# Two kids born last night one month premature; found dead this morning.



## NachoFarm (Mar 3, 2013)

So our supposed to be happy occasion in a month with the birth of kids was crushed this morning.  My husband found two kids dead in the corner of the stall this morning.  She was showing some minor discharge yesterday but I was told it was her plug.  So besides the fact that it was cold and unexpected (we weren't checking on her because we didn't think she was in labour) I'm beating myself up because I'm thinking that there could have been something I missed or could have done.  Would kids born a month early have had any chance of survival?  And WHAT HAPPENED?  And what now?  I don't think she's passed her placenta yet.


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## alsea1 (Mar 3, 2013)

I am no expert, but if she has not passed the placenta then you will need to get some oxytocin for her to get her to pass that. Then you may need to giver her some med. to make sure she does not get any infection.
But to be on the safe side I would have the vet out to check her over and make sure there are no more problems. 
This is a crushing blow.  
I'm guessing that there was prolly not a thing you could have done to change the outcome, so no reason to doubt or blame yourself. These things just happen when your dealing with animals.


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## NachoFarm (Mar 3, 2013)

But if I don't know when she gave birth then how do I know if she should have passed it by now?  She has "stuff" still hanging from her back end but I don't know what it is.
And is a month premature too early to survive?


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## alsea1 (Mar 3, 2013)

The stuff hanging from her could in fact be the placenta. That is a good thing.
As for a month premature, I think it is probably too soon to be born. Is it possible she was farther along than you thought?


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## NachoFarm (Mar 3, 2013)

It looks like a small sac hanging there with fluid and a piece of something floating in it.  The first day the buck was here was October 29th so we figured she wasn't due for a month or so.  I'm just trying to determine whether I could have done something different.  And what do I do now about the milk she's producing?


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## Roving Jacobs (Mar 3, 2013)

If you have the money I would send the aborted kids and placenta to a state lab or vet for testing to see what caused it, especially if you have other pregnant goats. At very least I would talk to a vet to see if they think the doe needs antibiotics before trying again with her and see if she needs help passing the placenta. 

Don't beat yourself up though, even if you were there for her labor there's no way they would have survived that early and there was nothing you could have done at that point. All you can do now is to gather as much information as you can to protect your doe and any other does you have.


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## NachoFarm (Mar 3, 2013)

So if we just don't milk her, will she dry up on her own?  

And she's stalled with her sister who has given her a few good hits over food in the last little bit, could that have caused it?  What are the main causes of this sort of thing because we don't have the money to send in anything for results.  

How long should I give her to pass the placenta?  

And is there any signs I should watch for in the doe now that would indicate she's having issues related to this?


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## ksalvagno (Mar 3, 2013)

A month is too early to survive. I'm so sorry for your loss. Usually if they are 10 days or less early, they can survive. Beyond that they probably won't.

It is true that they can start to lose their plug and have discharge a month ahead of time. Unfortunately, there are never any guarantees with anything so most of the time you just have to go with your gut.

I would milk her and save that colostrum. Do you want milk? Then I would be milking her. If she is a Boer and you don't normally milk, then I'm not sure since I have dairy and want milk.

There are so many reasons for abortion that it would be hard to say. Usually it should pass within 24 hours. I would personally give a shot of Oxytocin if I don't see if pass within 8 hours or so but many people give it the full 24 hours. 

I would watch for signs of infection. But it sounds like the birth was normal even though it was premature. As long as all the babies are out and she is passing her placenta normally, all should be fine.


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## NachoFarm (Mar 3, 2013)

Well we'd like to milk them, they're a LaMancha/Alpine cross, we weren't planning on doing it this year, we were just going to let the kids nurse exclusively.  I don't think I can commit to milking everyday right now.  Will she just dry off on her own?


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## ksalvagno (Mar 3, 2013)

Not dairy goats. You will have to go through the normal drying off process for her. Otherwise she may get mastitis. 

Did her bag fill up full? Maybe you will be lucky and since she is so premature, won't bag up or won't bag up much.


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## NachoFarm (Mar 3, 2013)

Oh no!  What's the "normal drying off process"?  We never taught her to stand for it and don't actually have a milking stand.  Her udder doesn't seem huge but she's definitely producing milk because I checked best I could this morning.  Action plan?
Oh, and can I buy oxytocin at a farm store or do I have to get it through the vet?  She still hasn't passed her placenta so I'll have to make a decision first thing in the morning about whether to call in the vet.


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## currycomb1 (Mar 4, 2013)

get the oxitocin from vet. if you are certain she has not passed the placenta, i would not wait much more than 24 hrs, as infection can set in and that can cause sterility, or you can loose the doe. if the vet cannot make it out right away, you can take her to the vet, make an appointment, it is peace of mind


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