Bo-Se dosage please

The entire story.

Triplets were disbudded on the 24th.  Of course it was awful to see their pretty little heads as it always is.  Everything around here was fine, lots of jumping, hopping, running, etc.  Then Monday afternoon (the 28th), my littlest/youngest one was very lethargic and really seemed not to be doing well; she had been fine that morning.  Because she kept going to the baking soda and kelp, I thought perhaps she might have eaten something bad though I have no idea what it could have been.  Because she started not continuing to gain weight (the two littlest/youngest have always been within 3 ounces of each with switching who is heavier), I started trying to give her milk.  No bottle for her so it was the syringe as well as putting mom on the milkstand for baby to eat from her; continued the syringe because I have no idea how much she is getting from mom.  Baby's weight has not changed in the last week (up an ounce or two and down an ounce or two but switching back).

Saturday night, when I took out their evening warm water, baby was bleeding profusely from her left bud, have no idea how long it had been bleeding.  Took her inside, tried to stop flow but not successful.  A friend (angel!) came with cayenne to put on the wound (I had tossed mine because it was so old, dumb) but it wasn't helping.  We called the vet (two actually) who said all we could do is put pressure on it to stop the bleeding and then bandage it and there was nothing else to do except give her a transfusion if she lost too much blood.  Somehow we managed to get this sweet little 6-pound goat bandaged, looking like a head surgery patient.  Because I wanted to be sure she was warm (and not go into shock) and did not get moved out by her sisters, I took her to bed with me.  First I thought that was really bizarre then realized it really was no different than a cat or dog on the bed.  I had a custard cup with water in it so she would have water any time she wanted it.  I woke up several times to her taking a drink from it - probably saved her from being dehydrated.

I finally was able to get her to take as much as an ounce from the bottle (I think) in addition to whatever she managed to get from mom.  However, today, I decided to take her to the vet to check the wound and put on a new bandage.  Turns out she had an infection from the disbudding and that also caused the scab to come off.  Apparently, it is not uncommon.  So the infection is why she was out of sorts so the wound turned out to be a blessing but it was not Saturday evening!

I asked the vet about BoSe; she said it was needed for each of the babies after birth in our area.  She sent it home with me (my son can give the shots) and said the dosage was in the directions.  It is, but not for goats!  So, how much do we give a 6-pound goat and their older sister who is likely 10 or 11 pounds by now (my scale no longer weighs her and she was 3 pounds heavier then the younger ones last time I could weigh her).

Good news about this little sweetie is that she is actually in good condition, not dehydrated, good muscle tone, etc., though a bit on the light side this week.

Sooooo . . . . how much Bo-Se for an injection?  She said to give it via injection, not orally.  Also, does the injection go into the neck tissue?  (I trust answer from here rather than other search results!)

Babys-Injury-2014-0504.jpg

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  • One of my doelings itched her disbudded bud and started up the bleeding. My homeopathic vet - when I called him in a panic - said Arnica and hold pressure.  Local vet said pressure and put flour on it. She was willing to come back and re-cauterize it but said first try the pressure and flour.

    I gave the arnica to her, held pressure for a few moments and had to run home (1 mile by car) to get the flour. By the time I was back - the blood pretty much stopped. The flour wasn't needed although I made her look like a baking experiment gone wrong anyhow. It was fine since then.

    My homeopathic vets words actually were for bleeding head wound  - "arnica, arnica, arnica".  I think of arnica as something for bumps and bruises but now I learned more.

    I'm ready for my newest triplets tomorrow - have the arnica all set.  And the flour, gauze for holding pressure, Staples Easy button, etc.  First twins disbudding a no brainer - so I expect this disbudding to be the same.

  • We've done that. It also kills germs.

    Rachel Whetzel at MigMog Acres said:

    Obviously, you've stopped the bleeding now, and this isn't a solution you need to try, but for anyone reading this in the future:

    If you need to stop bleeding on a dis budding site, you can re burn the area to cauterize the wound again. I think that's what I would have tried. It wouldn't have been fun, but it should have worked. 

  • Obviously, you've stopped the bleeding now, and this isn't a solution you need to try, but for anyone reading this in the future:

    If you need to stop bleeding on a dis budding site, you can re burn the area to cauterize the wound again. I think that's what I would have tried. It wouldn't have been fun, but it should have worked. 

  • I'm highly suspicious of a vet telling you that the dosage is on the bottle -- especially when it isn't. I have never given BoSe to newborns because early in my goat days I had a buck reserved, and he and one of his sisters both died following BoSe shots. They had been born perfectly healthy. My philosophy has always been that healthy, well-nourished does do not give birth to kids that have nutritional deficiencies. Also, the idea of giving an injection to a kid that small freaks me out because I'd be worried about hitting a nerve. I haven't given a dose to an adult in a few years, but as I recall, it was IM, and I gave it in the back of the hind leg. Some people, however, say that you can give all goat shots sub-q.

    When we had two kids born via c-section a few years ago at U of I, they gave each kid .1 cc of BoSe -- that is point-1, as in 1/10 of a cc. You need a diabetic syringe to give a dose that small. 

    Since we've never had a kid with an infected disbudding site (400 and counting), I wouldn't say that it's common. The thing about vets is that they don't see many healthy goats. People only bring them in when they're sick, in most cases.

    I have always been told by every vet I have ever spoken with that you should not bandage livestock wounds. The only time I ever had any livestock wound get infected was a pig who had a cut foot, and I bandaged it. Wounds should always be allowed to "drain," as they say.

  • Hoping Deb sees this soon... I feel like she'll have something to say about the BoSe, but I don't know what to tell you. :) 

  • Hi Glenna,

    I have a freind breeder who has Nubians.  Just yesterday she was saying that she'd given one of her new babies 1/4cc of bose.  She had that written down as the proper goat dosage from somewhere.  Not sure if that's helpful or not, and hope someone else will have a more complete answer for you.

  • Glenna I can't answer about the Bose (hopefully someone will but you could ask your vet to figure it for you), but I wanted to tell you, I had a pretty serious bleed on one of my doelings after disbudding her (not apparent immediately). I couldn't get it stopped even after pressure for a long time. I got some Blood Stop at the drug store and put a whole packet on it and held a cotton ball to it and that did stop it! The next day and ever since, she's had sort of a pussy looking dry scab on it but the BS is sterile so it sealed it well and formed a scab. Now I will never be without this stuff in my medicine arsenal!

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