HELP for 8.5 week old kid. Please! Anyone?

MiniSilkys

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Hi everyone, could you please read this and let ,e know what you think? Thank you.
"Ok. I have had a fecal sent to MSU by the vet. But my girl is 8.5 weeks old. A week ago today she almost died. Diagnosed with polio and GI ulcers. We are still working through it. (She had just finished being treated with Corid). Then 24 hours later she almost died. She was going through polio. So, now here we are 7 days after ae started our polio treatment. Vet saw her yesterday and she said she likely has GI ulcers and to treat with Kaolin from the farm store. So, I am doing that. She is eating great but won't drink from a bucket. About once a day I get her to drink from a bowl if I chop hay in it. But now the stringy mucus started again today. She is getting electrolytes in a bottle. 12 ounces a day split into 3- 4 ounce feedings. This is so she doesn't dehydrate. She is still getting b complex paste as to wean down from Thiamine injections. Yesterday was her last one. Anyway, that is the short of a very long story. I am concerned about her GI tract and this mucus string poop. Like I said she has had a fecal done and now waiting on a more comprehensive one from MSU. But, I wonder if anyone has had experience with this? Also, tips that are for how to get her drinking? Milk had made her worse and we had to administer the antitoxin. I have tried putting the nipple on my gloved hand and having her follow it into the bucket, ACV in water, buckets everywhere. Please help."
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B&B Happy goats

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If her gut is that sensitive I would try plain water without the ACV for now...I have seen the mucus in kids before with health issues, but not with happy endings.....I'm sorry I don't have any solutions for you but please keep us UTD with what is happening :hugs
 

Longhornbreeder101

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Not my photos but my explanation


HOW TO FEED BABY GOATS​

Our breeder gave this recommended feeding schedule for baby goats:

  • Week 1: Four times every 24hrs
  • Week 2-8: Three times a day
The amount will vary by goat, but they will typically start off taking 2-3 ounces per feeding and work up to 9 oz per feeding. She warned us about overfeeding and to not offer a bottle between the scheduled feeding times. You want them to be hungry when you offer the bottle! She did say that we could offer ONLY 4 oz of warm water between feedings to fill their tummies up, but no more than that as too much water is bad for their kidneys.

If you feed them too much it can cause... unpleasant gastrointestinal issues (Google "scours"). If this happens, give them warm water the next feeding to help straighten out their stomachs and then resume feeding them milk again after the one water feeding.

I grabbed a couple of cheap plastic baby bottles from our local dollar store to feed our baby goats. You really don't need anything fancy- no special nipples or bottles. You will need to make sure you cut the nipple so the opening is wider (especially if using a kid replacement milk) because it is much thicker than human breast milk.

Tips for bottle feeding baby goats


When I need to heat up the milk, I just pour the amount that I want directly into the baby bottle. I boil a medium pot half full of water (not too full or it will overflow when you put the bottles inside). After the water starts boiling, I turn off the heat and move the pot off of the hot burner. I wait about a minute or so for the water to cool slightly and then place both bottles into the hot water. Depending on the amount of milk in the bottle, it generally takes about 4-6 minutes for it to be warmed through. Be sure to give it a shake to avoid any hot spots.

How to bottle feed baby goats


The biggest thing about bottle feeding goats is to not stress out. Trust me, this was hard to remember when one of ours was refusing the bottle. He would let me get it in his mouth but refused to suck! It's different for them and there is a learning curve when they've not had anything but mom to feed them. Use your thumb at the back corner of their mouth to gently open up their mouth and insert the bottle. We noticed it also helps to tilt the bottle up vertically so they are positioned more naturally like they would to nurse.

WHEN THE GOAT WON'T TAKE THE BOTTLE​

If you have one that is stubborn to take to the bottle like we did, don't give up. It sounds silly, but try covering their eyes the next time you go to offer the bottle. Ours wouldn't take for two days but finally did when James and I both tried together. James held him across his chest, with the kid's head up towards his shoulder, and I put one hand under his chin for support while holding the bottle in the other. He finally figured it all out (or just accepted this is how it's going to be from now on) and sucked the entire bottle down in less than a minute. Now when we feed them we don't even have to hold them, we stick the bottle in their general direction and they go to town!
 

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