Horrible birth!

[Wendy]

I bought a couple of bred Pygmy does earlier this year. The gal told me the latest they would deliver was the end of March. March came & went & one had not delivered. She was fat, but some Pygmies just are. She wasn't bagging up or anything. So, I put her out with the rest of the herd.

Tonight Tommy comes in & tells me she was acting funny & laying down outside. I checked her & she was trying to deliver a kid. I knew something was wrong. I had Tommy hold her so I could check it out. She had feet coming, but no head. I went in & the head was turned back over the kids back. If you have ever had to assist a Pygmy you know it's like trying to stick your hand in a narrow mouth canning jar. I have big hands too, so that didn't help.

I finally got the head flipped forward & then attempted to pull the kid. The head flipped right back where it had been. So, I shoved everything back in & tried again. I did that at least 7 or 8 times. All the while Tommy is holding her & the goat is screaming. I yelled for Jim to come & help hold her too. I also told Luke to call my brother who has delivered some very bad presented calves. I was going to tell him to bring his gun too, just in case.

Well, he wasn't home so we were on our own. I once again shoved everything back in & decided to try to turn the kid & bring it backwards instead. I finally got the back legs & pulled it around. I delivered the kid & popped the front legs out. All that was left was the head & it was stuck! Tommy & Jim were holding her down & I was pulling with everything I had. I was still pulling her backwards despite them holding her. By this time I was completely covered in blood & mud because she was out in the pasture in a bare spot instead of in a clean stall like normal. I finally, finally managed to pull that kid. It was a huge buck kid. Dead of course. At this time I am not even sure if it was a Pygmy kid. Maybe she got bred to something bigger since the date was way off.

I have never in my life had such an awful experience. I did not think that kid was coming out. Right now the doe is in a stall where I carried her. She is not up & is looking pretty bad. I gave her a shot of penicillin. If she is not showing any improvement by morning I will put her down. I feel so bad for her.

I hope I NEVER have to do that again. I have pulled kids before, but never had any that bad. I don't know if I will re-breed her unless I can find a very small buck to use.

I am beat!

[PlowGirl]

That is awful. I feel for you, having had to pull a few that were pretty stuck.

If you have some or know anybody who has some, please give that poor doe some Banamine for the pain.

[Spinner]

Will she drink water? A lady just told me to give my doe a quart of warm water with 1/2 cup of light karo syrup to give her energy after she delivers. Sorry you had to go thru that.

[Jan in CO]

Sorry for the bad experience, Wendy. My friend here had to help another friend deliver their pigmy doe's kids last spring, and ended up having to dismember a kid to get it out. Bad experience for all! We've had a couple bad experiences like that with our larger goats, and I can only imagine how difficult it must be with a small doe like that! Take a nap, you've earned it!
Jan in CO

[chamoisee]

It can be worse...trust me.

I would give her more than a day to recuperate, she's been through a lot. Give her red cell, and or molasses and cider vinegar in a bucket of warm water. She sounds like she lost a lot of blood and she'll need to build her energy back up. Also, if you haven't already, antibiotics probably wouldn't hurt, since you were in there quite a lot. I don't usually when I help out, but in a case liek this, it'd be a good idea. She won't have a lot of reserves leftover to fight off infetcion. Lastly, if you could get a newborn goat kid from somewhere....it might help her, give her something to live for....even if it is only a meat kid, and even if she isn't making milk for it. Some does sort of need that, others don't care.

[Wendy]

I did give her some penicillin. She has not passed the afterbirth yet either. I may need to get a shot of Lutelyse (sp?) in the morning. She is looking pretty pitiful. She wasn't drinking either.

[ozark_jewels]

I feel for you....I just got back from helping a friend with a birthing from hell. Lost momma and the big buck kid, saved the doeling. It was the worst kidding experience I have ever had.

Hope your doe picks up and is fine.

[Idahoe]

That's everyone's nightmare. I hope you can put it behind you, I hate the way these experiences LIVE ON in your head long after it's over. If she lives, at least she'll never have to go through that again. I've read another story of a nigerian doe trying to birth a Boer baby, complete nightmare. And sad, seems preventable! Glad your family has her now.

[chamoisee]

Oxytocin...will make the uterus contract and spit the afterbirth out. You can also help trigger the oxytocin she already has in her body by milking her...even if she isn't coming into milk, stimulating the teats will cause the uterus to shrink up, not bleed as much, and release the placenta.

[Cloverbud]

For you: For doe: I hope that your doe is okay and that neither of you ever have to go through anything like that again.

[Jillis]

Originally Posted by Spinner

Will she drink water? A lady just told me to give my doe a quart of warm water with 1/2 cup of light karo syrup to give her energy after she delivers. Sorry you had to go thru that.

Karo syrup is not really good for man or beast. It may do as a quick pick-me-up if nothing else is available. Molasses in warm water is best---blackstrap molasses is very high in both iron and thiamine, both of which a doe will need after giving birth.

I don't mean that in an argumentive way, just sharing what I have learned.

[ChickenMom]

I'm so sorry, sounds like it was very rough. I hope your doe is OK.

[ailsaek]

I am so sorry things went so badly. I hope you and the doe are both OK this morning. to both of you.

[Sweet Goats]

Wendy, please don't put her down if she is not 100% this morning. She went through a really hard time and she will need time to recoop. Yes it is Molasses water,and she will drink it up I am sure, and NOT Lute, it is Oxytocin. Hugs and lots of treats and pampering is all she will need. Great job in all that you did, at least you did save mom for now. I would bet you are right, I bet the doe was bred to something WAY to big for her. I know lots of people that breed NPGA pygmys and they breed them so darn small and breed them to be even smaller, that it is just killing them. Pygmys have more trouble kidding then any other breed out there, (according to a vet at a clinic I was at over the weekend). Prayers to you all and congratulations for staying calm and keeping a leval head.

[Wendy]

She was dead when I went to check on her this morning.

[floramum]

I Am So Sorry.

Mum

[Sherri C]

I'm very sorry for the bad experience and for the loss.

[Sweet Goats]

OH wendy, I am so sorry.

[goatmarm]

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[ozark_jewels]

I'm so sorry. With such a bad birthing it is very possible that she just bled to death inside(you won't see any indications). If so, it is a decently painless way to go.