My Doe, Spot, gave birth two days ago. Since then she has gotten VERY stinky. It's intermittent so I think it's flatulence but I'm not sure. She smells kind of like the inside of our chicken coop (not an ammonia smell, I give the chickens something in their water to counteract the ammonia).
I assisted in the birth at one point--two kids tried to come out at once and I had to push one back in. I used four fingers to push him back. I have penicillin but have not given her any yet.
After the triplets were born, she delivered an intact, empty amniotic sac. Not sure if that's relevant.
She was stinky once before due to too much protein in her diet and she was on the verge of overeater's before it was caught, so I don't want to let this go. She has had nothing but alfalfa up until yesterday when I gave her some pelleted feed to help with milk production.
Wait.....she did eat a LOT of birth goo, etc., while I was busy at the other end. Could that be causing a temporary protein overload and thus the smell?
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Okay, thanks. Yes, she's feeling fine, good appetite and very spunky.
If she is eating, chewing her cud, walking around, and seems otherwise healthy, the penicillin is probably working. If she goes off feed or gets lethargic, then you need to call the vet. You might also want to check her temperature and monitor it to make sure it is either stable or going down. Normal for a goat is somewhat variable, but 102-103 is around normal.
Spot had some thick yellowish discharge (pus?) hanging from her vagina this morning, about the width and length of my pinky finger. It had no smell, so it seems the penicillin is already having a positive effect. Should I be concerned?
Thank you, Deborah--I actually had that page bookmarked and found it after my initial moment of panic. Thank you so much for taking time to answer questions when you are so busy (and I am so clueless!) I didn't realize until I read that page over that almost all goat injections could be given Sub-Q. That is good news!
There are different types of penicillin. The dosage is usually on the bottle, but this page also gives dosages:
http://fiascofarm.com/goats/medications.htm#peng
Okay, yes, the smell is vaginal. Fortunately I do have penicillin on hand. What dose should I be giving her for a vaginal infection?
You have to figure out where the smell is coming from. If it is coming from her vagina, that could be an infection. If it's coming from her mouth, it could be something digestive, so maybe she just needs a little baking soda. Actually, she should probably have free choice baking soda available anyway when eating grain, so that's a no-lose suggestion. Now that she's milking, she also needs some grain or some source of higher protein in her diet. Of course, all changes should be made gradually, so start small and increase slowly.