them dry, sheltered, and well fed and watered, the chances are very good that you'll have healthy happy goats, unless you start trying to pump them full of everything in creation to solve problems they don't have.

Best of luck!

dk_40207 · #14 04/22/06, 05:26 PM

Thanks for the input! I'm waiting for my neighbor to come home(vet tech)....see what she can help us with. Being a weekend...I'm not sure when/where to het that stuff. I'll look into it.
Whatever happens, no hard feelings on this end, Jessi. We're all in this together. It's a learning process

Blessings,
Christina
~Proud new goat momma to Nanny, Rose, and Daisey