where can I find glucose? Nutridrench safe?

[outofmire]

I'm trying to get my kidding supplies together. My goat vet book says to give glucose to weak kids. I know some people use nutridrench, but is there also a source of pure glucose around? If not, is nutridrench natural? What is it made of?

Thanks,
Shae

[Thumper/inOkla.]

Hi Shea, I have used nutridrench and like it very much it is just vitamins and minerals all in one, one of my CAE poss does nearly sucked the pump on the bottle like a straw she was so depelted of vit. and min. she showed inprovement within a few days of being on a highly suppimented diet, for the glucose, sugar water will work
warmed like a baby bottle, corn syrup is often used too, some of the cheaper bags of sugar will list glucose on the lable too.

[outofmire]

Thanks Thumper. I guess goat suppliers don't sell just plain old glucose anyway do they.

[Dream Acres Va]

White corn syrup. Honey. Molasses (we give are does some of this with warm water after kiddings - yummy - they love it). Nutri-drench (and there is one specifically for bucks).

Caprine Supply is a great place to buy stuff for kidding season. (it's on the internet).

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

If a kid is too weak to nurse than it is too weak to take anything by mouth. So if you are going to tube feed something, why not tube feed colostrum? High in energy (and not the quick energy with the plumet of blood sugar like simple sugars), high in fat, high in calories, a laxative effect to get the bowles moving and it contains immunity for the kid. If a kid is dehydrated than use lactated ringers given under the skin. I don't think you should waste this tiny tummy size giving it sugar water. A kid can not regulate it's body temp with coffee, sugar, glucose or electrolytes in it's tummy.

My babies act like Nutra Drench is posion, hacking and coughing, no wonder it is all propolyn glycol with a few vitamins and minerals added. You would have to give an infant kid 1 ounce, 30 cc of it to even give it it's daily allowance of E. Vicki

[outofmire]

I didn't realize nutri-drench had propylene glycol??? I'm trying to steer clear of that stuff if I can help it. Hmm...well, what do you do if the kid is nearly comatose? Colostrum won't do any good in that case, I've heard. Fiasco Farms lady (molly is it?) says to give a little black coffee to jump start a weak kid so that you can get colostrum in it. Coffee doesn't sound like a great idea to me, which is why I was leaning towards having some kind of glucose on hand.

I guess it's looking more and more like prevention is the best medicine. Maybe I should start a new thread on that topic, but what's the best way to prevent having weak kids? I've heard it's related to winter kiddings and also selenium/vit E deficiencies. That true?

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

There are few to no comotose babies born, and when you are trying to breed healthy long lived stock, you have got to ask yourself, if the kid is worth it to put soo much into it to save it for what? Babies who are cold or chilled need to be warmed before anything is put in their tummy, and then it should be colostrum, only after they have a warm tongue. Babies who are too weak to nurse because of selenium defficiency, should be tube fed colostrum. Even premature kids should be tube fed colostrum. I honestly can't even think of a reason to use anything other than colostrum, and if you had to use a regimine of other lifesaving procedures, should the kid be allowed to live? It's one thing to have a tiny herd and spend all your time taking care of one kid. But imagine in a large herd with 30 kids born, you would not be doing your family, yourself or your herd a favor by killing yourself over one kid.

Winter kids who are not chilled at birth usually grow to be much more robust kids than those who are born in the late spring and early summer down here. Of course winter babies up north had better be tended to as soon as born. It's not my speciality, having been in snow maybe 3 times in my whole life Vicki

[outofmire]

Thanks Vicki, you put that in a way I definitely can relate to. I really do want to raise my goats naturally and breed for health first and foremost. I agree with you about the colostrum.

[DrippingSprings]

I have used glucose like my son has for his diabetis. It is in tablet as well as paste form and can be bought cheaply at wal mart. its in the diabetic supplies and the paste looks like cake icing in a toothpaste tube. The tablets look like large sourtarts. Glucose with several flavors.