More scour issues in littlest guy. Scours and Sloshy. *MONDAY UPDATE*

[Our7Wonders]

I've finished my cocci treatment round in the older kids - and they've been on specto-guard as well - I think we're on day 4 of that. Pooping slowed down but I suppose that's to be expected since they've been on a cocci med, a wormer, AND an antibiotic. I've been giving 5cc of milk of magnesia twice a day just to keep things moving. The three older ones seem to be passing pellets again now.

The littlest guy was only 10 days old when we brought him home - so 17 days today. He was the one with the worst scouring - mustard yellow, slimey, frothy/foamy. Could have been dietary due to the milk change when he moved but it wasn't slowing down after two days so I took action. He started specto guard and after two or three doses of that he stopped scouring. I did NOT treat him with the cocci meds (DiMethox/Safeguard) like the others since he was so much younger - still not 3 weeks old yet. Although he's been getting Milk of Magnesia twice daily I hadn't actually seen him poop so last night I gave him a warm soapy water enema. Oh my goodness, the poor little guy! He was squatting like a dog and crying as he strained to go. After SEVERAL enemas he finally passed a large yellow mass of poo. I'm sure it was a relief. It was all still mustard yellow though. I gave him another enema today just to make sure he's not backing up. It's very yellow and is runny frothy again - though, some of the "runniness" could be due to the fact that I was squirting diswater up his bottom.

It concerns me that it's still yellow - color hasn't improved at all. He refused a bottle or two when he was really scouring but has not refused one since and hasn't been sloshy at all - poor guy, I pick him up and shake him before each bottle just to make sure he's digesting all of his previous bottle.

He had just goat milk at his former farm and then just goat milk here. He's been getting (3) 8 ounce bottles each day - I haven't increased his beyond that just because he's not pooing yet. Is it really likely that he'd still be having issues with the milk? The other three obs that I bought are doing well now on the same milk. I'm not opposed to gradually switching him to whole milk if it's advised - but I'm afraid to change anything at this point.

Bacterial? If so it's obviously something that needs a stronger antibiotic - or maybe just longer on the scour halt? At 17 days he's still too young to start dimethox, right?

He is not missing a beat when it comes to eating and he's playing, running and bouncing at every opportunity. He tires easily when I let him out to run around outside - but it's pushing 90*. I tire easily outside too.

You guys have been great with the advice - I hate to keep bothering you all. Without a goat vet nearby you have been such a huge blessing to me (and my goats!)

 

[helmstead]

Yellow = milk poop. When he starts eating something solid regularly, it'll turn green/brown to regular brown.

 

[ksalvagno]

I pick him up and shake him before each bottle

I know you have been having a hard time and are really trying to get these guys healthy but I had to laugh at this. I pictured you shaking him like you would a piggy bank with money it.

I hope they all get better for you in no time.

 

[Roll farms]

Yup, yellow's normal. As long as the poop is solid / he's eating ok and eyes are not pale, I think you're doing fine.

Don't give him shaken baby syndrome!

 

[elevan]

I pick him up and shake him before each bottle

I know you have been having a hard time and are really trying to get these guys healthy but I had to laugh at this. I pictured you shaking him like you would a piggy bank with money it.

 

[Our7Wonders]

Yup, yellow's normal. As long as the poop is solid / he's eating ok and eyes are not pale, I think you're doing fine.

That's just it - the poop isn't solid. He was constipated - but after the enema he began scouring again. It's been 24 hours now since the enema and it's mustard color AND consistency. And I'm glad I shake the poor little thing each time because last night before his last bottle he was sloshy. Instead of his bottle he got oil and baking soda - he wasn't much pleased with that.

This a.m. he got another dose of oil and baking soda and about 8 ounces of electrolytes.

So still runny poo (not completely watery - but mustard like). And now sloshy belly.

How long do you give baking soda for and how long do you with-hold the bottle for when they've been sloshy? When I do start his bottle again do I start with a couple ounces and build each bottle up from there? Should I stick with goat milk in his bottle or should I work him towards cow milk since his poo isn't firming up? And in light of his runny poo do you suggest I continue the scour-halt or try something different? My plan was to start him on dimetox in another three days, when he's three weeks old, should I still plan on doing so even though he has the other issues?

I think I've said it before, but I'll say it again: goat babies are WAY more work than human babies!

eta: if it matters, he still has a hearty appetite - he tries to push the others off their bottle so he can have them - and he slurps his electrolyte water mix out of the bowl without me having to coax him at all.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Isn't Scour Halt Neomycin? If I suspected something bacterial and Neomycin didn't clear it up within 24-48 hours at most I'd start giving SMZ-TMP. My goat vet has said that Neomycin is ineffective against everything except e coli. That said, if I had on/off scouring and a sloshy belly in a kid that age I'd most likely be throwing the kitchen sink at him, so take that with a grain of salt and I'll defer to those with more experience with scouring kids.

 

[Roll farms]

Unfortunately, we don't get many scouring kids so I'm not much help, and when we do, scour halt has always fixed it in itty bitties / di methox in older kids....BUT, I have to (gut instinct) agree w/ Nikki, I'd switch him to SMZ-TMP (our vet suggests 1 per 75#). Cut it to whatever size he'd need, dissolve it in a bit of water, and squirt it down his throat...preferably on an empty stomach...don't let him eat / drink anything for a little while afterward, so the medicine will have time to hit his system. The reason I'd switch is - it will also 'kill' cocci and at this point we're not sure what the little dude's problem is. Give it for 5 days, just like di methox.

Also, I really, really like this gelling electrolyte TSC carries called Revitalyte. It helps firm up their poo and hydrates them. Honestly, I've never had to give more than a bottle or two of that before they've firmed back up.

Never had a problem w/ kids getting constipated, either...and we've fed a lot of cows milk over the years.

It boggles me that you're having all these problems w/ just a handful of kids and I sure hope it smooths out for you soon!

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Unfortunately, we don't get many scouring kids so I'm not much help

It boggles me that you're having all these problems w/ just a handful of kids and I sure hope it smooths out for you soon!

x 2

I would suspect that whatever it is it's something they have in common, whether it's bacterial or protozoal... It seems unlikely that you'd have concurrent illnesses that weren't related. Forgive me for not knowing this, but was a fecal done confirming coccidiosis in the older kids? If not, perhaps it was something bacterial going around.

After almost losing our yearling buck we won't hesitate to go for the SMZ if the fecal comes back clean.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

O7W, are you expecting the poo to be solid as in pellets? Because my young kids always have yellow pudding-like poo. It's solid enough to not puddle, but not at all solid like an adult goat's poo.