Doe with ketosis

Alice In TX/MO · #1 04/13/13, 09:39 PM

It's my fault. I admit that. Orange is eleven years old, and she struggled a bit with her pregnancy last year. However, she recovered nicely, and she was healthy, in heat, and flirting with the bucks, and I caved in to her insistence and let her get frisky last fall. Darn it. And, what with the varieties of chaos going on at the time, I don't have an exact breeding date.

Now, she has ketosis. Her udder and vulva are swollen with edema, and she obviously does not feel well. She has lost weight.

I found ketosis test strips at Wal Mart and tested her yesterday to confirm the suspicions I'd had for a week or so. OFF THE CHARTS ketosis.

For the last few days, she had been taking CMPK supplements via a drench gun, and, fortunately, she thinks it is yummy. On Yarrow's advice, I started Orange on a high carbohydrate diet. She's getting Fritos, crackers, oak leaves, and (this evening) a molasses sandwich. She is also getting "Magic" which is molasses, corn syrup, and corn oil. This gives her instant usable energy, so that she doesn't continue to digest her own fat and muscle to support life and kids. I'm giving her a SMALL amount of the grain mix that the other goats get.

She had become less and less active over the last couple of weeks. After starting treating for ketosis, she is improving. This evening, when I went to the milk house/goat yard, she was on her feet in a browse area that I have for them.

After a good phone consult with Yarrow, I'm thinking that these old does just have trouble with their metabolisms. Hopefully, I can get her through the last few days of this pregnancy and get one last set of kids. She will be the herd queen (UNBRED) for as long as she wants to stay with us after that.

THANK YOU, YARROW, for taking the time this afternoon to advise me.

yarrow · #2 04/13/13, 09:59 PM

I have all my fingers & toes crossed that you can keep her stable until the kids are well baked.. (I just came in a hour or so ago from kidding out Eve.. whose mother was also an old lady... who I fought and fought to keep her going until time to induce her.. Eve was the sole survivor of a set of triplets.. Eve just had really nice twin DOESLINGS..-both are black & white with full white belts.. one has a few BIG moon spots.).. super easy birth.. I see their grand dam in them both!!!... I think you should get to see Orange live on via her kids & grandkids.. one more time.. so.. like we talked about.. one day at a time.. keep her eating and drinking and I think you may well be able to get her to the finish line with live kids!..

call anytime you need to/want to talk.. brainstorming with someone else always works better for me, when it's a tricky case
susie

GoldenWood Farm · #3 04/13/13, 10:36 PM

I will be praying for her Alice! I was worried because I knew you had called Susie (I was on the phone with her as well) and I hadn't seen a posting about it.

Susie SO glad Eve kidded with does

. Send some vibes over to poor Penny!

Justine

Ford Zoo · #4 04/13/13, 11:18 PM

Good luck to you Alice. I went thru that for the first time last year and didn't know the breed date either. If it hadn't been for the great people here, I would have lost my Betty as I had never even heard of ketosis.

Your Orange is in great hands with you! May you see precious little kids soon!

Backfourty,MI. · #5 04/14/13, 06:00 AM

Keeping you & Orange in my thoughts Alice. I know the 2 of you can do it & she's going to give you healthy babies!
Congratulations on your new healthy girls too Susie!

Sherry in Iowa · #6 04/14/13, 07:23 AM

Hoping all goes well for Orange and the babes.

IndyGardenGal · #7 04/14/13, 08:46 AM

Good luck! It's great to have a goat community you can count on to help in a tough situation.

Minelson · #8 04/14/13, 08:56 AM

Sending Orange healing vibes! If anyone can get her through this it's you Alice

"SPIKE" · #9 04/14/13, 09:12 AM

Educate me about the test strip. Is it something in a pet area?

Sending good vibes to Ms Orange.
How about a picture of her?

Some days I am not sure how we keep any of these goats healthy!

SPIKE

mammabooh · #10 04/14/13, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by "SPIKE"

Educate me about the test strip. Is it something in a pet area?
SPIKE

There are ketone strips in the diabetic area of the drug store. I got a pack of 50 of them for something like $7.50 at CVS. There was a spot for them at Walmart, but they were sold out.

Alice, I hope Orange is just fine and has healthy babies!

Alice In TX/MO · #11 04/14/13, 09:22 AM

The keto strips are in the diabetic section of Wal Mart's drug store. Link to pic of box to make it easier to locate.http://www.walmart.com/ip/13037592?w...l5=pla&veh=sem
They are for human use. The tricky part is getting a sample of urine.

I've heard that some folks use a can on a stick and put the can in the stream of urine as the doe squats to pee. I just dipped the sensor end in the drop of pee that was hanging after she was finished.

Here's Orange this morning. She is trying very hard to ignore me as I whistle and snap my fingers to get her to look toward the camera. NOT happening.

She's feeling better today. Up on her feet and very slightly less edema in her udder and vulva.

Alice In TX/MO · #12 04/14/13, 09:28 AM

This morning, she ate a bit of the feed the others goats have, a molasses/bread sandwich, five saltine crackers, drench of CMPK, drench of "Magic", two squirts of my multi-B liquid supplement. http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Bounty.../dp/B001G7QPC8

In mid morning, I'll take her a bowl of cooked oatmeal with sugar or honey on it. Yarrow suggested this for more carbs. I'm thinking of top dressing it with a bit of homemade yogurt, too.

She has gotten suspicious of peanut butter, as I've hidden too many meds in peanut butter crackers.

"SPIKE" · #13 04/14/13, 09:41 AM

She is a very lovely older lady goat.
Glad she is feeling better today.

SPIKE

bknthesdle · #14 04/14/13, 09:55 AM

I sure hope Orange pulls through and she and her babies make it!!! Please keep us posted.

Can you share the Magic recipe amounts?

GoldenWood Farm · #15 04/14/13, 09:59 AM

Oh she is beautiful Alice

. The look on her face though is the EXACT same one I have been getting from Rhapsody. I am NOT Rhapsody's favorite person to see right now

.

I am SO glad Orange is doing better for you, I have decided pregnancy toxemia/ketosis is one SCARY thing for a doe to have. Still praying for you both!

Justine

Alice In TX/MO · #16 04/14/13, 10:25 AM

A quick google search yielded a variety of recipes for Magic. Here's the ones I found. Looks like you can start with what you have on hand and tweak it a bit. (It is homemade Nutri-Drench without the nasty propylene glycol.)

1 part corn syrup, 1 part molasses, 1 part corn oil. MUST BE CORN OIL.

2 parts corn syrup, 2 parts molasses, 1 part corn oil.

2 parts corn syrup, 1 part molasses, 1 part corn oil.

I'm adding the liquid B Vitamins to mine.

Here's a link to a website with that recipe, PLUS a recipe for something called Revive, that is sort of CMPK, but doesn't have everything that CMPK has.
http://www.msmga.us/revive_magic.html

I also found a youtube video about a magic goat that cures alcohol over indulgence, but that was pretty icky, as it has young people throwing up and calling for the goat.

Pony · #17 04/14/13, 12:47 PM

I am SO glad that Lady Orange is doing better, and praying for the absolute best for her and her kids!

Thanks so much for sharing your ketosis experience, Alice.

Minelson · #18 04/14/13, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

I also found a youtube video about a magic goat that cures alcohol over indulgence, but that was pretty icky, as it has young people throwing up and calling for the goat.

That sounds sick!