Need help with a sick doe!

I have a first freshener, due 4/14, I noticed stopped eating 2 nights ago, she had a temp of 104.7. Started antibiotics, gave selenium paste, she had selenium and copper 2 weeks prior, dewormed and gave probiotics. Set a camera and watched her through the night, by morning she was acting like she was going to kid, pawing, licking, yawning, very uncomfortable. She has zero milk. The other does started harrassing her so moved her to a pen by herself. She nibbles on grain, hay, Timothy pellets and apples, but just handfuls at a time. She's been grinding her teeth and shaking on and off. She's under a heat lamp, though it's 40-50 degrees here. Gave some b complex this am. Ive only seen her lick water and I've been offering warm and with apple cider vinegar. We have had a horrible week and have 2 dogs hospitalized at the vet, so no extra funds to work with. What else can we do for her? If she doesn't start drinking soon I'll try syringing warm water to her.

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  • Sounds like she just needs palliative care at this point, and you're doing a great job. So glad she's improving!

    When it's cold out, my goats seem to really love warm water, but beyond that, sounds like you've tried all sorts of thing. 

  • Ok great I'll see if I can get some! I think she may have finally turned the corner, I thought for sure I was going to lose her. I started syringing a half gallon of water to her throughout the day in small increments and her appetite picked up. She seems to be feeling better, no more shaking or grinding her teeth. We've seen and felt a kid move on one side and she did start to get some milk yesterday. She has only drank on her own once so far, hopefully she keeps going or I'll syringe her more water. Still have no idea what caused an infection, but it's responding to the antibiotics! Any suggestions on things to add to water that she might like? I've tried apple cider vinegar, molasses, electrolytes, apple juice....I offer her warm water every few hours...she eats a little fruit/vegetables and a little grass/ dandelions, no interest in mash or anything else with moisture...
  • The sub-q fluids are what would be used for an IV in humans, so you have to get them from a vet. If you call your vet and tell him/her what's happening, they might let you pick them up. They're cheap, and it's super easy to use them. You just place the needle under their skin and adjust the speed so that the bubble never gets bigger than a quarter as their body absorbs the fluids.

    My pregnant does go through about a gallon of water a day.

  • What is it you give sub q for fluids? Is it something a feed store might carry? Or that I could pick up from the vet? Thankfully both dogs were discharged tonight, so we have a tiny bit of money to work with, but I know a farm/ exam call would eat up a good chunk :(

    How much water should a dry pregnant doe consume? I syringe as much as i can into her before she really starts to fight, but the most I've gotten in her in one shot is 4oz, and she immediately starts eating after I give her some water. She won't eat any sort of soaked mash, and very little grass/ dandelion blackberry leaves. There isn't much else growing yet :(

    I had no idea about the mineral oil!!! Luckily I didn't give her much!! Didn't think of cooking oil! She's totally puzzling me, I've never seen anything like her symptoms! Sometimes I wonder if she shakes from pain? But this am her ears and nose were cold and when I put a lamp up she stopped. At this point she's so puzzling I'm not even sure what a vet would do since she's responding to the antibiotics....just somehow have to get her drinking!
  • That's great that her temp is down! You may just need to keep giving her plenty of water and keep her eating at this point. Too bad you don't have any fluids that you could give her sub-q. That one cheap thing that I like to keep on hand for situations like this. 

    I would NOT give her mineral oil. That's a petroleum product and is just not something that any living creature should be consuming, even though I know that some people use it. It would only be used for bloat (although I use cooking oil for that), and based on everything you've said, she does not have bloat. A fever of 104 indicates some type of infection.

    Let us know how she does.

  • She is responding to the antibiotics, she's down to 102.4, but still barely eating and not drinking on her own. I started syringing water, electrolytes and some mineral oil and she starts eating right after, but still won't drink on her own. I've tried mixing all sorts of stuff in water and she still has no interest :(
  • With a temp that high, it definitely sounds like some type of infection. Grinding teeth means she is in pain, but they don't do that during labor. The only time I've ever seen adult does shiver is when they're in labor when it's below zero, so that doesn't sound right either. She definitely needs water, so getting that into her is important, but if she's not responding to antibiotics, I'd call the vet. This sounds complicated.

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