HELP! Very sick doe after kidding, please help.

ssmeester · #1 04/12/13, 09:21 AM

Hi Everyone,

First off, there are NO large animal vets in my area so I'm praying that someone here can offer assistance.

Here are the facts:

Doe 2 years old
First Freshener
Kidded Wednesday evening with 2 kids

Symptoms:

fever 105.4 Thur night
fever 104.4 Fri AM
very lethargic
not eating or eating VERY little
VERY little milk
Scours looks like watery molasses
She is VERY VERY thin and hollow in her flanks.
She looks like a "sick" goat.

What I've done

gave 5 cc of Biomycin for fever Thur night
gave 2 cc injectable Ivomectin orally Thurs AM
Drenched her with Nutri-drench, Thurs
Power Punch and molasses in water Thurs and Fri
Jump Start probiotics Thurs
Fresh carrot juice with molasses drench Thurs
24 ml of Calcium Drench Thurs

UPDATE
On Friday
gave 6 cc of Biomycin Friday noon
Added Herbal GI Soother (from Kat at Fir Meadow) 2 doses Friday (afternoon and evening)
Added drench of corn syrup and molasses
Added Timothy hay
Still just nibbling hay, but hanging in there. Her kids just started to take the bottle!! WooHoo!!

She has just started to nibble at some hay today. Also nibbling on some green leaves.

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I'm scared because I'm new at first fresheners and don't' know what I did or didn't do wrong prekidding to cause her to be in such bad shape. My other 2 year old FF is doing great and she kidded on Monday.

Thank you again for your help and prayers.

Blessings,
Sandra in VA

KrisD · #2 04/12/13, 11:17 AM

I think you have milk fever going on. You need some CMPK preferable injectable ASAP. Call feed stores, cattle vets, other goats farms etc. keep up with the molasses water. Is she getting any grain? If not she should be. I would try oats or barley a little handful at a time until she's used to it. Top dress with some calcium carbonate. I use Microna brand, it's $4 for 50#. When pregnant and nursing they can't get enough calories to sustain them and the babies.
This is an extreme emergency.

KrisD · #3 04/12/13, 11:19 AM

Is she thin along the backbone? Like can you see or easily feel the spine? That's an indicator during pregnancy that it's starting.

Hollowdweller · #4 04/12/13, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KrisD

I think you have milk fever going on. You need some CMPK preferable injectable ASAP. Call feed stores, cattle vets, other goats farms etc. keep up with the molasses water. Is she getting any grain? If not she should be. I would try oats or barley a little handful at a time until she's used to it. Top dress with some calcium carbonate. I use Microna brand, it's $4 for 50#. When pregnant and nursing they can't get enough calories to sustain them and the babies.
This is an extreme emergency.

I thought milk fever sub normal temp?

But might want to treat for it since you've covered most else.

prairiedog · #5 04/12/13, 11:35 AM

I would think worm load and maybe pneumonia. Milk fever is low body temp. If all you can get is biomycin then use it but you may need a more powerful antibiotic to kick it especially if she is in bad shape anyway.

myheaven · #6 04/12/13, 11:43 AM

Biomicin 8-10 cc 2x a day for 5 days. She has a fever. I can't think of the name of the fever reducer 1 cc per 100 lbs body weight. Ah banimine. That will help her to feel a little better. If you can get a regular vet to give you nuflor she will do better with that. Less shots too. See if they can give you ringers too. Aka iv solution do pockets of ringers sub q aka under the skin to keep her hydrated.
Milk fever has low body temp. She has a high temp. I'm thinking pneumonia. It's going around even in us humans.

GoatJunkie · #7 04/12/13, 11:51 AM

I have no advice to add, but I will be sending healing energy her way and will keep all of you in my thoughts.

Crazy Farmgirl · #8 04/12/13, 11:52 AM

I 'm leaning more toward infection or possible ketosis. Milk Fever "typically" results in LOW temps not high.

Did she have a difficult kidding? Pass the placenta timely? Did you bump her ok internally check for more kids?

How is her temp doing? I'd get her some banamine for temp, continue the Biomycin as well as the molasses water or even Karo syrup. Something for energy. Due to the diarrhea I'd keep an eye on hydration, giving CMPK is also a good idea.

Alice In TX/MO · #9 04/12/13, 11:59 AM

She could have BOTH issues going. Hypocalcemia (milk fever) and an infection.

As you are doing, antibiotic, calcium, etc. Hope she makes it.

ssmeester · #10 04/12/13, 12:35 PM

Thank you for all of your advice.

I will increase the Biomycin and dose her 2x a day.

She is very skinny. She was very petite for a Saanen from the beginning and did not gain much weight during pregnancy. I was shocked that she had twins. She did pass and eat one placenta for sure and I "think" she passed 2. Was not present for the birth. She was a day early while I was away for 4 hours. She has been offered grain, but won't touch it. I thought milk fever and ketosis too. Seems you can never find the problem to match the symptoms when you're panicking to find out what's wrong. Wish I could find a really good goat handbook. I'll add corn syrup to the molasses and water and CMPK. Poor thing is getting afraid of me because I'm either drenching her, or taking her temp, or poking her with a shot.

Will her milk production increase providing she recovers?

Thanks again
Sandra

GoldenWood Farm · #11 04/12/13, 01:35 PM

If this was my doe I would also be giving her Vit. B Complex shots once if not twice a day. Does she have any muscle tremors? Did she perk up after you got sugar into her? If she has ketosis I would be giving her 30cc's of a mixture that is 2 parts Karo syrup and 1 part molasses every 3 hours until she stabilizes. I am going through a bout of pregnancy toxemia (ketosis) in my pregnant doe right now and I am still giving her the mixture every three hours until she kids (even through the night).

As far as her scouring I tried using pumpkin on a doe who was scouring and it DID help. I would be giving her at least 4 times a day a 1/2 cup of pumpkin (plain pumpkin in a can) to help firm up her stool. If you are worried about hydration and you can't get lactating ringers you can drench her with pedilyte. I did this with a buck who had a major fever going on who also had the runs. I drenched him with at least a gallon a day of pedilyte and sometimes it would take me 2 hours to get it down him but he pulled through.

Oh what about BOSE? Did she get her BOSE 2 weeks before kidding?

Justine

Minelson · #12 04/12/13, 02:41 PM

How do her eye membranes look? Pink? I dose Ivermectin at 1 cc per 25 lbs. And Ivermectin is not working in a lot of areas. I would suggest you get a tube of Quest horse wormer and deworm her agian. Ideally, a fecal test should be done first though. And if she has a good color red eye membrane then I'm wrong and skip it. If you do end up doing the Quest it's 1 cc per 100 lbs. You have to be more careful with the dosage of Quest than Ivermectin. Be careful not to overdose.
Sending healing vibes to your doe!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~> please keep us posted

Backfourty,MI. · #13 04/13/13, 03:58 PM

Give her some pepto Bismol or Kaolin Pectolin to help with the diarrhea.
Also goats do much better when given wormers orally. I know it's an injectible, give it to her again only orally.
Below is a link for wormers & dosages.

http://www.dairygoatinfo.com/f28/worms-wormers-21389/

Keep up on the antibiotics for at least 5 days, 7 would be better. Also the CMPK, Vitamin B Complex.

Minelson · #14 04/13/13, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Backfourty,MI.

Give her some pepto Bismol or Kaolin Pectolin to help with the diarrhea.
Also goats do much better when given wormers orally. I know it's an injectible, give it to her again only orally.
Below is a link for wormers & dosages.

http://www.dairygoatinfo.com/f28/worms-wormers-21389/

Keep up on the antibiotics for at least 5 days, 7 would be better. Also the CMPK, Vitamin B Complex.

She did give the wormer orally Katie....I just hope it was enough and/or is still working in her area.

punchiepal · #15 04/13/13, 04:17 PM

After reading that molasses and pro. glychol (nutri-drench) affects rumens I really try to watch giving these products. PG burns going down. It is the same stuff in Mio. My dd got some on her hand and licked it off. YUCK! She said she will never offer anything like that to our animals!
We moved an old saanen doe here last weekend and she gave up eating Tues with 2 -2 wk bucks on her and she is skinny. We gave B complex, baking soda, and brewers yeast. Offered alfalfa pellets (no grain till tummy is better), hay, and straw. For some reason my goats love oat straw when they are down. Happy to say she is eating after 2 doses of B and looks good. Antibiotics for 5-7 days with the fever though. Banamine will also bring down the fever and calm her gut.

BethW · #16 04/13/13, 05:05 PM

Sandra, where in VA are you? We're in central VA and have a very good goat vet who will travel quite a ways to get to you. Her name is BJ Campbell, phone number is (804) 883-5822.

ssmeester · #17 04/13/13, 09:16 PM

Hi Everyone,

Well, today my doe has made an amazing recovery!! She was actually out in the pasture eating grass! WooHoo!

I gave another 6 cc of Biomycin, drenched her with Fir Meadows "Better Days" mixed with some molasses and Karo, gave her a good back end wash down. Poor girl was quite a mess. Stools are firming up. YEA. She ate some grain mixed with chicken scratch which she enjoyed. I don't give them scratch grains cause I read corn can make them fat, but at this point having a fat goat would be a good thing.

But the best news was watching her graze with my other FF. She is still not producing milk, although her kids are "nursing" I doubt they are getting anything. They both are now drinking from the bottle which was a major feat into itself.

I still don't understand exactly what happened. So I don't know how to prevent it from happening again. That's the frustrating part.

Thank you for all of your prayers and good vibes and healing thoughts. I know that is what made the difference. I really didn't think she was going to pull through.

Blessings,
Sandra

PS I'm in VERY southern VA, almost to the NC line, between Clarksville and Boydton, near Kerr Lake (aka Buggs Island Lake)

chickenista · #18 04/14/13, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BethW

Sandra, where in VA are you? We're in central VA and have a very good goat vet who will travel quite a ways to get to you. Her name is BJ Campbell, phone number is (804) 883-5822.

Wow!!
I love BJ Campbell. She is truly awesome!
I worked with her many, many years ago at King's Dominion. (where I started with my zookeeping)
I have never seen a more intuitive, professional and caring vet.
And she made me hold a lion's brain!

Minelson · #19 04/14/13, 09:06 AM

SO happy your Doe is better!!

Alice In TX/MO · #20 04/14/13, 09:13 AM

The very skinny part is ketosis. (I know this now after failing to recognize it last year.)

Read the thread I started on that.