Baby goat - bloat??

Otter · #1 06/15/12, 08:20 AM

I've been worried about the little brown and white fellow. He was just a little off. Nothing extreme, just enough to make you worry. So I eye-droppered about 2-3 oz of colostrum into him, just to make sure he got some, and kept an eye on him all night.

At 5, 5:30 this morning, I went out again and thought I was being paranoid. Now he is on my lap and I'm afraid he's dying. I think he's bloated, I'm hitting him with some oil and doing massage. Is baby aspirin ok for the pain? Massage, oil, what else?

Also, he just now passed what I think was meconium, dark, tarry almost odorless poo. His brother has yellow, loose milk poos and is up and toddling after his mother.

southerngurl · #2 06/15/12, 08:28 AM

Has he pooed before? He could have had constipation, give an enema. He neeeds at least 1 oz colostrum per lb of bodyweight before 12 hrs old.

What are his symptoms? How much has he eaten? When was he born? I'm assuming he won't eat? After an enema and he poos, you may need to tube feed.

Otter · #3 06/15/12, 08:35 AM

I am not sure if he pooed before, his mother was religious about cleaning them both.
I was worried about the colostrum, so I droppered 2-3 oz in him before he was 6 hours old, just because I hadn't seen him nurse, though his mother is very secretive about it, wants to hide them.
He was born around 7 am yesterday morning.
He is limp, grinding his teeth and feels gassy. He has been peeing all along and pooped on me just a minute ago.

At around 5, he was warm, on his feet and I thought he had nursed because his tummy felt full and one teat was slightly damp

Otter · #4 06/15/12, 08:38 AM

Also, I was worried about him from the start - but nothing major. Like, he stood up on his own - but was more wobbly then his brother. I didn't see him walk, but DD did, and every time I went out to check he was somewhere else.
He slept sprawled, his brother slept curled (until after 8 last night when he began sleeping normally.

he just seemed ... not quite.. right. Nothing extreme, and at 5 I though maybe it was all in my head as I'm a worrier.

Otter · #5 06/15/12, 08:53 AM

Just coughed and burped, still limp though.

Otter · #6 06/15/12, 08:58 AM

He just peed, pooed and yelled at us. But he's still grinding his teeth and pretty limp.

Alice In TX/MO · #7 06/15/12, 08:59 AM

I don't think newborns get bloat. However, I can tell you from miserable experience that some kids just aren't right internally, and they just don't survive.

I fear he is one of those.

Otter · #8 06/15/12, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

I don't think newborns get bloat. However, I can tell you from miserable experience that some kids just aren't right internally, and they just don't survive.

I fear he is one of those.

It is entirely possible, and was in the back of my head yesterday. I didn't think newborns bloated either. But he passed some gas, seems a little more comfortable and his gut is making all kinds of noise now, so I don't know.

Also, he is kind of swaybacked, like an old horse. I don't know why - perhaps he had a bit of a rough time coming, maybe just didn't form right

bwanaswan · #9 06/15/12, 09:13 AM

You are trying and as long as he is alive do your best. I know a lot of people argue against it but I have pulled a fair share of kids like that back to the good side with a squirt of nutra drench. You might also try a finger of baking soda if it is a tummy ache.
Nothing to lose at this point when there is failure to thrive.

where I want to · #10 06/15/12, 09:18 AM

Has he had a BoSe shot?

Otter · #11 06/15/12, 09:25 AM

bwanaswan, that's what I'm thinking. Not much hope but nothing to lose.

where I want to, no, for as few goats as I have I didn't think to keep one on hand, especially as our soil tested ok for selinium.

It's been an hour since I first posted, that's about 45 minutes longer then I'd have given him then...

Alice In TX/MO · #12 06/15/12, 09:46 AM

Hoping for the best outcome!

Huggs,
Alice

andabigmac · #13 06/15/12, 09:54 AM

I hope he pulls through. It's scary when the little turkeys seem dead set against living but some tlc goes a long way with them. Good Luck!

thaiblue12 · #14 06/15/12, 10:12 AM

I doubt at his age it is bloat. It sounds like he did not pass the meconium and he has and may need to poop more to start to feel better. Taking his temp will be helpful so you know if he is warm enough and it may make him poop more.

I use Pedia Lax kids suppositories. They are a liquid glycerin which i had to use for 3 days on a weak kid. The fourth day it was not needed but I did not realize the dogs were eating her colostrum poop

so I did it for no reason. She is a healthy yearly now she just needed some help the first few days.

I would not give him anything orally since one chamber of his stomach is working right now and he is very newborn and it might make things worse.
If he is warm enough bottle him colostrum.

As far as the swayback it could be a pinched nerve which may work itself out or it may need some Banamine. A tiny bit of it. Or Bo-Se might help with that. We are not in a low area either but with weak kids it really does help.

Get Bo-Se from your vet, ask about the Banamine and maybe some Nuflor if he sounds rattly. Get the right kind of Vit E and maybe for around $10 and some of your time he will pull through and make it.

Also so he does not lose the bond or smell from his mom take him out there, see if he will nurse and rub him on her.

Good Luck.

Backfourty,MI. · #15 06/15/12, 11:12 AM

I agree with thaiblue. Newborns at that age should have nothing by mouth except mothers colostrum & since no Bo-Se I would squirt the liquid from 2 vitamin E capsules in his mouth.
A suppository if you think he's backed up but putting a bunch of things in his tummy could really make it worse.

Sherry in Iowa · #16 06/15/12, 11:19 AM

Newborns..especially premies or smaller kids..always have plump bellies after they have sucked. If you really don't know if he has eaten from momma..yet he has a full feeling belly..I'm guessing the old girl and kid are trying to outfox ya. If he is tiny and already eating from momma..he doesn't need anything more and I'd be afraid of throwing him off. If he ate from mom and you gave him 2-3 more oz. he would be very full and possibly have a belly ache.

Like Thai said above..get him back to momma before she decides to reject him. Most..not all does.. will reject them first thing if they think something is gravely wrong. That she hasn't is a good sign to me.

Another great sign is that he finally pooed. I'm leaning more towards taking him back to momma and letting her try to get him feeling better. I wouldn't give him aspririn and a bunch of other things if I didn't know pretty sure what was wrong with him.

Also..if it's hot where you are and you have air it might be hard on him coming in and out..just a thought.

Wishing you both the best!

Otter · #17 06/15/12, 12:38 PM

Well, took him to be seen. I hate bringing an animal in and seeing That Face. He got Vit E, Vitamin B injections, CMPK in case of floppy kid (though I was told it was very early so probably not that, but I was told it wouldn't hurt),he pooped again. He was tubed an ounce of pedialyte. Basically lots of supportive care. His temp kept dropping and they said that probably meant something internally, congenitally wrong. He had a hot water bottle and we rubbed and patted him constantly to keep the blood circulating.

I got him home 5 minutes ago. He coughed, stretched out and died.

He was actually not a preemie or a small kid, he was a good big one, bigger then the other. No-one could find any birth injuries by palpating. Consensus was what Alice had said, sometimes there's just something wrong inside. They also agreed that newborns don't bloat, but he had a lot of gas inside him and that pointed to something just not working right.
I don't like not knowing, but don't have money to spend on an autopsy. I was given more CMPK and told to give it to the doe and other baby, it can't hurt and they've been seeing a lot of floppy kid this year and it seems to help.

southerngurl · #18 06/15/12, 12:52 PM

Sorry you lost him

For future reference, would not give pedialite. Just make sure they are warm and give colostrum. Colostrum has all those electrolites plus the necessary calories they require to warm themselves. Babies have a hard time keeping their temps where they need to be, warm, calorie rich, milk is needed to do that. And giving anything else orally, even electrolytes, will cause milk not to digest. Also would not give banamine (I know you did not) to so young a kid since it pushes the temp down.

Otter · #19 06/15/12, 01:08 PM

Ty, if it ever happens again (and hopefully it won't) I will be sure to bring colostrum with me. In fact, it's probably a good idea to call the vet up and ask if they want some. I milked her yesterday to ease her and have some for the kid, I took a spaghetti sauce jar's worth and she still had plenty - I think I'll offer it to the clinic.

On the bright side, the little black one is perky as everything, trying out trotting and bouncing, nursing well. His mother is very attentive and has a LOT of milk.

**mygoat** · #20 06/15/12, 03:09 PM

Unless you have more for yourself frozen, keep it. Colostrum is liquid gold.