[Cedarwinds Farm]

I just got this doe, so I'm still unfamiliar enough with her behaviors to be able to tell for sure what I'm looking at. Her due date is Tuesday, March 2nd, but I thought she might be going into labor last night. This morning, ligs are gone, so far as I can tell. She's hollowed out, udder is full. She's doing a lot of panting and yawning and some teeth grinding, mostly when she's lying down, as I think the babies are putting a lot of pressure on her.
She seemed so uncomfortable that I just did an internal check on her, but have never done it before, so not sure what I'm feeling for. I was able to get 2 fingers in as far as they would go, quite easily. So probably 3 inches. I THINK I may have felt the cervix, which I was able to put my fingers through easily. I'm assuming that means she's dilating but not quite there yet, as I can still feel the cervix. Does that sound right to you more experienced folks?
@happybleats @fivemoremiles @SalteyLove

 

[SalteyLove]

Hmmm that sounds like quite a bit of discomfort, maybe a bit too much for normal. I know you hate to torment her but I would try again, scrub up, lube and make your hand a pointed duck bill, all 5 fingers together at the tips and see if you can get all the way up to your wrist which would be through the cervix and see what you feel. If the cervix feels like a tight ring not dilated enough to put your hand through try some cervical massage. If you can get through, then carefully feel to determine which part of the kid is presenting.

It may not be an emergency yet but I don't like the prolonged teeth grinding and yawning.

 

[ksalvagno]

Putting 3 fingers in is really not examining her. She may be in early labor or she may just be uncomfortable.

 

[happybleats]

Sounds like early labor to me as well. Some of my girls can be more drama queens during this time then others. Yawning and teeth grindng is often seen.
Any goo at all yet?

 

[Cedarwinds Farm]

Thanks for the responses. She has no discharge at all. I was able to find a diagram of a goat reproductive tract, and I did not go in near far enough to feel her cervix. She seems pretty calm right now, so I think I'll just wait a while and see what happens. I don't have anyone here to hold her for me, so it would be hard to have another feel, anyway. If she isn't progressing soon, I'll get someone to hold her for me and go in further for another feel.

 

[toth boer goats]

All good advice, happy kidding.

 

[Cedarwinds Farm]

Well, I just went out to check her. She got up, so I was able to feel for ligaments again. I was able to find them, though they are definitely soft. Still no discharge. Her due date isn't for another 2 days, so at this point, I am thinking I will just watch her, and as long as she seems ok, I won't worry about it too much.

 

[Cedarwinds Farm]

It dawned on me that some of the heavy breathing could be the start of a respiratory issue. I started monitoring her temp, and it was high Monday night and again this morning. I started her on penicillin Monday night, and was able to have the vet out tonight. Vet said there was definitely some noise in her lungs, and gave nuflor. I've got two more nuflor injections to give her. No real signs of imminent kidding yet.
I'm wondering about milk withdraw times for nuflor. I've found some old threads on here stating 120 hours. I know the slaughter withdraw time is really long. I forgot to ask the vet before she gave the shot, and now it's a little late.

 

[farmerA]

I hope your girl feels better fast! I have never used that on my goats so can't answer that question but I was looking for an answer earlier today about milk withdrawal for something else and found a handy website. I don't know if they list that product specifically but you might give it a try: http://www.farad.org/WDIlookup/wdi_goats.html

I found that site via a Thrifty Homesteader blog post and she said that people need to be really careful because a lot of times if she finds that people quote the oral administration withdrawal time rather than the injection withdrawal time. One of her examples was a product that if given orally, milk withdrawal is 9 days but if given via injection, it will remain in the milk for up to six weeks. This doesn't answer your question but hopefully that site can help you.

 

[Cedarwinds Farm]

I hope your girl feels better fast! I have never used that on my goats so can't answer that question but I was looking for an answer earlier today about milk withdrawal for something else and found a handy website. I don't know if they list that product specifically but you might give it a try: http://www.farad.org/WDIlookup/wdi_goats.html

I found that site via a Thrifty Homesteader blog post and she said that people need to be really careful because a lot of times if she finds that people quote the oral administration withdrawal time rather than the injection withdrawal time. One of her examples was a product that if given orally, milk withdrawal is 9 days but if given via injection, it will remain in the milk for up to six weeks. This doesn't answer your question but hopefully that site can help you.

Thanks for sharing! Looks like the recommended withdrawl time for florfenicol (active ingredient in nuflor) is 7 days, with the dosage she's receiving. I'll probably wait 10 days, just to be safe, before I start saving milk for us. Antibiotics are so tricky, especially for goats, when most of the time you're using them extra-label.

 

[farmerA]

You sound like me -- the couple of times I've had to give my does anything, I've exceeded the recommended withdrawal time just in case. I don't milk does for a couple of weeks after they've kidded anyway, personally.

 

[Cedarwinds Farm]

You sound like me -- the couple of times I've had to give my does anything, I've exceeded the recommended withdrawal time just in case. I don't milk does for a couple of weeks after they've kidded anyway, personally.

I'm thankful for antibiotics at times like these. I don't think I could have cleared this doe up with garlic and herbs. But antibiotic residues aren't something to play around with!
Normally, I would be dam raising kids, but this goat doesn't have a current CAE test, so I'm pulling her kids to bottle raise them, just to be on the safe side. So I'll be milking her from day 1.

 

[farmerA]

I totally agree. I'm always herbs/garlic and natural route first when appropriate but there's definitely a time when antibiotics are the only answer.

That makes sense on bottle raising the kids for sure. I hope you'll post photos of those sweet babies once they arrive. ♡

 

[Cedarwinds Farm]

I totally agree. I'm always herbs/garlic and natural route first when appropriate but there's definitely a time when antibiotics are the only answer.

That makes sense on bottle raising the kids for sure. I hope you'll post photos of those sweet babies once they arrive. ♡

Oh, I'll be spamming you all with baby pictures, I'm sure!

 

[farmerA]

Yay!!!! Baby goat spam is the best!

 

[Cedarwinds Farm]

I feel that this goat (I'm calling her Priscilla) may be teetering on the edge of pregnancy toxemia, because of all the stress of being sick. She isn't completely off feed, but not eating like I'd like to see. I've been giving her some Magic. I know there are a bunch of recipes out there, but I didn't have ingredients for many of them. I did a mix of Karo syrup, molasses, and canola oil. Original recipe calls for corn oil, but I don't have it. I've mixed some oral CMPK into it a few times. I've been careful with that, as I understand it can burn their throat and put them further off their feed. Just wondering if anyone else has a recipe that might be even better. This one is giving her very runny poops, and she seems to not like it as much today. I'm in town this afternoon, so I can pick more things up.
She's also getting B complex, banamine, and probiotics. I've been offering her molasses water, too, and she really likes that.

 

[SalteyLove]

No modifications to offer, what you are doing is good. If you can find some evergreen/pine boughs to offer her then that can be a good option. And since you don't know her due date, I'd have some bread or other carbs on hand in case she really quits eating.

 

[farmerA]

You're doing great. I don't recall the official recipe off the top of my head and can't find it on my phone at the moment but and one time I gave a dough a lovely mix of sweet potato, molasses and super dark stout beer. It feels like there was something else in there. That was specifically for goats that are down but it really helped stimulate her appetite and got her eating again.

 

[Cedarwinds Farm]

Thanks guys! I had forgotten about the dark beer...the store I stopped at was all sold out of dark beer. But I think I may be able to get some tomorrow.
I'm going to try to get out in the woods and scavenge some greenery for Priscilla. She enjoys wandering around the yard and munching whatever she can find, but there isn't much out there right now, and she tires quickly and wants to go back to her pen to lie down.
I did buy some chopped alfalfa for her. I wanted to get chafhaye, but apparently no-one around here carries it. My regular alfalfa that I feed to my other goats is pretty stemmy. They do fine on it, but she didn't seem to appreciate it as much. Last I was out there, she was at least nibbling the chopped stuff.
Her babies have dropped even more, and she had some discharge today. I'm hoping she kids soon. I think she'll feel better once she's not carting around a big old load of kids.

 

[Cedarwinds Farm]

This morning, I came in to see her chewing her cud, which delighted me. She ate quite a bit of the chopped alfalfa I had left out last night, and looks like she drank a little of the Magic I had left out, as well.