Just kidded - help please

[jimandpj]

Mary is a 2 year old American Saanen. This is her first freshening. Today is day 147 of her gestation.

At 10:00 this morning she started pushing and when I checked there was a tongue presenting. I tried to push the head back in to find and grab the legs, but she was pushing too hard and I couldn't get him back in. I finally stopped trying and helped her push and she delivered a tiny (3 1/2 pound) buckling (snubian). He wasn't breathing, so I spun him by his back legs. It worked! Got him breathing, dried off. Mom was being a great mom licking him off really well.

After an hour it was clear he was too weak to get up and nurse. We tried holding him up to nurse. No go. Took him in the house. My daughter is feeding him with a syringe as he will swallow on his own.

But my concern is more for Mary. She still has not passed her placenta. (unless she passed it and ate it in the five minutes I was in the next stall delivering twin nubians (one large one presenting normally, 1 presenting backwards - both doing well). It was just during a very short time that nobody was watching Mary.

So, my questions:

1. How long do I give Mary to pass the placenta before trying to get some oxytocin? I don't have any here.

2. If I do have to get the oxytocin, what is the dosage?

Mary has not developed a bag at all yet, but I am able to get out a few squirts (I stole colostrum from the other doe for the little buckling). We are "milking" her as much as we can to stimulate natural oxytocin release.

Anything else I should be doing?

Thanks!
PJ

[toomb68]

you could try massaging her belly...i.e. fundal massage like we do with humans. that helps the uterus contract and shrink back to size. our doe last year didn't seem to want to deliver her placenta. my wife massaged and it seemed to work.

[RiverPines]

Have you tried massage?
Sometimes thats all thats needed.

I will stand over the doe (facing forward) and wrap my arms around her right in front of the udder. Then you lift to apply pressure and hold for a few seconds. Release, and do it again several times over and over. I will even lift a doe, if she is short enough, to apply the pressure for a few seconds at a time, usually to a count of 5.
This is similar to the pressure massages nurses will do after a human has a child.

[RiverPines]

Sorry Toom...your post wasnt there when I went to post.
This thing is loading sooooo slow that its quite a long wait before I can see anything.

[jimandpj]

Thanks guys. It passed! After 3 1/2 hours (so much for the 45 minutes my book said ;-)

PJ

[RiverPines]

Originally Posted by jimandpj

Thanks guys. It passed! After 3 1/2 hours (so much for the 45 minutes my book said ;-)

PJ

Didn't anyone tell you..
goats have the uncanny ability to not follow the books. LOL

Glad it passed.
Congrats on not having any problem.