# Doeling not feeding



## RockyToggRanch (Apr 10, 2010)

3 1/2 week old bottle baby has been a very aggressive eater until last night. We feed 18 oz every 8 hours. She only took about 1/2 of her milk last night and none this morning. She usually finishes before her brother and tries to knock him off his to get it. 

I have not seen her eat grain, just sniff and taste it. I have seen her nibble on hay, but not this morning.

any suggestions?


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## Roll farms (Apr 10, 2010)

Temp?
Has she pooped?  Was it solid?
My first thoughts would be possible e coli or mayyybe coccidia.
I'd hit her w/ scour halt or dimethox asap, and some probios.
A B vit. shot to stimulate her appetite.  
If she won't take a lunch bottle, I'd get some fluids in her somehow.


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## RockyToggRanch (Apr 10, 2010)

She's in a stall with 2 other kids and a doe. I see no signs of diahrea. The other 2 kids are eating just fine. (milk) I haven't seen any of them actually eat grain.

I think I'll give her some nutridrench and try some warm water...

I'm so afraid of losing her. I lost her mom (Cloe) who was my favorite doe. I'm going to check on her.


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## Mea (Apr 10, 2010)

RockyToggRanch said:
			
		

> 3 1/2 week old bottle baby has been a very aggressive eater until last night. We feed 18 oz every 8 hours. She only took about 1/2 of her milk last night and none this morning. She usually finishes before her brother and tries to knock him off his to get it.
> 
> I have not seen her eat grain, just sniff and taste it. I have seen her nibble on hay, but not this morning.
> 
> any suggestions?


Maybe a  bit of baking soda in the milk... in case of tummy upset ??

  ( fingers crossed for her.  )


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## Roll farms (Apr 10, 2010)

What is her temp?

It's been my experience that a kid who won't eat, has a problem of some sort...it may not be a major one, but kids are usually *always* ready to eat.

The baking soda idea's not a bad one either....If she won't take a bottle, dissolve 2 tsp in warm water and drench her w/ it.


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## RockyToggRanch (Apr 10, 2010)

Her temp is 102.8

I gave her the baking soda water and tried another bottle, but she refused. She's playing with the other kids, but not as actively as usual. 

I saw her bite at her side while she was playing. Maybe she just had an itch, but more likely something back there hurts.

I'm new to the injection thing. Have always had the vet do everything. The vet taught me how to do SQ injections when Cloe was so sick. I have antibiotics left from her. Also have bo-se and cd&t. But that is the extent of my medicine cabinet. I do have nutridrench and electrolytes.

Also, after taking her temp I thought there was some blood on the thermometer. Could've been poop, but I'm thinking blood. I scoured the stall and yard for any sign of diarrhea, but found nothing.

I'm only 40 minutes from a TSC and 15 to the vet. Am I over reacting?


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## Roll farms (Apr 10, 2010)

I would definitely go to TSC and get some scour halt (oral antibiotic) and hit her w/ 3 cc asap, 2 more cc tonight, then 2cc morning and night for the next 3 days.
If they don't have scour halt, neomycin sulfate (brown bottle, yellow label) is good as well, follow dosage on package for goats.

TSC also has b vitamin....2 cc asap, then 2 cc a day for 2-3 days.

If there's blood it could be ecoli...

I'd also give her probios.

OR....take her to a vet and get a swab / culture done.

But she's not ok, you're not overreacting...a goat that won't eat, ain't right.


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## RockyToggRanch (Apr 10, 2010)

I just did the lunch time feeding and she gobbled down 18 oz like there was never anything wrong! and wanted more! I really wanted to fill her bottle up again, she acted so hungry. But I didn't..I know better.

I'm thinking the baking soda and nutridrench worked? Maybe she ate something in their yard that disagreed with her.

I'm not going to assume that she is "cured". I'll keep a close eye on her. Do you think I should still treat her for anything or wait and watch? I'll check her temp again this afternoon.

I'm so happy that she ate 

Thank you all for suggesting the baking soda water.


I can't believe that at 11:00 I couldn't even force the nipple into her mouth...and now she's acting starved.


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## RockyToggRanch (Apr 10, 2010)

RF, If I pick up those meds you suggested and don't need them now, do they keep well? Also, are the adminstered orally or injected? If injected, what size needles should I get?

Thanks


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## aggieterpkatie (Apr 10, 2010)

A few weeks ago, one of my doelings decided that she didn't want her nighttime bottle.  I just skipped that feeding, and by the next bottle she was usually right as rain again.  She's done that maybe 3 times, but she's been totally fine for the past few weeks.  I think she just had a bout of sour tummy or something.  She was still acting normal, so I didn't really worry too much.  If she'd been lethargic or too calm, then I would have worried a little more.


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## RockyToggRanch (Apr 10, 2010)

Well she's stressing the heck out of me! If there's one thing I've learned from my goats in the last month, it's not to take anything for granted. Not to assume that everything will go smoothly.

and that everyone who told me that goats are "easy" to raise should be slapped.

I'm an empty nester and these are my children  (kids) now. Sometimes I think I worry more about them than I did my real children.

I really hope it was as simple as a tummy ache..


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## Mea (Apr 10, 2010)

RockyToggRanch said:
			
		

> I just did the lunch time feeding and she gobbled down 18 oz like there was never anything wrong! and wanted more! I really wanted to fill her bottle up again, she acted so hungry. But I didn't..I know better.
> 
> I'm thinking the baking soda and nutridrench worked? Maybe she ate something in their yard that disagreed with her.
> 
> ...


Doncha 'love' how they can drive us nutz ?!      We've had some that simply 'go off' for a feeding then come right back.  We've also had some that needed a different course of action for a day or two, Then they bounce back.  Changes in the weather can set them off. ( in case You needed more things to take into consideration. )

  Sometimes, and this is for myself as well,  i have to take  a step back and wait and observe a bit, rather than going after them with Everything at my disposal.  Baking soda  is where i start, then i watch and  watch and... go from there.

  A possibility of blood in the stool could be a sign of coccidiosis.  We add CalfPro to the milk twice a day to help control that problem. Baby animals of any sort are so prone to cocci. !

   I am putting myself way out on a limb here, but 18 oz. 4 times a day sounds like a Lot of milk to me.   We also are feeding 4x a day, but figure about 12 oz per kidlet.   But that's us, and YMMV.

  Glad to hear she is doing better !!  Mea.


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## RockyToggRanch (Apr 10, 2010)

I was wondering about the weather change too. It was 80 for a few days then back to 30 last couple of nights. 

They are fed 3xday and get 18oz per feeding. They haven't had scours or any problems at all until this. As soon as I see them gobbling grain I'll go to 2xday. I didn't expect bottle babies. We both work full time although usually opposite shifts. My husband actually took a vacation week to do the 2pm feeding last week. We were both scheduled days. 

I'll watch her closely and hope it was minor.


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## Mea (Apr 10, 2010)

RockyToggRanch said:
			
		

> I was wondering about the weather change too. It was 80 for a few days then back to 30 last couple of nights.
> 
> They are fed 3xday and get 18oz per feeding. They haven't had scours or any problems at all until this. As soon as I see them gobbling grain I'll go to 2xday. I didn't expect bottle babies. We both work full time although usually opposite shifts. My husband actually took a vacation week to do the 2pm feeding last week. We were both scheduled days.
> 
> I'll watch her closely and hope it was minor.


My apologies... i read Your initial post and took the 8 hours and came up with 4x a day...( all by myself  :/  ).   3x a day is a lot less milk.

  Sometimes our DHs are wonderful.  Mine is retired, so twice during the day...HE gets to fight his way thru the starving goatie mob with the 'sucky-bucket'.        ( have to admit... i do like bottle babies !  They cuddle !  )


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## RockyToggRanch (Apr 10, 2010)

Sucky bucket? lol. cute


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## Mea (Apr 10, 2010)

RockyToggRanch said:
			
		

> Sucky bucket? lol. cute


That's what we call the Lam-Bar milk feeder pail that we use.  One of the Grandkids could not remember 'Lam-Bar'  and came up with that name for it.     We refer to the group of kid (goats) as the "Sucky Bucket Gang"


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## Roll farms (Apr 10, 2010)

Yes, the meds will keep (I've been on the same bottle of scour halt for 3 years) and it's one of the things I always keep on hand.
The scour halt and neomycin sulfate are both oral antibiotics.
B vitamin is injected, into the muscle.
Probios is oral.
Actually, I keep the B vit and the Probios on hand all the time, too....

Did she eat tonight?

And yeah, I heard, "Goats?  You just turn them suckers loose and let them fend for themselves."   

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!  Don't I *wish*.


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## RockyToggRanch (Apr 10, 2010)

Just gave them the 10pm feeding. She's acting like nothing was wrong. I'm really breathing easier now. She sucked down her bottle in no time at all. She's also loud again. Maaaa! happy...


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## Roll farms (Apr 10, 2010)

Good!


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## RockyToggRanch (Apr 11, 2010)

Fine at breakfast too. 

I don't think our feed is medicated. It's from a local mill. I'll check with them. Is there something I should topdress their feed with to prevent cocci?


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## Roll farms (Apr 11, 2010)

TSC has a good medicated feed to prevent coccidia, Purina Noble Goat...it has deccox in it.  Problem is, as little kids they can't eat enough to get the medication up to therapuetic levels....so I do cocci prevention until they're about 6 mos old or so.
You can order deccox crumbles from livestock supply places, but figuring out how much they need on their feed is beyond my high school math.


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## RockyToggRanch (Apr 11, 2010)

Thanks. I'm going to study up on cocci prevention today


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## cmjust0 (Apr 12, 2010)

FWIW, it seems like most of the doelings we've bottle raised have -- at some point -- decided they didn't want a bottle..  I had one who got picky for several days in a row and would maybe only take like half a bottle at a time.

Then one day -- poof -- everything was fine again.

Did your doeling nose around and the nipple and then sniff and snort and sneeze and carry on?  That's what ours usually do when that happens, and it seems like they're usually somewhere in the 3-5wk range..

I've actually wondered if that's when their noses really start working..  It's common around here that a goat will sniff something -- a grain pan, for instance -- and occasionally just flat-out reject it.  We humans dunno why, but the goats do..  So, we bleach the pan and -- Lo and Behold! -- they'll accept it again.

As for bucklings...I don't remember any bucklings being so particular as some of the doelings.  I think they'll eat anything.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Apr 12, 2010)

cmjust0 said:
			
		

> As for bucklings...I don't remember any bucklings being so particular as some of the doelings.  I think they'll eat anything.


Isn't that just like a guy?


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## RockyToggRanch (Apr 12, 2010)

Interesting..maybe she doesn't like the smell of the rubber nipple. I'll try switching back to silicone. DH said "one of the babies didn't want all of it's bottle today". He can't tell them apart :/ 
I definately think she had a belly ache the other day though.

She did sniff the nipple, but no snorting or carrying on.


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