# Hypothermic Goat! HELP!!!



## taylorm17 (Jan 12, 2014)

My Nigerian dwarf buckling (3 months old) got hypothermia the other day. We took him to the vet's immediately and we finally go him up to 98 degrees before we took him home. I slept with him in the house that night and stayed home from school to watch him and keep him warm. Then he began wagging his tail and acting a little bit more like himself. Then after 4 days inside and occasionally outside for a little while, we let him stay out all day and then at night. This morning, we found him lying on the ground again with hypothermia. We took him in the house and ran a very warm bath. We got in the bath and had him in with us. After 45 minutes, it temperature was up to 97 so we took him out. Then we blow dried him with the heater running too. Then we wrapped him with warm towels from the dryer and took him downstairs in front of the heater. After a while he began bloating up like a balloon. We could not get him to go down and he started breathing harder and harder. we tried some vegetable oil, but it didn't help much and we massaged his sides. We called the vet and she said dish soap and water while rubbing his sides. We did this and it went down, but we went to the vets anyway to make sure he was okay. He doesn't eat grain. He had a half piece of bread, and some water. He didn't eat any hay all day, but has been pooping a lot. The vet said that since his systems were weak, the bread was too much for him because of too many preservatives. We took him home and he began bloating again about 3 hours later. We did the same procedure and gave him 1 milliliter of karo syrup. After a while it would go down and then get a little bigger. After 10 minutes when I was massaging him, he barfed practically watery poop out of his mouth. It was gross. He kept burping and he finally went to normal. His temperature is a little lower than normal at 99.7 right now and he if now in front of the heater. He is still pooping normal, but has no energy. I don't know if that is just from the whole day (he hasn't slept all day), and the procedures, the cold... or if there is more wrong inside of him. The vet said there isn't really anything more we can do except just massaging him and seeing if he would eat. We haven't given him any more soap water, but offered him more regular water. The vet said if he still gets worse, he may pass away or we can take him to ohio state for surgery, but that would cost a ton and we already spent $300 and we can't afford a surgery. I was wondering if any one had any similar experiences or suggestions. If you don't know what I could do could you please just keep him in your mind and hope for the best. He is sooo loving. Our does don't like him, but when they leave him, he cry's forever until you bring her back. He also runs up to people and wags his tail soooo much more than our does. When you pull in the drive way, he runs up to the fence and cry's for you to come pet him. I hate to see him so down and dull. I love him so much. PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN! THANK YOU!


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## Goat Whisperer (Jan 12, 2014)

So sorry you are going thru this   

I would defiantly get some probiotics in him! Some goat vitamin drench couldn't hurt either. I wonder if his rumen is shutting down... Did he go off his hay or he has never had hay? This looked like a good thread to look at- link. It has some good info!

Hope he gets better soon!


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## elevan (Jan 12, 2014)

3x the dosage of probiotics or use active culture yogurt.  You want to get some good gut flora going to prevent the rumen from shutting down.  Offer hay to eat and that's it...the goat needs long stemmed foodstuff (hay) in order to keep the rumen going.

Get a heating pad or hot water bottle and wrap a towel around it and place between the back legs.  This placement is the best for raising body temperature.

A warm water enema can be helpful in raising body temperature as can warm I.V.s or SQ fluids.  Use the IV or SQ fluids if the goat isn't drinking much.  The body must be well hydrated in order to hold onto and maintain temperature.


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## SheepGirl (Jan 13, 2014)

Get him eating hay. I agree with the above two posts.

However, I would cull him as he does not seem very hardy. I don't know if you were planning on breeding him, but I wouldn't because he is having trouble with hypothermia. You don't want his kids to be like him, then you might need to deal with a couple goats like this. And this one seems stressful on you enough.


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## bcnewe2 (Jan 14, 2014)

I would also offer free choice baking soda.  Or drench some mixed with warm water. The above posts have good info.
 So sorry, doesn't sound to good.


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## taylorm17 (Jan 14, 2014)

He is doing a lot better. We have given him the probiotics and LOVES that which is good since he will be getting it more often now. He stopped bloating. He is beginning to walk around the house when we let him out of the dog kennel too. Just hoping he continues to recover rather than have something else go wrong. Thank for all the ideas. I will give him some baking soda tonight with the warm water. He has been drinking warm water to help his temp. I have heard of baking soda before too so I hope that helps. Thanks everyone who replied.


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## taylorm17 (Jan 14, 2014)

Today I found out he hasn't been doing so well. He passed away late this afternoon. 
I already miss him so much and we all loved him so much. he was the sweetest little buckling/goats ever. He loves all of us and did nothing, but wagged his tail and was friendly! We were all devastated and just don't know what to do. Since today wasn't that cold, we were able to bury him in our back yard. All the vets my mom called earlier to see what more we could do, none of them could tell us what was happening to him. He hadn't bloated for a day and had been eating and drinking. One of the vets said that some goats can feel good one day and be very ill the next. I think he passed from the hypothermia because he was so young it was just too much for his body to take...only a few days later we had let him out for the night in his barn (while it was 38 degrees and even warmer in the barn and that was with an old baby bib on him like a dog blanket), he had it again in the morning. My 2 other goats haven't had the slightest problem though. I just wanted to let everyone know and thank you all for your advice. I will definitely know what to do next time and won't be getting a young goat near winter time. Thank you all! The picture below was when we first got him. That is my younger brother. He bought him with his own money and owned him on the papers. I felt so bad for him. When we came home my mom told us he might not be alive anymore. He kept feeling his chest to make sure his heart still wasn't beating. Thanks again everyone!


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## bonbean01 (Jan 14, 2014)

So very very sorry


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## elevan (Jan 14, 2014)

I'm so sorry that you lost him


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## norseofcourse (Jan 14, 2014)

I'm so sorry...  I'd been following this and really hoped he would be ok


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## Goat Whisperer (Jan 14, 2014)

I am so sorry. Tearing up reading that. I know that was so hard. Very sorry you lost him, these goats can sure wiggle into your heart. I was really hoping he would make it.


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## Southern by choice (Jan 14, 2014)

I am so sad I don't know what to say.  to you and your brother. Those little bucklings just steal your heart from the get-go. I'm a momma so my heart hurts for you and your brother.


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## taylorm17 (Jan 14, 2014)

Thank you everyone so much. One thing I love about this website is how everyone cares about what is happening and tries to help their best. I have also never seen any form of an argument. Thanks again to all who have read my post and I am sorry for the sad ending!


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## jodief100 (Jan 15, 2014)




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## woodsie (Jan 15, 2014)

so sorry to hear you lost him…he was sure a cutie.


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