[goats-n-oats]

This little doeling was born today and tried for a good two hours after birth to stand, but tired and went to sleep. Now 6 hrs after birth is breathing and occasionally crying but won't stand or lift head. Floppy. Gave her maybe 40ml of colostrum and 10ml of nutridrench. Barely swallowing.

Some background:
Mother is young (11months?) And small for an Alpine (80-90lbs,)? The doeling presented head first and I had to fish out the hooves. The father and mother are likely siblings. Any suggestions? Will she survive?

 

[ksalvagno]

Give her 1/2cc B Complex orally. You may have to tube more colostrum.

 

[goats-n-oats]

Unfortunately, I just went to check on her, and she had passed.
Would the b complex had saved her?

 

[luvmyherd]

It is hard to say but I would guess probably not. She looks pretty small and weak. Sometimes these things happen and we don't know why.
I am very sorry you lost her. It is heart wrenching I know.

 

[ksalvagno]

Sorry you lost her. She must have had something internally going on.

 

[goats-n-oats]

Sorry you lost her. She must have had something internally going on.

Well, her mom is very small, and young, and she was inbred, so I wonder if those factors contributed. Also, two of my billys had a zinc deficiency, so I wonder if this doe did as well. In any case, thank you @ksalvagno @luvmyherd for not judging.

 

[Calistar]

I doubt being inbred was the issue, unless it had been going on for several generations. Registered breeders breed closely related goats all the time. My best buck is out of parents who were half siblings, and I paid good money for him!

When they're newborns like that, it's really hard to save them. Did you ever take her temperature, or stick your finger in her mouth to see if she felt cold? Usually my weak kids end up being cold. I'd have brought her inside and put her on a heating pad and blow-dried her. A shot of B complex like already suggested. B complex is never a bad idea, it can only help and is impossible to overdose. When they're weak I will also rub molasses or Nutri-Drench on their gums, and sometimes a little dab of Replamin (for the selenium) if I think they can handle it.

All that said, sometimes there's just nothing you can do. I'm sorry you lost her.

 

[toth boer goats]

Oh no, I am so sorry 😢

 

[luvmyherd]

In any case, thank you @ksalvagno @luvmyherd for not judging.

We try very hard not to judge here. We have all lost kids when we have done everything right and we have all made mistakes. We share what we have learned.
For future reference let us know right away if you feel something might be wrong as we are here to help and with a newborn; time is crucial. My personal opinion from seeing the pictures is that she could not have made it.
Again, very, very sorry for your pain. I lost 2 babies myself this year and was devastated. Beating ourselves up never helps. We have to learn and move on.
{{{hugs}}}

 

[goats-n-oats]

I doubt being inbred was the issue, unless it had been going on for several generations. Registered breeders breed closely related goats all the time. My best buck is out of parents who were half siblings, and I paid good money for him!

When they're newborns like that, it's really hard to save them. Did you ever take her temperature, or stick your finger in her mouth to see if she felt cold? Usually my weak kids end up being cold. I'd have brought her inside and put her on a heating pad and blow-dried her. A shot of B complex like already suggested. B complex is never a bad idea, it can only help and is impossible to overdose. When they're weak I will also rub molasses or Nutri-Drench on their gums, and sometimes a little dab of Replamin (for the selenium) if I think they can handle it.

All that said, sometimes there's just nothing you can do. I'm sorry you lost her.

HI, we didn't take her temp, now that I think about it, she was shivering for a few minutes, but just for a few minutes out of the 6 hours she lived. She felt warm. She just had no muscle strength to get up or stand up; she could hold her head up. I wonder if it was because the doe was too small and too young.

 

[goats-n-oats]

The mother is vocalizing now. I gave her spectimomycin, thiamine, and just expressed her udder. What else could it be?
How long / how much should she be milked?

I doubt being inbred was the issue, unless it had been going on for several generations. Registered breeders breed closely related goats all the time. My best buck is out of parents who were half siblings, and I paid good money for him!

When they're newborns like that, it's really hard to save them. Did you ever take her temperature, or stick your finger in her mouth to see if she felt cold? Usually my weak kids end up being cold. I'd have brought her inside and put her on a heating pad and blow-dried her. A shot of B complex like already suggested. B complex is never a bad idea, it can only help and is impossible to overdose. When they're weak I will also rub molasses or Nutri-Drench on their gums, and sometimes a little dab of Replamin (for the selenium) if I think they can handle it.

All that said, sometimes there's just nothing you can do. I'm sorry you lost her.

 

[Tanya]

Keep milking her. Her udder is expecting a baby.

 

[Jubillee]

You can milk her as long as you'd like the milk. If you don't want to milk her, you will need to dry her off. I'm sorry about the baby, losses at some point are inevitable, even with the best management possible.

We have had younger mothers, I don't think it's due to that. Sounds like she could have used some warming up and some selenium/e gel along with some B-complex. In the future, you want babies to be fairly alert and trying to stand within the first...ehhhh 15ish minutes. At least trying to stand in those first 10 minutes. If they are not responding, we get them warmed and get those two items in them (I actually give them some regardless, it's always a good boost) and get some colostrum in them.

But, like it was said above, sometimes some just don't make it despite everything we do. We don't know what truly was happening with them.

 

[goats-n-oats]

Ok thanks everyone for your comments. I did give supplements during pregnancy, but maybe not enough.

 

[Feira426]

I’m so sorry you lost her. ❤ It’s devastating to lose a little one.

 

[Boer Mama]

This is the first year (only have had goats 4 years) that I’ve lost babies and it is so sad. My first 2 kiddings this year had 1/2 sized stillborns along with their live kids and I just wanted to cry thinking I was gonna have a dead baby for every kidding. Thankfully no additional ones…
I had a weak doeling (healthy size, fully mature) who couldn’t even bleat. I brought her up to the house and fed her colostrum by dropper (3ml) at a time and probably after 15-18ml she bleated and tried to stand. So I took her to her mom and she nursed but I had to hold her up. I then gave her 1/2cc of multi min (for the selenium) and a vitamin e gelcap and she got much stronger. I still made sure she was up and nursing every couple hours during the day, and kept a heat lamp in the stall for the first cpl nights but she pulled threw and is as healthy and strong as any of them ❤
Sorry kind of long story, but wanted to share my success so you can maybe try it and know that it’s not always heartbreaking outcome.

 

[goats-n-oats]

This is the first year (only have had goats 4 years) that I’ve lost babies and it is so sad. My first 2 kiddings this year had 1/2 sized stillborns along with their live kids and I just wanted to cry thinking I was gonna have a dead baby for every kidding. Thankfully no additional ones…
I had a weak doeling (healthy size, fully mature) who couldn’t even bleat. I brought her up to the house and fed her colostrum by dropper (3ml) at a time and probably after 15-18ml she bleated and tried to stand. So I took her to her mom and she nursed but I had to hold her up. I then gave her 1/2cc of multi min (for the selenium) and a vitamin e gelcap and she got much stronger. I still made sure she was up and nursing every couple hours during the day, and kept a heat lamp in the stall for the first cpl nights but she pulled threw and is as healthy and strong as any of them ❤
Sorry kind of long story, but wanted to share my success so you can maybe try it and know that it’s not always heartbreaking outcome.

Thank you for sharing and for the encouragement

 

[goats-n-oats]

I spoke with our veterinarian (a state school teaching vet), and she reminded me that last month she had recommended bringing my pregnant doe in to terminate the pregnancy. She said that a poor outcome was to be expected of getting pregnant at 6-7 months.

 

[Calistar]

I spoke with our veterinarian (a state school teaching vet), and she reminded me that last month she had recommended bringing my pregnant doe in to terminate the pregnancy. She said that a poor outcome was to be expected of getting pregnant at 6-7 months.

Many breeders intentionally breed their does at 7 months so they will kid at 1 year old. It's not my preference, but it is pretty common practice in the dairy goat world. I doubt that was the issue.

 

[ksalvagno]

Size at that age can make a difference.