Hydrocephalus kid?

[Patt]

We had one Nubian doe left to kid this year when we went out of town. We had friends watching the place and she kidded Tuesday afternoon. Easy birth and they made sure both kids got some colostrum. We got home late Thursday and I knew as soon as we saw them there was something seriously wrong with the doeling. She had twins and the buckling was fine and healthy already trying to jump around and nursing. The doeling looked really odd and her head was twice the size of her brother's. Her back legs didn't seem to work right and her eyes were milky colored. My first thought from working with human babies was Hydrocephalus. She died overnight.

Her mother was already on our potential cull list due to some poor confirmation traits she is now a definite. Does anyone know if this is a genetic issue or an environmental one?

[nehimama]

I'm sorry for your loss, and I wish I knew the answer to your question.

[Wonderland]

I had to look that up, because I had never heard of it. How sad! According to one website, the cause (in humans) isn't thoroughly understood...I would imagine if it isn't understood totally in humans, it probably wouldn't be understood in goats, either. This is what it said:

"The causes of hydrocephalus are still not well understood. Hydrocephalus may result from inherited genetic abnormalities (such as the genetic defect that causes aqueductal stenosis) or developmental disorders (such as those associated with neural tube defects including spina bifida and encephalocele). Other possible causes include complications of premature birth such as intraventricular hemorrhage, diseases such as meningitis, tumors, traumatic head injury, or subarachnoid hemorrhage, which block the exit of CSF from the ventricles to the cisterns or eliminate the passageway for CSF into the cisterns."
-http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/hydrocephalus/detail_hydrocephalus.htm

[susanne]

this can happen with nubians carrying the G6S gene.
i would have her tested and if she is a carrier use a buck that tested normal (none carrier) next time for breeding.
definitely would not use or sell her buckling as a breeding animal.

[Patt]

Ok thanks for the info. Like I said the mother doe is on the cull list so we won't be using her again period. And the buckling is soon to be a wether. I had never heard of that before with Nubians, good to know!