Hypocalcemia...HELP!

[Ann114]

I have a 7 year old doe who just freshened triplets. The babies are wonderful. They are the strongest kids we've seen here. All good weights, good size, and just perfect.

Mom, on the other hand, is not well. She is incredibly thin after giving birth. Her milk did not even come in. I was giving her lots of high energy treats - oats with molasses, fruit, coconut oil- to try to put some meat on her. I dewormed with Quest the day she freshened. Two days after she freshened, she became weak. I dewormed again, this time with Ivermectin 1.87% horse paste dosed at 400lbs. I had some Oral Cal CMPK that I got into her and she seemed OK, just tired. The next morning (yesterday), she was on her side, unable to rise. Still wanted food though. Bought some Calcium Gluconate at TSC and gave her 40cc's, then 40 more an hour later, then two hours later, then 5 hours later. She was up and walking around by the time of the second dose, and continued to look better by the evening. Her last dose was at 11pm last night.

This morning, she is able to stand unassisted, but is refusing food and just looking pathetic. Gave her 45cc of CalGlu with Vit B. Got some electrolytes into her, though she hated it! She is not as bad as she was yesterday morning, thankfully. How long will I have to continue with the CalGlu till she is back to normal, or will she recover at all?

 

[Hens and Roos]

sorry to hear about your doe ,have not had to deal with this personally but maybe others like: @Southern by choice, @OneFineAcre @Sweetened can help with information

 

[Ann114]

Tried food again, about 1.5 hours after initial CalGlu/Vit B injections, still a no go.

 

[bonbean01]

I've not dealt with this here with our sheep, so have no advice....perhaps it is time to call a vet? Hoping for a good outcome!

 

[babsbag]

Not sure about why she is rejecting food. I have been through this with one doe twice. Both times I took her into the vet for a calcium IV and when I got her home it was if she had never been down at all. Usually the hypocalcemia comes from heavy milkers so if she has NO milk this doesn't fit the profile. Have you taken her temp? A hypocalcemic goat will have a low body temp, usually below 100.

I agree that it is time for a vet, a goat that doesn't eat can be a dead goat quickly.

 

[Ann114]

Temp is 102.7. Still refusing food, has been lying in the same sunny spot most of the day.

Gave 40 more cc of CalGlu twice since this morning. Vet I used before I moved recommended the CalGlu and PG or molasses.

Has anyone else lost a doe after kidding without knowing the cause?

 

[Sweetened]

Have you given her a blood booster like molasses or molasses in water? Calcium doesnt really seem to be helping too much and i think the improvements may be unrelated. She may just be old in body, as well, and this birth was just really hard on her body. Id try and boost that blood and molasses is the quickest way to do that. Some have mentioned newcell (nucell?) But i have never used it. Drench her with some probiotic yogurt, kefir, or something similar to help rebuild gut flora ans fight iff any infection that may come up.

I know little to nothing about ketosis, is lack of milk a symptom if she was overgrained to try and maintain weight?

did you check and make sure she cleaned out, ie placenta, no retained dead kids?

 

[babsbag]

My gut reaction say it is not hypocalcemia; at least now now, maybe it was at the beginning. But she still doesn't fit the profile. But on the flip side, if the CMPK helped then it does point to a calcium issue. These darn goats are so complicated sometimes. And yes, many of my friends have lost does after kidding for no apparent reason.

Her temp is normal so now you need to try and get her to eat. If she were here she would get some red cell and some beer. I have had goats that are just "off" for no reason. I usually attribute it to problems with the rumen and treat it accordingly. Beer...seriously. Wiedemann beer, flat, and warm, then drench them with it. There is a culture in the beer that mimics the bacteria in the goat's gut and it repopulate the rumen. You can probably use any wheat beer. I keep this stuff on hand just for the goats...I hate beer.

The other possibility is that she had a high worm load and she is weak from all the adult worms dying off and detaching, it can be causing her to bleed out. That is why I would do the red cell.

Can you talk to your vet?

 

[Ann114]

I actually don't grain them at all. They get a lot of mixed grass hay, and tons of fresh produce (I get boxes and boxes free from the farmer's markets.) She didn't have the sweet odor to her urine or breath.

I didn't check her internally, but I can say that her placenta was giant, and she ate most of it like she always does. She barely had any blood/goo on her at all after she delivered. It was like she just sneezed and they fell out!

I've pretty much emptied a whole bottle of dark corn syrup along with a lot of sugary veggies like carrots. I'm going to run out to the store to get some more yogurt and electrolytes. I've been drenching her with enough fluid to keep her hydrated. She fights me like crazy, though.

 

[Ann114]

Vet just said CalGlu and NutriDrench or molasses/syrup water.