Doe in milk fever? What do I do?

[mtnmenagerie]

We've got a Lamancha who kidded a week ago.

She was fine this morning and this afternoon, tonight all of a sudden at feeding time, I noticed her laying down with her babies beside her.
Usually at the sound of feed, she's up and ready, tonight... not.

Her symptoms are:
- Phlemy sounding breathing. Heaving quite a bit, the way they spit up their cud.
- Slight trembing of her lower lip... a bit of drooling.
- She won't get up unless I make her.
- Eyes slightly closed, obviously not feeling well.
- Her bag is NOTICEABLY smaller then it has been. Almost empty looking... I didn't try to milk her, but I noticed her babies are a bit skinny looking as well.
- No appetite whatsoever. She tried nibbling at a bit of hay at my urging, but gave up quickly and went back to her spot; layed back down.
- Temperature is 101

What should I do!?

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Come to dairygoatinfo.com and click on goatkeeping 101 read sue reiths article on hypocalcemia and milk fever. Start her right now on CMPK if you do not have any there is a walmart recipe for the ingredients. She really needs the injectable right now or calcium injected right now to save her. If you do not have any of the ingredients it would be worth a vet trip. With the right meds she will be back to herself in a few hours, although she needs the meds for several days.

Are you feeding some form of alfalfa?
Did you increase her grain recently too quickly?
Put the babies on another doe or bottle them do not milk her out, it may be the only calcium she has to abosrb right now with her not eating.

After this is over would love to talk to you about your nutritional management.

The congested lungs is not normal for milk fever.....I would put her on an antibiotic also for her lungs, course right before they do die they do have edema that goes into their lungs if she is this far gone. vicki

[mtnmenagerie]

My fiancee is the goat expert between the two of us, but she's at work right now, and i'm posting. Kind of freaking out now!

I should be going to pick her up any minute, waiting on her call, but we don't have any CMPK around. We'll have to make a quick trip to Walmart and back to pick up the things on that link you gave.
Can I do anything right now before I leave?

At the risk of being called crazy and laughed at...
Could I add water and loose calcium to a syringe and orally inject it?

[Backfourty,MI.]

I have never dealt with milk fever & didn't go to dairy goat to read it, but Vicki definately knows what she's talking about here. I have read different things on milk fever & It seems the stuff your supposed to pick up at walmart & mix together (kinda like making your ouw CMPK) is supposed to be given to the goat orally isn't it? Hopefully Vicki will step back in here or someone that's dealt with this but in this case I would(if this was me & still had to wait to go to the store for what I needed) mash up the calcium in the water & give it orally since this sounds like urgency is needed here.
I sure hope your doe makes it, Good luck!

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

We talked privatley he forgot the oral part when asking me...I thought he was going to inject it Yes you can give it orally, better than nothing. Having the basics/minimum of things on hand is just so much better than a vet in the middle of the night or a doe dieing for a $7 bottle of meds.

The lungs do bother me, she is either dieing of congestive lung as her organs are shutting down, or this isn't milk fever and she has pnemonia, the fever is over and she is loosing ground. Hope the calcium works. Perhaps you could share how much calcium mg is in the stuff you have? Vicki

[mtnmenagerie]

hello everyone, and thank you for your support.
the doe was standing when we got home, although NOT WELL - wobbly on her legs and very runny diarrhea ?????

*we just finished the homemade drench reciped that you linked us to. mixed it with a bit of water and yogurt...
*the kids are off of her, and being bottle fed.
* Our feed program is something i've worked so hard on, and i thought i had it down! i am just sick knowing this is my fault...
* i feed appropriate portions of
Oats
cracked corn
beet pulp
BOSS

basicly free choice alfalfa pellets
free choice grass hay, browse, minerals, and soda

also, since the last part of her pregnancy - I added 1 Vit E capsule to her food daily

i DID worm her after she kidded - i used panacur

if i understand correctly, i will be doing the drench every 2 hours through the night...

i have been TRYING to get ahold of my two local vets offices... no luck yet.

is there ANYTHING else i can do. what did i do wrong???

[mtnmenagerie]

UPDATE*

finished the second "dose".
Threre IS a definate wheezing that was not there before i went to work.
but, she is eating hay... with quite an appetite it seems (offered alfalfa, but no luck)
i have molasses water available, but i haven't seen her drink...

other than that, everything is the same.

thanks again

[mtnmenagerie]

*Another Update*
Pearl just finished her 3rd drench - much to her disgust...
i don't think that i am fooling myself into thinking that she is doing better... but she DOES seem to be improving...

*her bag looks like it's a little fuller
*she is really munching down on the hay!
*she is walking around a bit and crying for her babies

other than that, the same

now... we might try to get a couple of hours of sleep!

oh, and how long should i keep going every two hours??

thanks again

[mtnmenagerie]

okay *another update!*

definate improvment! seems to have her balance back - no "wobbles"
brighter eyes......

now..... going back to bed! lol

[Jyllie63]

Great news so far! Is she still wheezing?

[fishhead]

Have you done a fecal to see if the panacur is working? How's the color of her eyelids?

Good luck with her!

[mtnmenagerie]

sorry for all the *UPDATES*

thankfully, Pearl seems to be back to her old self this morning.
no diarrhea.
eating well - even going out to browse.
no wheezing!
her bag is starting to fill up
and she very upset about not being able to get to her babies (who are now in a pen right next to the main goat pasture)

a couple of questions... how long do i need to keep the kids separate??
and, if i understand correctly - once the goat is "back to normal", i just administer a dose once a day???

all total, she's had 6 doses through the night... i kinda wonder if i should dose her on through today?

omg! sorry everybody, sorry i've rambled all night. thank you all for your help. i appreciate all of you "Home Steaders" SO much.

[nappint]

Originally Posted by mtnmenagerie

sorry for all the *UPDATES*

omg! sorry everybody, sorry i've rambled all night. thank you all for your help. i appreciate all of you "Home Steaders" SO much.

I'm a newbie goat owner so I'm of no help to you but I wanted to tell you know that I'm SO glad you kept updating through the night. I went to bed last night thinking of your doe and checked in at 6am to see if there was any news - I was excited to see your updates and that she was improving! Please don't be sorry

[mtnmenagerie]

Originally Posted by nappint

I'm a newbie goat owner so I'm of no help to you but I wanted to tell you know that I'm SO glad you kept updating through the night. I went to bed last night thinking of your doe and checked in at 6am to see if there was any news - I was excited to see your updates and that she was improving! Please don't be sorry

awww, thank you! it's nice to know your thoughts were with us.

[Backfourty,MI.]

I would PM Vicki again about how often to continue the dosing but it sounds like it's working. Me I would do it at least once a day still & probly 2-3 times a day when I put the kids back with her.
Panacur doesn't work in most places, I would also get a stronger wormer like Ivermectin or Cydectin.
Try giving her some apple cider vinegar water instead of molasses in it, I bet she sucks it down.
Also the recipe for electrolyte water if you need it is:
1 liter water, 2 tbsp sugar or honey, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp baking soda

So glad she's doing better. Keep an eye on the wheezing in her lungs to make sure that doesn't start back up either.

[MayLOC]

I just went through this w/one of my does. Was out of the injectable, had the oral MFO and was using it for a very mild case. Thought would be good to go and would get more inj. the following week when we went to town. Then on Mem. day weekend; Fri. she got real bad. Used the WalMart recipe and ground all my concoction up in the food processor. Then each dose would get mixed with sugar or corn syrup and a little molasses and warm water into a bowl. The doe would suck it down as fast as she could each time and lick the bowl clean. She just loved it; much better than the oral MFO which I mixed w/the same ing. at the first. But will never be w/o inj. again, no matter for how short a time! Dosed her for several days even after she was going well and only half milked her until yesterday. She is doing well now.

good luck w/yours.

[mtnmenagerie]

thanks again for your help. i love the collective knowledge i can find on HT!
you have undoubtedly saved my dear goats life!

so thanks to you all - Pearl has continued to improve throughout the day.
i stayed home from work so i could keep dosing her. we'll keep things on track. and i have learned my lesson... "keep injectable on hand!!"

[Spinner]

I just found this thread. I'm so glad to hear that your sweet Pearl is doing so well. Congrats on the babies and for being there for her when she needed you.