Passing a fetus at full term??

[Westcoaster87]

My doe just passed an undeveloped fetus but she should be full-term (it's about the size of my fist). She didn't pass any other kids either. Does anyone have an insight into what may have happened?

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Sometimes they can pass a fetus that "stopped developing" and the other kids can be born normal. Sometimes the undeveloped fetus can create a cocoon and be born "with" the kids, but it all depends on the situation and the doe. Can you give more info? When was she bred? Does she look like she still have kids in her? It could be her way of protecting herself from becoming toxic.... a lot of potentials here.

 

[Westcoaster87]

I didn't breed her- we bought her bred and the owner did not keep close records in any way. In her opinion though she should be due around now to perhaps in a week or so. The doe has gone down in size considerably. I would be surprised if there is any more in there.

 

[Westcoaster87]

I'm not sure if this means anything but there was no bad smell at all and the doe is totally happy. Acting as if nothing happened.

 

[BrownSheep]

When did you purchase her? It will give us a rough idea as to the latest she could have been bred.

Any fighting or head butting going on?

 

[Westcoaster87]

We purchased her three weeks ago. Our other doe from the same women kidded two Feb 7th. They were both in with the same buck.

She is the bossy one- the other doe is timid and would never have butted her or anything.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Have you looked around for any signs of other kids or placenta... She shouldn't have gone down in size significantly from something that was the size of your fist...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Many years ago I had a pygmy doe that I had to help deliver her kids. There was a malpresentation that I finally got corrected and delivered the first baby. I went in and helped with the second also because the doe was exhausted. When I went back in to do a sweep and see if she was done I felt something that just didn't feel right. I really thought she had ruptured a uterus and that I was feeling a loop of intestine or some other internal organ that had been displaced into the uterus (wild idea I know, lol)..... but....she kept pushing and the "thing" was finally born. It was a tiny fetus that had stopped developing and had "mummified" inside the doe. There was no odor and the doe was perfectly healthy and raised her other two babies. Wish I had taken pictures - but this was back in the days before cell phone cameras.

Might your baby have been 'mummified' too?

 

[Westcoaster87]

She passed a huge amount of liquid and her stomach is considerably smaller. I looked around the paddock and through out the stall and didn't find anything. She wasn't very large to begin with but had grown a lot over the past week.

Is there any possibility she passed this one and is still pregnant but due later?

The fetus was normal, not mummified.

 

[Westcoaster87]

Is it possible that diet changes from going to one barn to another cause this? From what I can find online the fetus is about 2 months in development, maybe a little more. So it would have been at around 5 weeks at the time we bought the doe.