Hi,
My doe just gave birth to triplets a few days ago and I noticed something interesting that I had not seen before. She had given birth to two and then a bubble the size and shape of a large grapefruit came next with amniotic fluid in it. After that passed, the next thing was one hoof, and this next baby had difficulty getting into position, so I had to go in and turn the head first, as the sack was already broken. How long should one wait to help if you see the sack is not in tack before you go in to help? I always panic because I don't want to lose a baby. This doe seems to need help at least on one most of the time. She has had one set of twins unassisted and 3 kiddings with.
My question is : Do you think that round sack may have been an undeveloped 4th kid? Or one where the baby was absorbed? Does that happen? After all this, she did pass the placenta and all was well.
Replies
Bad positioning will definitely be more reason to help than a sack that had broken. Things go a lot better when everything is pointed in the right direction!! lol Congrats on your babies, by the way. :)
Thank you everyone. I will definitely be less stressed about waiting next time. I do think that the third was not going to come out without help, though. The head was not forward.
I agree with Rachel and Margaret on the sac. There are all sorts of bubbles that show up in kidding, and I actually haven't given it much thought before your post. I've actually had more than one doe have quads and then scare me into thinking she was having a fifth one when she passes a bubble of fluid the size of a grapefruit. Those are the ones I really remember because I'm always so relieved when it is only fluid!
There is no reason that you need to help if the sac has popped. It's not any different than water breaking with a human. Maybe you're thinking of the umbilical cord? As long as the baby is attached to the cord, they're fine, because that's their lifeline. I don't see a connection between water breaking and malpresentation of a kid. There isn't any reason you have to rush to get a kid out as long as the umbilical cord is attached, and if the kid is inside, you can usually assume the cord is attached. We once chased a yearling ewe around the pasture for 45 minutes with a lamb's head sticking out her back end. When we finally caught her and got the lamb out, it was totally fine! Another time we took a doe to the vet after about 30 minutes of trying to get it out, and then it took an hour to get to the vet, and then the vet took another 15 minutes to get it out, and it was totally fine. Perfectly healthy babies can survive the birth process just fine -- even a traumatic birth process. Typically dead kids at birth have been dead for awhile, which you know because the skin is very thin and easily torn, and the hair can be rubbed off.
I was thinking exactly the same thing, Rachel. It sounds like the sack belonged to the third kid. I really would have assumed that from what you have described and wouldn't worry about that part. Although I have heard of people having a fluid sac develop with no fetal development so that would probably be a possibility too of course. Most likely if that 3rd kid had a broken sac then it was probably just that kids sac.
Is it possible the sack was part of the third birth? Since you say it's sack was broken, I'm inclined to think somehow that might be the case?