Well the good news is Piper had two little doling under a full moon and it all went well. Today she is not eating...and seems weak...the does are doing fine. I called my vet and she said give her calcium ground up in molasses...I didn't have but I had a nice herbal supplement with horsetail and other herbs which she ate some of...not much...should I worry ...I am freaking a little cause she has always been a great eater and supper sturdy on her feet (now if I gently push her hind quarters she seems about to fall over?)...She is eat some forage from the yard but not much...please someone tell me I am just being an over protective first time goat mama....
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thanks Deb...she is eating a little .... and I listened to her chest no rattling and no fever...I guess she will get back on her feed when she is ready....she looks stronger ...she is eating her alfalfa and the browse (bushes and shrubs I give her ...all her regular diet and none are a no no.....)her babies are thriving and got out for a little romp to day in the bigger pasture...
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Piper doing better...she is eating a little so I am not going to worry....she is eating alfalfa some and a little feed...and her babies look good...so I guess I am in the clear...she seems stronger...she didn't want any molasses this morning but I gave her a handful of rasins and that was a big hit....
Are you absolutely sure she's not eating? I'm scratching my head on this one. I've never had a goat go three days without eating normally after kidding. In fact, the only goat I've had who lost her appetite after kidding stopped eating the day after kidding and was dead two days after that. A necropsy showed that she had both pneumonia and mastitis, even though her udder was not hard or lumpy and she was no coughing or showing any signs of respiratory problems. She just wasn't eating. The vet said that adults can have pneumonia without any outward signs, so the only other thing I can think of is to try to listen to her chest or her throat. Years ago when I was still quite new to goat, I had a buck that was down, and for whatever reason, I thought to stick my ear up to his throat, and his breathing sounded really gurgly. I gave him a tetracycline and a sulfa drug in the evening before going to bed, and in the morning he was standing up and eating hay.
Let us know what happens!
Thanks Deb for info about worming....Piper is 4 yrs old and this is her second freshening. She shows no problem with her udders and she is not running a temp. She is eating her forage really good but is just picking at her feed....I did give her some molasses right after she had birthed and have offered it again (but she doesn't want it)She has fresh water, loose minerals, fresh alfalfa, lots of forage, and her feed which is a mixture of sweet cob and organic grains (same as when she was pg). So I am not sure what is up but I figure that if she doesn't start eating more today I am going to need some help.
You can get molasses at the local grocery store in the baking aisle. Blackstrap molasses is best because it has iron in it. A goat that is not eating after kidding is a very sick goat, and worms would be the last thing I'd worry about unless she is obviously anemic. (Some dewormers have warnings that they should not be given to goats that are down.) She needs calories. Generally as soon as a goat gives birth, her appetite is completely normal. Have you checked her temperature? Check her udder to make sure it is not hard, hot, and lumpy, which would be a sign of mastitis and could be fatal. This is an older first freshener, right?
Piper is finally eating but not much...her babies look fine and she is a terrific mom. She eats the browse I bring her and she ate about 1/2 cup of feed but it is so not like her...she is a huge eater...so today I am picking up some wormer. Her hind quarters are not as weak but she is sensitive on her back. I had intended to start milker her but have rethought this as I really want to see here excited about eating again and she is not.
How is Piper?
On top of the advice from Deb:
Were any of her kids large? My senior doe was VERY weak in her hind end when she birthed a set of very large twins, and it seemed to me to be related to her hips, and the stress they went through to get them out.
Check her temperature. Sounds like your vet thinks she has hypocalcemia, which would cause a low temp, but she could have an infection. Not eating could mean a lot of things, and figuring out her temp is the first step in figuring out what's up. Human calcium is not that well absorbed by goats. If you have a farm supply store nearby, you could pick up some calcium there.