sick babies

oceanmist · #1 02/11/08, 11:32 AM

i have 2 bottle babies now 16 days old, i had them dis-budded 3 days ago and every since they have been sick... a fever at 104.8, runny noses, sneezing,... I also switched them from goats milk to Save-A-Kid formula and they have the runs...

I have given them banamine to drop the fever, it worked.

I have given them 1/2 a cc of Naxcel per day for 3 days for the respiratory stuff... noses aren't so runny, but some...

also their eyes are cruddy and one was puffy after the disbudding...

but the biggest concern right now is the runny poop... how do I clear that up? I have been using a bit of kaolin pectin, but not sure how to dose... I don't have any spectam scour halt either, is that the best to use?

I have been giving them probios and some electrolytes between feedings...

I would like to get them into the barn, but not when they are sick this way...

I don't think it's cocci because they have had no exposure to other goats being in my house this whole time...

thanks Misty oh and ps... I don't have internet at home so if anyone has any iders.. can you please call me 918-458-4718 i sure hope this will post with my number so that I can figure out what to do ASAP

Alice In TX/MO · #2 02/11/08, 11:33 AM

The milk replacer is a very bad idea. Put them back on goats milk or whole milk from the grocery store.

Teacupliz · #3 02/11/08, 11:35 AM

If you do not have goats milk go the the store and get whole cows milk- switch them over. Feed small amount at a time-
to young for cocci- are they inthe barn or house?

Liz

fishhead · #4 02/11/08, 11:47 AM

Is 104.8 really that high for a kid? I know human kids seem like little furnaces at times.

BlueHeronFarm · #5 02/11/08, 11:55 AM

My guess is that the scours are from the change in diet. I agree with the idea that getting back on real milk will help.

I don't think 104.8 is too high - It is in the high normal range for goats. If it goes up any more, I might start thinking about enterotoxemia, though, and giving them CD antitoxin.

I would probably continue with the kaopectate. Not sure of dose - we use pepto - a couple ccs. The biggest thing is to keep them hydrated through all of this. I would keep up with the electrolytes, too. (We give gatorade, mixed weakly, in a bottle)

oceanmist · #6 02/12/08, 06:55 PM

well the reason I switched over to the formula is the cost of driving to get the $4 a gallon goat milk... we went through 5 gallons in the first 11 days of their lives... that's $20 for 11 days!! plus driving 14 miles to pick it up... I just can't do that after being without work for 2 months.. so formula seemed like the more cost effective choice...
ok so at this point the both have yucky green poo, runny.. I am giving them 2 ounces of electrolytes between feeding them the 10 ounces of formula every 8 hours. I have been using the kaolin pectin, but apparently underdosing that..
they are nibbling hay and eat vigorously...

so how do you switch them over to a new food... 50/50 then 75/25 etc??? or just straight over?

thanks Misty

fcnubian · #7 02/12/08, 08:32 PM

I never feed kids milk replacer. If I cant feed them goats milk I'll get cows milk from the store. I have heard of many people losing kids when feeding milk replacers.

When switching a kid to something new I always switch them slowly. 3/4 what they are eating, 1/4 of the new, then 1/2 and 1/2 then 3/4 of the new and 1/4 of what they were eating.

Steffiej · #8 02/12/08, 09:51 PM

More people lose kids feeding them replacer, definitely. Whole milk is the way to go if you can't do goat's milk.

goatkid · #9 02/12/08, 10:55 PM

I never feed replacer since my first year in goats. We had terrible luck with it. We lost some kids and others just didn't seem to thrive. Since that year, I feed bottle babies either goat milk or whole cow's milk from the store. A way to save money on cow's milk is to ask the dairy manager at your grocery store if they are willing to sell you their expired milk. I was able to buy it for a dollar a gallon and froze what I didn't need right away.

coondog · #10 02/13/08, 01:31 AM

What about powdered milk-could it work for the babies? If so, the least expensive place I have found it is Aldis, but it really does help cut down on the cost. Also, I was reading on the hoeggers goat site that the diamond V yeast is very good. The article said that the the people who worked in the processing of diamond V yeast had noticed they rarely ever had colds, so makes me wonder if brewer's yeast would work the same?

fishhead · #11 02/13/08, 08:18 AM

I think powdered milk is always skim milk so it wouldn't have the energy rich fats.

Steffiej · #12 02/13/08, 10:53 AM

The only way they'll get what they need from cow's milk is by drinking whole milk. The replacer gives the scours, and causes tons of other problems.

white eagle · #13 02/13/08, 11:05 AM

Give the babies whole cows milk an get them off the milk replacer because it can kill them. If it does not kill them it will stunt their growth badly.. I will never again use goat milk replacer ever.

Good Luck on your babies.

jordan · #14 02/13/08, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coondog

What about powdered milk-could it work for the babies? If so, the least expensive place I have found it is Aldis, but it really does help cut down on the cost. Also, I was reading on the hoeggers goat site that the diamond V yeast is very good. The article said that the the people who worked in the processing of diamond V yeast had noticed they rarely ever had colds, so makes me wonder if brewer's yeast would work the same?

I have been mixing Diamond V Yeast Culture XP DFM with my goats minerals for over a year and have seen great results in overall health (skin, coat, milk production, etc) and they seem to utilize their feed better.