# Goat miscarriage?



## jay13 (Apr 12, 2009)

I have two alpine dairy goats who I am pretty sure were pregnant. Yesterday I went out to check the girls and there was a pink something on the ground about the size of the first knuckle of my thumb. It looked like there might have been more to it than that, but I have barn cats, I couldn't really make out what it was maybe a head? If they were bred sometime in October how big would the fetuses be? And how do I tell who it was that miscarried? Is there anyway to tell? What could have caused this? I am terrified that the other gal is going to miscarry too... Any ideas? I can't see that either doe has any discharge or changes back there. What else could this thing have been?


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

Usually when a doe miscarries- there is some sort of bloody discharge, if you arent seeing that in your does I would second guess a miscarriage.

What are the possibilities your barn cats left a bit of a mouse behind?? :shrug:


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I had a doe miscarry several years ago (had no idea she was bred). we never saw a blood discharge at all. But then again we were not looking for one. we just noticed one day as she walked away from me she had something hanging out of her. We had no idea it was a baby until I pulled it. She never acted like anything ever happened.

Can you get a picture of it?


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

So she didnt have any discharge even after you pulled the kid out?
Thats odd...


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

ProctorHillFarm said:


> So she didnt have any discharge even after you pulled the kid out?
> Thats odd...


 None that I can remember. If I had to think back that far (wow that is hard). She might of had a bit of brown discharge, I really am not totally sure.


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## jay13 (Apr 12, 2009)

Here is a pic of what I found, it didn't look like a mouse..... but as I said hard to identify. How big would a fetus be? They were bred sometime in October I think... Oh, and I double checked today, no discharge at all, they look as clean as they were last week.


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

Wow- thats really bizarre...Im not sure how big they would be- let me do some looking

I just think you would see SOMETHING if they did abort.
I mean- goo in their tails or something!


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## RowdyKidz (Apr 2, 2009)

Maybe try PMing Allison...I think she had dealt with abortions in goats and could give some more insight as I certainly cannot.


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## Idahodreamer (Sep 19, 2009)

doesn't really look like a fetus to me . . . . leftovers from kitty breakfast maybe? My cat often has something like that laying around for me to step on....


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

If they were bred in October that would mean 2 to 3 months depending on the time. I don't think even a 3 month fetus would be as big as your whole undetermined object. Allison will know for sure.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

That very well could be part of the fetus. I had an issue earlier this year with does aborting and in early abortions they are real red like that. If the cats got to it then that could be part of it, but you will see some goo back there left over somewhere, sometimes just on the tail. If she did abort then she will likely be coming into season soon too so you could watch that way.


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## BetterBuckskins (Feb 1, 2009)

"By three months the average goat fetus is 10 inches long." 
We had a goat abort at about three months along, I wish we had taken pictures of the fetuses.
Everything was there except hair, you could tell sex and see horn buds, really fully formed but small and identifiable. Not sure what exactly you would see at two months. :shrug:


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

WOW 10 inches huh. I didn't think they would be that big unless that was for big babies like Boers. Learn something new every day.


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## jay13 (Apr 12, 2009)

Well what i found was definitely PART of something, my kitties (or something) had definitely been at it. Oh, and the daddy of the babies is a boer as that was the only visiting stud we could find this year for a reasonable fee. I checked their tails and back ends very carefully and nada. And I couldn't tell they were in heat due except by the way the buck was acting. And he has gone on to his new home already so I can't get him back. I guess I will just have to wait until March and see what happens. :shrug:


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## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

Fingers crossed!

I would imagine within a month or so you could pull blood and test them- cheap and easy and accurate. (or ultrasound at any time)


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## jay13 (Apr 12, 2009)

ProctorHillFarm said:


> Fingers crossed!
> 
> I would imagine within a month or so you could pull blood and test them- cheap and easy and accurate. (or ultrasound at any time)


Ok, I am a Noob with a capital "N"! I wouldn't even know where to start! Starting with which doe it was that might have miscarried! Can they tell with the ultra sound how far along they are too? There is some question about the breeding date...


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## unogoat (Aug 17, 2013)

I was just curious, if a goat has a miscarriage, does the fetus come out premature? I'm new to all this and I think I have 2 pregnant does. One has kidded before, the other is a first timer. The one that's a veteran can be very aggressive with the first timer. I've separated them now. But I'm just hoping the first timer didn't get bullied too much or rammed too much to cause a miscarriage. What should I look for or do?


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I have a doe that will not carry to term. Twice now she has aborted and is a mess in the back end. I had another doe that got her head stuck in the fence and beat up and aborted. I don't know how far along but they were the size of kittens and still messy back there. 
Unogoat I don't think there is much you can do or notice when they abort. They will simply act in labor then abort. Nothing as far as I know of to stop it.
As for the post you said you have cats it could be a organ of a bird or other critter they might have got a hold of.


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

I had a miscarriage myself. Once it starts even in a human there is nothing they can do to stop it. It was very frustrating to me, to be told at the doctor if you hurt or start bleeding come to the ER, only to be hooked to ultrasound at the ER shown a picture of my baby and its heartbeat, then told "oh there is nothing we can do, just go home and lie down and if you miscarry you miscarry if you don't you don't" I miscarried. I wish they would have just let me stay home as seeing that ultrasound just made it all more painful and they couldn't do anything anyway.
My point being you can't stop a miscarriage once it starts. Not really. The best thing you could do is try to keep her quiet, comfortable, and calm and offer cool water.


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