Nibbles had Quads again! Help needed re: LETHARGY...

[Daxigait]

Hmmm... I plan to buy one of those bucket multi-lamb feeders today and see how it goes. I'm going to try supplementing all 4, particularly the little ones, for a week or so and see how things go. I have two weeks' holiday starting today, so my son and I will be able to feed multiple times per day, so I think it's worth a shot just to be around the mum all the time.

Well, time to go outside and supplement. I hope her milk comes in better. Her udder feels more like a bicep than a milk bag... hope it's not 'milk bag' or whatever, and rather that the babies had just kept her 'milked out' all the time and she was having trouble replenishing...

did you give her something like mfo solution to help prevent milk fever and to supplement her?

she was one of those bucket feeders for goats the caprine feeder and can have them on it by day three for all the babies I raised. That's a great idea for your supplement and then you can just put some out there once they're trained to it and if they're hungry enough they will go there.
By the way, if you are just starting them out or if you need to ration your milk putting a quart jar at each hose instead of filling the bucket is a whole lot easier to clean change and keep a higher level of milk for them to suffer from without having to fill the bucket so much.

 

[shepherdO]

Sigh... so it looks like Nibbles is a step away from death... She went down HARD and FAST. This morning she was lying own and not really producing milk. I had given propylene glocyol last night and have been giving more all throughout today, along with peniccilin, and syringed water as well.

She hasn't been eating, couldn't stand - or at least, she tried once or twice, and tumbled over like she was drunk. I had to carry/drag her into her own stall, and I've been bottle-feeding the quads since this morning.

Super sad, as she's such a nice friendly little gal and obviously gave everything for the babies. Looks like it did her in, and hindsight being 20-20, I should have separated her and given her more feed.

At this point I'm going to bottlefeed them until they're strong enough (a week maybe) and then try to hook them onto one of my ewes whose lambs died. Assuming she doesn't make it of course. And it's not looking good.

*sigh* Lambing season 1 - 14 living lambs from 8 ewes - 6 rams, 8 ewes. 3 dead ewe lambs, 1 (likely) dead ewe.

ShepherdO

 

[promiseacres]

sorry.

 

[Hens and Roos]

so sorry

 

[Daxigait]

Be advised too much propylene glycol can be toxic.that is why I suggested the magic too, but if it didn't work within 24 hours you need a vet if you're going to save her there's some people if they're still eating can transfer cud and all the other stuff here's an article about it.
Treatment: Treatment consists of increasing the energy density of the diet. This can be accomplished by feeding good-quality roughage and increased concentrate in early stages. Administer propylene glycol or Ketoplus two to three times per day. Propylene glycol may be toxic at high and repeated doses. Limit to 60cc/dose in a dam that is eating, and discontinue if she goes off feed. Supplement with a mixture of sodium bicarbonate given twice daily. Alternative treatment may consist of Calf Pac/Probios mixed with 100cc Revive (one bottle 50% dextrose, 20cc B-complex, 5cc B-12, 2cc 500 mg/ml thiamine), and 100cc of water. Corn, molasses, sweet feed and/or corn syrup can also be administered to increase caloric intake. If there is no response to treatment within 24 hours, a veterinarian should be contacted for more aggressive treatment.

Aggressive treatment consists of inducing labor or delivery of kids via C-section; the kids are often non-viable, but this may be the only treatment of choice for saving the dam. Force feeding and maintaining appetite are critical. Snatching a cud from healthy goats to feed to sick goats can be useful. Boer goats may be predisposed to this condition.

 

[shepherdO]

Daxigait, thanks for the advice. I don't think I'll be able to follow that protocol this time, as I think I missed the window and it's too late. But I'll definitely keep this for the future.

 

[Daxigait]

So sorry, I didn't know if you were bad had given you further options ivy or tubing her or if you've already lost.
Here is the full article though this one is for goats because that's what I raise so I had the link handy
https://articles.extension.org/pages/29494/goat-ketosis

 

[AmberLops]

I would use Dyne and maybe some sugar water, just to bring her energy levels up

 

[babsbag]

Calcium. Calcium. Calcium. Take her temp. If it is low she needs calcium. Not sugar.

 

[babsbag]

Actually if her temp is low she needs a vet.