When is it time to consider tubefeeding?

[AshleyB]

I posted yesterday asking advice on two kids who we cannot get to take the bottle. They were born last Thursday, stayed on mama goat until Saturday, and then we started trying to bottle feed them. We finally got the buckling to take a baby nipple yesterday, so he is doing much better, but the doeling still will not suck. She is not interested in the least, and so we have only been able to get about an ounce into her at each feeding. She obviously needs more milk than this, but she is just not getting it. We tried putting her back with her mama, but she will not take her back now. We've made a fine mess of things, and I'm wondering if we need to go ahead and tube feed her. I don't want to lose her.

[hoofinitnorth]

Is she able to suck? Have you checked for a cleft palate? Have you tried a pritchard teat? What temperature is the milk you're feeding? What type of milk (from mom, from another source, from replacer, etc.)?

[AshleyB]

I finally got her going about an hour ago. I rolled up my sleeves because my shirt was getting soaked with milk and she started bumping and trying to latch onto my forearm. I stuck the human baby nipple in her mouth and she went for it. Every time she stopped and sucking I'd give her my forearm back and that got her going again. She was nursing fine when she was with her mother, she was just not interested in rubber nipples, but I think having my skin made the difference. I'm using milk from her mother.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Get livestock nipples. Order Lambar nipples through jeffers or something like them. They pop onto soda bottles. With their teeth you will go through children baby nipples and 8 ounces isn't enough milk. Vicki

[issylthesthlia]

That's really interesting-- I hadn't made the connection, but my reluctant baby started eating better when she could lick/smell my skin too. She also watched the other baby slurp down the bottle (I usually fed the little one first, but switched it up this time) and then started slurping.

Congrats! I hope it continues to get better!

[hoofinitnorth]

Well that's a neat trick!