# i think my baby goat is dying... can i save him??



## happyladybug (Dec 28, 2005)

my la mancha doe had triplets on july 25th in the afternoon.... all three bucklings are cute as can be - two have floppy ears and one with la mancha ears.. any way - the runt of the litter - had the weakest back legs from the get go... bending the wrong way - but would get up to nurse... i don't know 
how many times he actually nursed the first afternoon - at least a couple times... and i watched him nurse yesterday morning before i came to work.. when i checked on him at noon - he was napping along with his brothers.. when i came home after work - at 4:00 - i held him up to the udder to make sure he ate and he eat he did... i expected this morning to see a chipper little goat - like his brothers - but instead he was laid out - legs outstretched in the straw - and he won't nurse.. tried with a pritchard nipple -but he won't suck - i held the goat and the bottle and my husband squeezed his jaw to try to get him to suck.. he didn't - but he did swallow some milk.. 

what else can i do.. i don't have bose - and no vet around.. - can i put the 
horse selenium on his tongue and let it dissolve.. should i give him a vitamin b shot and how much?? he's very tiny.. all legs... 

his two brothers are doing great - - 

please help..


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## full sun (Aug 6, 2005)

I had this happen to me last month. I had triplets. They were early and small. It was my first time. So the learning curve was straight up... I lost one by the second day. Another one I took to the vet. The vet said he needed calories. The easiest thing to try is to get a syringe and put in it a solution of 50/50 water and sugar. Over the course of about 15 minutes, squirt a little at a time into his mouth until the syringe is empty. See if that helps. *The important thing here is to keep his head level when you drench him*. If you lift his head back like when he nurses, the solution will go down his trachia and he will die of pnuemonia.

Good luck. I am crossing my fingers for the little guy.

Jennifer


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## moosemaniac (Mar 7, 2003)

You can give Vit. B orally. Nasty tasting, but it works.
Keep him close by 24/7 and keep us posted! Good luck.

Ruth


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## happyladybug (Dec 28, 2005)

will the vitamin b help?? and is it possible to overdose??


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## mammawof3 (Jan 31, 2004)

Have you got any goat nutidrench?--good stuff for quick nutrition--good idea to have on hand, then give each baby a squirt soon after birth. So, do you think that he hasn't ate since yesterday afternoon? You can always tube him-not hard to do-just scary the first few times. If he is so far gone, that he is limp and not responding-you won't have alot of options for getting nutrition in him. Other than tubing- If he is still holding his head up-can still stand-then i would try the syringe w/karo syrup-molasses-and black coffee--gives them quick jump start to get blood sugar levels back up-even just a little spoon on molasses on his tongue as long as he is swollowing. Is there any possibility that he just isn't hungry-or is he "acting" like he is on his way out? There is always the posibilty that he was born w/defect of some sort-and nothing you can help.What is his temp-if it is low, he is limp and crying like in pain-turning his head to the side-he needs blood sugar raised fast.(very near death)..am hoping it is not that far! I would do the nutidrench b-4 the sugar-if you have it.After you get his sugar up, he should come around and start acting interested in eating-then i would keep trying the pritchard teat till i got several ounces of milk down him--you may need to bottle feed this one-to insure he gets enough.Good luck!


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## moosemaniac (Mar 7, 2003)

Vitamin B might help with his appetite. Giving it orally reduces the risk of whatever the heck they call it when they have an allergic reaction to the injection.

I'm not sure about overdosing. I'll check and BRB.

Ruth


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## moosemaniac (Mar 7, 2003)

Vitamin B (Thiamine)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Product Description: This is an injectable solution containing the various types of vitamin B.

Indications for Use: This product can be used as an appetite stimulant in an animal that has gone off feed.

Not approved for use in goats. Refer to extra-label drug use.

Dosage and Administration: Give 5 mLs intramuscularly (IM) per 100 lbs. of body weight. Doses may vary depending on the product.

Packaging: Vitamin B comes in 100 and 250 mL bottles. Each mL of this product contains 12.5 mg of thiamine and other types of vitamin B.

Storage: Keep this product at room temperature and store in the dark.

Precautions and Side Effects: Allergic reactions are a possibility.

Meat Withholding: None when used at the appropriate doses in sheep.


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## Milking Mom (Oct 2, 2004)

Milk the goat out or use regular whole bought store milk about 4 ounces and tube feed him. You can buy these from the vet. Or you can order then from Jeffers or some online store for future use just to have on hand. It needs to be done quickly they go down hill very fast if they are not getting nutrition. In the first bottle you can substitute 1 ounce of the milk for some very strong black coffee. In about 2 hours tube feed him again with 4 ounces of milk. If you do not have anything to tube feed the baby with you can in a pinch use the clear plastic hose off a fish aquarium that is attached to the filter. It needs to be about 10 inches long. stick it on the end of a large 60 cc syringe. Lay the baby flat on his belly on the kitchen table with his head outstretched towards you insert the feeding tube to his left. It is easier to insert if it is a little wet. If the baby is still crying comfortably and not coughing and carrying on are pretty sure to have it in his stomach and not his lungs. Then attach the full syringe of milk and squeeze it gently into his tummy. When I say 4 ounces of milk I am thinking Alpine baby about 5 or 6 pounds. If he is smaller than that 2 ounces every couple of hours may work until he is strong enough to suck from a bottle. If you have a Tractor Supply Company they might have one and get some Goat Nutra Drench to give to him for some energy.


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## mammawof3 (Jan 31, 2004)

Milking Mom said:


> Milk the goat out or use regular whole bought store milk about 4 ounces and tube feed him. You can buy these from the vet. Or you can order then from Jeffers or some online store for future use just to have on hand. It needs to be done quickly they go down hill very fast if they are not getting nutrition. In the first bottle you can substitute 1 ounce of the milk for some very strong black coffee. In about 2 hours tube feed him again with 4 ounces of milk. If you do not have anything to tube feed the baby with you can in a pinch use the clear plastic hose off a fish aquarium that is attached to the filter. It needs to be about 10 inches long. stick it on the end of a large 60 cc syringe. Lay the baby flat on his belly on the kitchen table with his head outstretched towards you insert the feeding tube to his left. It is easier to insert if it is a little wet. If the baby is still crying comfortably and not coughing and carrying on are pretty sure to have it in his stomach and not his lungs. Then attach the full syringe of milk and squeeze it gently into his tummy. When I say 4 ounces of milk I am thinking Alpine baby about 5 or 6 pounds. If he is smaller than that 2 ounces every couple of hours may work until he is strong enough to suck from a bottle. If you have a Tractor Supply Company they might have one and get some Goat Nutra Drench to give to him for some energy.


Also a good idea, b-4 you feed the milk-put the end of the tube into a glass of water-if you see bubbles you are in the lungs-then after you feed the milk-pinch off the tube b-4 slowly pulling it back out, so no milk dribbles into lungs on way back out.


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## Patty0315 (Feb 1, 2004)

This sounds like sel/ vit e problem. You must have both given together. I in a pinch have ground up pills added red cell and a bit of water and given it orally. I would continue for a few days and give it to all of the babies and Mama


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## moonspinner (Jul 2, 2002)

It might be this little guy isn't strong enought to survive. I've had a few of these tiny ones out of trips/quads and they've lived a few days, looked hopeful but ultimately were too weak to make it. BoSe would definitely be in order here. Don't know how the horse selenium matches up but if it's all you have in an emergency I think I'd try it. Better do it quicky though.


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## chamoisee (May 15, 2005)

*Floppy Kid Syndrome* 

Get some baking soda into him just as fast as you can. Put half a teaspoon on his tongue, and repeat later on in the day. Do this at least once a day until he recovers. In the meantime, you are going to have to get milk into him, because he is too weak to nurse. If you can keep him fed, he shoudl recover. 

I have had a LOT of floppy kids over the years, whether or not I used the Bo-Se (which isn't to say that Bo-Se isn't good, it just isn't the fix in this case). The key to saving them is to get them the baking soda ASAP, before they go downhill too quickly. If they're still attempting to stand up, they have a pretty good chance of recovery. At any rate, the solution is as cheap and readily available as you could ask for.


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