I purchased and picked up a 7.5 week old ND doeling on Saturday. I had been told by the owner that she was scouring when she had the bottle, so she took her off of it, and "she is thriving." She's not. She's thin, and when I gave her 3/4 c of milk she started scouring again. She was on pasture and chaffhaye, I have Orchard grass (which she doesn't know what to do with), alfalfa pellets, which she picks at and oats. She ate some of the minimal grass that I have, but she's had oozing green poops since yesterday afternoon.
I've gotten some pedialyte down her (in a bottle), and her temperature is 104.3. Obviously, something has been going on with her before I got her, but I'm hoping I can pull her through. My attempts at a fecal were mostly inconclusive. She did have normal berries until 24 hours after the bottle. Could I have a goat that's allergic to goat milk?
I'm new to goats, though I used to run 125 head of sheep, so I'm not a complete beginner. All I know is that this little monkey is not very happy...
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Sounds like the seller was pretty new to goats and not really clued in. Assuming that a kid has diarrhea because she's getting milk is just sad. The #1 reason for scours in kids is coccidiosis. Then I'd suspect worms and/or something infectious. Have you checked her eyelids to see if she's anemic? The inside of the eyelids should be bright red or pink. If they're pale pink or white, she probably has a heavy barber pole load.
I was guessing, but I was close - she's 9.4 lbs. Now I'm really pissed. I drove 14 hours round trip and paid good $ for this doeling, and if she's never going to be big, I can't use her. I don't want to euthanize her, but I'm making artisan cheese, and chose her for her bloodlines. It's not going to be pretty when I talk to her former owner...
Dang, I'm really bummed, for her and for me. I'll try to pull her through and maybe sell her as a unbreedable pet, no registration transferred. I'm just feeling pretty lost.
Thank you for your input. Now I have to figure out what to do about it!
OMG! 8 pounds? Are you sure? My 2-month-old kids weigh 20+ pounds. If a kid weighs less than 15 pounds, I won't let them leave, regardless of age, because they still need mama's milk and all its antibodies and other nutrients. I have 2-WEEK-old kids that weigh more than 8 pounds. I can't even begin to imagine what must be wrong with her, but she probably has coccidiosis and worms, and if it's this bad, she probably has intestinal scarring and will never be able to absorb nutrients from her food properly, so will always be small and should never be bred. With the temp, I'd assume an infection too. I really hate to throw a ton of medicine at a kid, but I'm amazed she's still alive if she's only 8 pounds.
Thanks, Deborah! She was on fresh goat milk before I got her, but had been off the bottle for about 5 days, because of the scours issue. I gave store-bought rbst free pasturized whole milk. She is one of 4 doelings, but the last one to arrive. I now have a doe in milk, so can give fresh goat milk. I brought her into the house in a crate, where she's had a fair amount of electrolyte, and about 25 cc of Olive oil because she was bloaty. I have massaged her rumen (very tight and hollow-sounding), and have gotten a couple of burps. She's now devolved into very runny, olive drab poops. I have Pen-G, and some LA 200 - she weighs about 8 lbs.
A temp of 104.3 is high, so sounds like she has some sort of infection and should probably be on antibiotics for a few days. There are infectious causes of scours. Getting diarrhea 24 hours after the bottle doesn't really sound like it was the milk that caused the diarrhea. She is really too young to not be receiving milk.
What does she weigh? When did the owner take her off the bottle? What was she giving her in the bottle? Did you give her fresh goat milk, or was it pasteurized?
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Sounds like the seller was pretty new to goats and not really clued in. Assuming that a kid has diarrhea because she's getting milk is just sad. The #1 reason for scours in kids is coccidiosis. Then I'd suspect worms and/or something infectious. Have you checked her eyelids to see if she's anemic? The inside of the eyelids should be bright red or pink. If they're pale pink or white, she probably has a heavy barber pole load.
Dang, I'm really bummed, for her and for me. I'll try to pull her through and maybe sell her as a unbreedable pet, no registration transferred. I'm just feeling pretty lost.
Thank you for your input. Now I have to figure out what to do about it!
OMG! 8 pounds? Are you sure? My 2-month-old kids weigh 20+ pounds. If a kid weighs less than 15 pounds, I won't let them leave, regardless of age, because they still need mama's milk and all its antibodies and other nutrients. I have 2-WEEK-old kids that weigh more than 8 pounds. I can't even begin to imagine what must be wrong with her, but she probably has coccidiosis and worms, and if it's this bad, she probably has intestinal scarring and will never be able to absorb nutrients from her food properly, so will always be small and should never be bred. With the temp, I'd assume an infection too. I really hate to throw a ton of medicine at a kid, but I'm amazed she's still alive if she's only 8 pounds.
A temp of 104.3 is high, so sounds like she has some sort of infection and should probably be on antibiotics for a few days. There are infectious causes of scours. Getting diarrhea 24 hours after the bottle doesn't really sound like it was the milk that caused the diarrhea. She is really too young to not be receiving milk.
What does she weigh? When did the owner take her off the bottle? What was she giving her in the bottle? Did you give her fresh goat milk, or was it pasteurized?
Is she your only goat? Is she alone?