Pregnant Pygmy

[AmberHerr]

So thrilled to finally join a group to be able to ask questions, and get advice. We have a pygmy little girl, whom is 8-9 months old. I am starting to think shes bred. I know bad me for pinning the male and females together, I just learned they should not be pinned together, and am working on a second pin for the male. However, I am left with this little girl, thinking shes pregnant. She seems rather tiny to me in general (body size and such) so I am kind of worried about her being bred so early. I know yall like to have pics of their girlie bits, to help aid in the "is she pregnant talk" so I will include them. I am fully unaware as to when she would have bred, but I did witness a successful "attempt" if you will around 2 months ago, but our male is always after the females, so I did not think much of it. Ive had a few people tell me I need to take her to have an abortion, is that the case? The buck is also a pygmy, on the small side also.

[Pony]

No one is going to come down on you for pen-sharing. There's a learning curve with everything in life, and goats are no exception. Heck, goats probably wrote the book on exceptions!

As far as whether your doeling is pregnant, there's really no way to tell at this point, other than drawing blood and sending it off to biotracking. Checking girl-parts is for later, when we're trying to decide when the doe is going to kid.

If you've never drawn blood before, it is really easy-peasy (despite what some folks will say). Here's a link showing a little girl doing a blood draw. Really, it's not rocket surgery!

http://www.boergoats.com/clean/articleads.php?art=64

[Pony]

p.s. Welcome aboard!

[anita_fc]

Yes, welcome!

Depending on which is easier, an ultrasound is also an option to determine pregnancy. If done soon enough, the vet can also determine how many babies. Soon enough for my vet means 30 days to 6 weeks after breeding, maybe up to 60 days. After that, he says he can only determine yes/no. I don't know if that varies by vet ability and/or equipment.

If you're a newby to goats, the first most important thing you can do is get your goats on some goat-specific minerals. I am guessing mineral-deficiency from the condition of your girl's coat - the brownish cast. She looks exactly like my first goats looked before I learned to be religious about the minerals (and nutrition in general). Mineral deficiencies can really make kidding a nightmare even for older proven does. For a smaller first-freshener (FF) it can mean life or death.

Next, would be to take a fresh fecal sample to your vet for analysis to determine if she has parasites - worms and/or cocci.

I am not sure how far into pregnancy a doe can be lutalysed, but I would definitely consider terminating the pregnancy. Pygmy does have been known to conceive as early as 8 to 12 weeks of age, though your girl doesn't look to be very far along. Your observation of 2months ago is probably about right. Usually, Pygmy does are bred to kid not much earlier than 22-24 months of age due to size. I even hold the smaller does until 24-26 months to even breed for the first time. Different bloodlines develop at different rates, and some just aren't big enough to breed at 18 months.

That's all for now. There's tons more info to be had, but I don't want to overwhelm you in one post! Believe me, we've all been newbies, so don't beat yourself up about the pen situation. It's not the end of the world.

[Pony]

Thanks for reminding me, Anita, that ultrasound is an option. I don't even know if my vet does it. I'm pretty behind the times, eh?

Good point about the minerals (and a reminder to me to get the replamin out to the horde).

[Frosted Mini's]

Anita-Who is your vet, and how much do they charge for ultrasound? I would love to get my goats done some time. There is a sheep guy here in Buhl that used to do it for cheap, but he is semi-retired, not taking new people any more.

Lutalyse will end a goat's pregnancy any time after the first couple weeks post breeding all the way up till they are due--it is used to induce labor as well. I would wait 30 days after she has had exposure to the buck, draw blood and test for pregnancy (or you can do it now, but if she's less than 30 days out you may get a false negative due to hormones not being in high enough amounts). IF she is bred, then I would lute her. If not, you can just leave her be. If you witnessed her in heat, vocal wagging tail, allowing the buck to breed her, and him following her around, it's likely she is bred.

[Frosted Mini's]

Also keep in mind that giving Lutalyse will also bring a doe into heat, so if you do end up giving it, be SURE the buck cannot get to her. Also, have someone else do it if there is any remote chance you could be pregnant. And one more thing, the lute needs to go IM, not subcu. to work well.