# Urgent!! baby goat is raspy



## Annamarierw (Jan 4, 2012)

Our new "grey" little triplet has been wheezing/raspy since last night.... it is like she nurses too fast so she inhales the milk....  Do you think it is pneumonia??


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## 20kidsonhill (Jan 4, 2012)

Is she showing any signs of having less energy than the other two, or standing with her head hanging down?


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## Annamarierw (Jan 4, 2012)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> Is she showing any signs of having less energy than the other two, or standing with her head hanging down?


no head hanging down but did find her in the hut when the other two and mamma were outside...  I have been holding mom still a few times a day so the babies can get a good nurse in... mamma is feeding them just not as much as she should be. When I came out she was in the hut (she was breathing raspy when I picked her up).... I brought her out and took her to tied mom/ she nursed. But just sits there and coughs and wheezes.  Any thoughts?


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## 20kidsonhill (Jan 4, 2012)

I would treat her with Penn G twice a day for 5 days. it is 1cc per 20lbs, I would probably give her a little less than 1/2cc.  

Take her temP???? 

do the babies always seem hungry when you hold the mom?


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## Annamarierw (Jan 4, 2012)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> I would treat her with Penn G twice a day for 5 days. it is 1cc per 20lbs, I would probably give her a little less than 1/2cc.
> 
> Take her temP????
> 
> do the babies always seem hungry when you hold the mom?


not yet my thermometer is broken   Making a trip into town to get one asap. 
I figured I would have to Penn but she is soooo small!  I'd say 2 maybe 3 pounds.
Yes and no..... 2 of them are always hungry when I hold her.... but it changes. like she is favoring one at a time...?? she will let one nurse and push the other two away.... then later I will see her do the same with a different one... She is not favoring just one it is like she just does not want all 3 at the same time. It is SO weird!! 
I just don't know if she is not making enough milk, impatient with the triplets, or just does not know what to do with 3 considering she has always had just one.


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## 20kidsonhill (Jan 4, 2012)

Sounds like she is having a little bit of a hard time with them.  I know you have some experience with the goats, so I would listen to your gut. I would say they aren't getting enough to eat at times, because she is annoyed or not feeling well. 

A doe that is not patient with her kids may not be 100% and feeling off.  

I think your instinct of holding her and making sure the kids are getting enough to eat is the right choice. 

I would also consider pulling one and bottle feeding it, if that works in your schedule at all. I avoid bottle feeding, but you may end up with one of the triplets not doing well, since she is having a hard time accepting all three at one time. Or start milking her and offering them bottles a couple times a day, getting them used to a bottle now may not be a bad idea, if she gets weirder about the babies all nursing. 

You should be able to tell if she doesn't have enough milk, in my experience if they are running low on milk, it is very hard to get any out, if you squeez a teat and milk streams out then she has plenty.  

does her udder seem small or does it seem big?  could it be engorged, since she is a dairy doe and it is hurting her to nurse?  

Just some thoughts out loud.


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## 20kidsonhill (Jan 4, 2012)

another thought would be to drench the mom with mollasses,corn syrup, and corn oil, 1 part each, around 8 to 10 ounces a couple times today and tomorrow.  She may be low on energy and this will help her perk up. I would even consider throwing in a raw egg. It is a messy drench to give, I use a 30cc drenching syringe. They normally like the taste pretty well.


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## poorboys (Jan 5, 2012)

I would probably pull one and bottle feed it, mama looks wore out.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jan 5, 2012)

I don't think I'd totally pull one to bottle feed it.  You don't really want a lone bottle baby.  You may want to try just supplementing the smallest one (or whichever one doesnt' nurse as well) and leave them all together.


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## Annamarierw (Jan 5, 2012)

Thanks everyone for all the great ideas.. and yes I have experience with goats but it is always good to have others back up your decision or give new ideas.. Always willing to listen and learn something new 

ok so update..  "Violet" is still being a pain in my butt! still doing same thing. letting them nurse for just a sec. then running away. I tied her this morning and let babies nurse (little red buckling) only drank a little bit and did not seem to have the same amount of energy so I gave him some jump start plus and he seems to have a little more spring in his step. I decided to milk her and am going to giving a supplement bottle the the little buckling. We'll see how he takes to it. As for taking him away.... To me that is a very very last resort... even if I have to supplement bottles a few times a day. There are just so many things he will learn from her and not from me (even though my husband says I'm as stubborn as a goat) LOL She is not mean to them and actually takes care of them she just does not nurse them well enough. (and yes she has plenty of milk)  Will also try giving her a drench for some energy just in case it will help.  Oh and back to 1st topic "grey doeling that was raspy" She seems to be doing better.  gave her 1/4 cc Penn X2 (vet said 1/2cc was too much) yesterday and will continue today but she is not wheezing near as bad. Thank you again everyone!


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