Rescuing a neglected doe

[Horsefly]

Someone please correct me if I am wrong about this but I don't think you should be feeding her sweet feed right off the bat. I know a goats digestive system is different but I do rescue work with neglected horses and it's a few months before we will give sweet feed if at all. The reasoning being is if the animal isn't used to all the sugars and stuff it could shut down it's system (likewise if fed to much to soon) and cause other more serious problems. I would try and find a feed that is just pellets with no molasses. We had one but I can't remember the brand.
The corn oil is really good for helping get her coat back in shape. You don't have to get special probiotics either. Just get some accidopholis (spelling?) from any store, is pretty much the same thing and cheaper, I would give 2 capsules a day (morning night) on top her feed. That will help get her system back on track.
I haven't done goat rescue before so somebody please tell me if any of this is wrong. You are doing a great job for her! It's wonderful you took her in. Just keep hay for her and be patient, she will be in tip top health soon enough.

 

[freemotion]

I rescued a similar doe over a year ago, and my instinct says to back off on the sweet feed until she has normal poo. And get the probios into her at every opportunity. She needs to get that rumen up and running, and needs coarse vegetable matter for that....hay, pasture, browse.

You can make your own live probios. I like live better than dried, but the dried work well, too, if they are not too old and were stored properly. You can get more bacteria by making it live. Of course, I am a bit off the beaten path in many ways.....

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Sweet feed will be fine in small amounts, and as long as lots of forage is offered.

 

[chandasue]

You can make your own live probios.

How do you make your own? I was thinking the same thing that the dried probably isn't as good as something like kefir or yogurt. I've heard of people giving kefir to their goats but I've been hesitant to do so.

 

[()relics]

I like the probios idea...But if you are going to give her any sort of dewormer you should wait until your treatment is over before adding probiotics...And , I would think at this point , deworming is the most important step in recovery...You can introduce all the probiotics you want but if there is a large worm load present you won't be solving any of her problems...She will continue to be anemic and scour until the worms are thinned out...Then start to rebuild her digestive system with probiotics...Again alot of hay and water.....jmo...
But I will tell you, from experience, horses are not ruminants...not goats...They are much more difficult to bring back from the edge....
the best homemade probiotics? Grab one of your healthy goats while you see them chewing their cud. Force their mouth open and get some of it out. Feed it to the animal that needs the rumin stimulation...again jmo
Sweet feed? Probably ok in small amounts....Better a pelleted feed with a Decox or Rumensin added just in case there is a high coccsidia level...At least for awhile until all her problems are under control

 

[glenolam]

I'm not sure if you have this in your area or not, but Blue Seal makes a feed called "Sunshine" - it's a dry feed, not sweet feed, and smells just like sunflower seeds (I'm pretty sure there's sunflower seeds in the grain mix).

Once she's stable this feed will help bring her coat to a beautiful shine and smooth feel. When I brought my doe home she was very stressed for about 2 weeks. Went down to skin and bones and rough, dry, horrible looking coat. I gave her some of the Sunshine and she became so shiny and silky that it looked like she was a new goat.

 

[freemotion]

You can make your own live probios.

How do you make your own? I was thinking the same thing that the dried probably isn't as good as something like kefir or yogurt. I've heard of people giving kefir to their goats but I've been hesitant to do so.

Here is one discussion, there are many here and on ss...it is post # 83: http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=53802#p53802

 

[SarahFair]

Wow! Im glad you got her!
Shes looking awesome!!

 

[Ariel301]

Hahaha I wouldn't say awesome. But she looks happy at least. I need to get some new pictures of her, she's probably put on several pounds already. She'll never make a show goat, but she supposedly milks good, and that is what counts for us. She's really starting to fill her udder in now.

I started her on the sweet feed gradually, increasing it a little more each day, but still pretty quick. The last owner's method of feeding grain was to throw about four handfuls onto the filthy ground in a pen of 200+ goats...so I doubt she was ever getting any. I worry about her not being able to support her kids since she's literally got no reserves left in her body. I think she really needs the carbohydrates from the grain; I don't normally start graining my does until after they kid, but I'm making an exception for her. I've already had four dead kids this year, don't want more! We don't have the blue seal feeds around here. Sweet feed is really the only thing here that is "affordable"...if I want anything else, they would have to special order it and I would have to buy a whole pallet and it would be way pricey...not that the sweet feed isn't pricey as it is here in the desert where nothing edible grows. :/

She's been dewormed really good with ivermectin, but is still pooping A LOT, though it's starting to get more solid looking. I've never seen a goat poop so much.

 

[Ariel301]

An update on Snowy:

She kidded yesterday morning, prematurely. She had two healthy bucklings early in the morning, and we found them already born. One was on its feet and nursing, the other laying still partially in its sac in a corner. The dirtiest corner of the pen, of course. It was alive, fortuntely, but hypothermic. We got him warmed up and cleaned and bottle fed him some colostrum, but Snowy does not want him at all, so I will be bottle feeding him. He is barely able to stand, and can hobble maybe a couple of steps before he falls. He's alert, responsive, and eating like a horse though! He has a touch of scours this morning, so I'll be keeping an eye on that and treating him accordingly. The other buckling is out in the pen with Snowy, he is walking around ok, if really wobbly and sleepy. Neither have their teeth anywhere near erupted. I've seen teeth that just have a thin film of gum left over them and they come out in a couple of days, but these boys are not even close to that. I don't know how early they are, but probably not too much, since they're fully functional otherwise.

They are TWO POUNDS each. My bathroom scale would not even weigh them, I had to use a postage scale! At least mom and babies are all alive and doing pretty well though. New pictures coming shortly.