Labor turns to C-section!

[shiandpete.1]

Kiwi ended up with a c-section this morning. We tried and tried to pull kids but we were never able to get our hands fully past her pin bones, but could feel the kid across the opening to the uterus. So my usual vet was not home, she went to Denver for some appointments. I took Ms. Kiwi to Elizabeth Animal Hospital and the vet couldn't get his hand in either. We had two options, put her to sleep or do a c-section. We opted for a c-section which cost way more than the goat is actually worth, but she is more of a pet and we lost her mom last year. I also opted to have the vet spay her as she has some traits that are not good to have in a dairy goat, such as double teats and she is too narrow.

Anyways I was able to stay in the surgery room and watch the whole process. It was AWESOME! We ended up with a doe and a buck. They weighed 4.94 lbs (doe) and 4.81 lbs (buck) and are a bit weak. They have had dopram and we just milked a doe that is due any day and got 6 oz of colostrum to give them. Kiwi has a very full udder but can't get any milk out and most likely with her being spayed she will not produce any more.

The vet office took pics and when they email me them I will post them and once babies are up and doing better I will get pics of them too. We have named them Anderson (after the vet) and Torrah.

Kiwi is resting comfortably in a stall of her own with no one to bother her, she is still a bit drugged up and has had banamine. She will be on 10 days of Naxcel, to make sure no infection sets in.

[susanne]

sarah that was a bit what i thought would happen.
glad all is well. was this doe tested for cae? full udder no milk always alarm for me.

[jill.costello]

WOW! Congratulations on saving everyone! Spayed, huh? I should threaten my Cayenne with that...she's been teasing the wether for 4 days and he's exhausted trying to figure out what in the world she wants, lol!

[shiandpete.1]

Susanne-she has been tested and is negative for cae. The vet said that ygr kids stimulate milk let down when they enter the birth canal and it may take a bit or without the hormones in her body any longer she might just dry up. He wasn't too sure. We will try later but she has teeny teets so it might take a bit for me to get some out.

The babies are so cold. They are in a laundry basket in front of the stove with a blanket over the top and a hair dryer. I think some fortified b is in their future.

[thaiblue12]

Well at least they kids survived. My one doe had a leg in the canal that was all. Never signaled her to push or that she was in labor. I noticed goo and nothing else. So I went in felt a leg and tried to get the kid out. No luck. Took her to the vet and he could not even get in as far as I did so on a Sunday she had to have an emergency C-section. $451 and a dead kid He said she was fine internally and did not spay her. When I got the bill I almost fainted and thankfully he allowed me to pay over time. She did fine after the C-section, was a pain in the butt to get the stitches out, a two person job since I was not going to drive her back to have them taken out. Son gave her crackers while I layed on the ground and took them out.
I hope your doe and the kids do well.

[dm9960]

wow, what an ordeal. I'm glad all are well. I hope everyone gains strength quickly

[shiandpete.1]

My husband just named the babies Diego and Dora. They have both perked up and have had 2 to 3 oz of colostrum. Thaiblue- this was a $450 dollar vet bill with the spay. It would have been $350 without but she is too narrow and double teeted and just a pet.

[deineria]

Oh my! I'm sorry she ended up a c-section, but I am glad you got two live kids in the end!

[madness]

Heck, I'd pay $450 to save my favorite doe! (no, my farm is not making a "profit" ).

So glad everything turned out as well as it did. Keep those babies warm!

[Minelson]

I am so glad Kiwi is ok! What an experience. Hugs to you, I bet you are wiped out too!

[shiandpete.1]

minelson- I am exhausted, and starving! Little girl is doing great, not is weak acting again and I wonder if he will make it through the night.

Does anyone know how much b fortified I can give? I have 1/4 of a cc around 3.

[thaiblue12]

I got hit with emergency call for anethesia $65 extra, Sunday visit was extra as well so I could have been in the $350 range but of course it had to be more lol. Thankfully I had it paid off before Christmas. I was bummed that it was a single and dead, so I am glad you have live kids to show for all that money. Makes the bill hurt less.
I would be interested to see the pictures of the C-section. I was not present when they did hers as they had to call everyone to come in. She could have passed that kid had she not swelled up so much internally. She is not narrow, just a chunky monkey and I will not bred her again unless she slims down.

[susanne]

sarah you need to keep them warm. hair dryer not the best choice. use some pop bottle with warm water. this will prevent the kids from drying out.
keep milking the doe and stimulate her. i had a doe with c-section delivered three weeks early( kids were dead) and she milked around a gallon.
no need for the b-complex just colostrum for the kids. do they have a strong sucking reflex? more frequent like every two hours in the beginning.
did the myconium come out yet? very important. if not, give an enema.
did you give them Bo-se?
good luck with the kids. even if not all so favorable, it is good learning experience for the future

[copperpennykids]

Can you rig a box with a heat lamp in one corner? Sounds like they are having trouble regulating body temperature, much like a premie. Also, their temp needs to be at least 100 degrees before you can feed them. Feeding them when they are cold just puts them into a kind of shock - and is worse for them.

Hot water bottles (soda bottles) is also a very good idea.

[shiandpete.1]

Susanne -We worked on milking her but nothing. I will keep working on her but since we had her uterus removed and ovaries there is not the hormones needed to continue producing.

Camille- the babies are actually in my living room in a laundry basket in front of the stove. Both have pooped and peed a lot. Bo se was given after birth. I just put warm water bottles in with them and he is a bit more perky, hopefully he makes it through the night.

[susanne]

yeah you are right, the hormones are not there. can you give her oxytitocin to let the milk down? you need to get this from your vet if you not already have it.

[shiandpete.1]

Just an update. My husband renamed Diego, Manny. He must be watching preschool shows lol. Both babies made it through the night. Dora is trying to bounce and Manny finally found his back legs this afternoon. One more night in the house and then out to the barn. Kiwi is doing great too, she wanted out of her stall so I let her out and she was very happy. Still no milk but Ellie the Sable is helping with that.

[wintrrwolf]

she may surprise you, had a cat that during her first litter her uterus collapsed she ended up getting a c-section and hysterectomy plus 60% blood transfused, the vet said that we would have to hand feed the 4 alive kittens since Corky would most likely not produce milk for them...She did, and she took very good care of her babies. Ahh had my last kid 3 weeks and 5 days early, and they did a tubal the next day I always had breast fed my babies, but my milk never came in...so who knows, sounds like you got it covered anyways.

[Feral Nature]

I had a childhood pet cat that had to have a c-section and spaying too. She had no milk and ate her kittens. I looked at her nest and saw the sight. I was traumatized.

Also, I am thinking now in my head which if any of my does would be taken to the vet for a c-section. I can think of 3, maybe. The vet bill is hard to justify on just any old doe.