# Aspirated Milk



## olfart (Mar 7, 2013)

Honey gave birth to twin boys yesterday morning (coldest day of the year, 3" of snow on the ground). I scurried around to hook up a heat lamp in their shed. It's a small shed, so I couldn't get in there with them to see if she was nursing them or not, and she won't let me touch her. I made the mistake of trusting nature to take care of them.

This morning when I went out, Honey was standing outside the shed looking in and crying. Babies were not moving. One was buried in a corner in the hay, the other under the heat lamp. I went in and pulled them out, neither could stand. I held one close for Honey's inspection, and that put her close enough for me to grab her collar. The battle was on, but I hung on. Finally got her tied to a fence post and tried to get the kids to nurse. No suck reflex. I stuck a teat in one's mouth and squeezed the teat to start milk flowing. Still no suck reflex. I tried the other kid, same result. I went in the house and got a bowl, came back and milked Honey. Put some in a bottle, heated it and tried to feed the kids. In the process, one started rattling when he breathed. I'm assuming he aspirated some milk. 

Is there anything I can do to help him? The other one seems to be starting to take the bottle OK after putting them in the house under a heat lamp for a few hours.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

First their temp needs to be over 101 before feeding. I personally give Banamine if I hear rattling in the chest. It helps with any inflammation and just seems to help with those problems.


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## olfart (Mar 7, 2013)

After about 6 hours in the house under a heat lamp, they both have taken to the bottle like crazy. The dark one's lungs are clearer-sounding now, and both of them are standing instead of sleeping. When the weather warms up again in a couple of days, I may try putting them back with Honey.

Thanks for the response!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Glad they are doing better. Don't be surprised if they have a harder time regulating their temp.


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## olfart (Mar 7, 2013)

Now that it looks like both may survive, it's name time. Since mom is Honey, the light one is Pooh and the dark one is Eeyore.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

I would bring them out to Honey twice a day for 10 minutes or so to keep the bond if you plan to reunite them in several days when their temperatures regulate and the weather clears. 

Keep a close eye on the one you believe aspirated - if you suspect a problem they CAN get pneumonia from aspirating.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Are you milking Honey to feed them? Hope she is producing well!


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## olfart (Mar 7, 2013)

Yes, I have been milking Honey for 2 days now and have enough stored to feed the kids for a day or two. I took them out one at a time this morning after milking and got them to nurse on her for a few minutes and let her sniff them. She's been inconsolable since I took them away from her yesterday morning, and I'm trying to keep the bond so I can put them back out tomorrow. They're in a large wire dog crate in the house where I've had the heat lamp at one end so they could get under it if they wanted. They've been at the other end most of the morning, so I've disconnected the heat lamp to start acclimating them to cooler temps. Both are pooping and peeing fine.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good to hear they are OK.


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## olfart (Mar 7, 2013)

I took the kids out in the back yard to visit Honey this afternoon. They can't grasp the idea of getting on their knees and looking up to eat. They'll stand upright and punch her belly, neck, ears, but they won't grab a teat without me holding them down and sticking it in their mouth. Honey's no help. She's too impatient to stand there while they figure it out. Often as not, if they get close to figuring it out, she blocks them with a hind foot. She wandered around the yard, checking on the kids occasionally. When I put her back in the pen and brought the kids in the house, she resumed screaming bloody murder. 

Any ideas on how I can teach the kids to kneel for their food?


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Lower the bottles when bottle feeding so they have to kneel every time they eat.
Be sure to hold the bottle nearly completely vertical so it is like nursing for them too.

I would work hard to bring them out HUNGRY as many times a day as you can manage so they keep trying! Leave them out for a couple hours in a small pen with her if it's above freezing.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Do they need to kneel because Honey is short or her udder hangs low/isn't super well attached? My previous herd queen had a crappy udder that just hung way too low. It was a hassle every year to teach the kids to kneel.


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## olfart (Mar 7, 2013)

Honey's udder appears to be normal for her size. She's a little shorter than her mother, but the kids are long-legged. 

The temp is above 50 today, so I've moved the kids back to the pen and put the heat lamp in the shed. Eeyore has finally figured out the eating arrangements and is bouncing all over the pen. Pooh is not doing as well. He's been refusing the bottle since last night, and I have not caught him nursing. We gave them both enemas this morning because there was no yellow poop in their crate yet.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

What is the kids temp, who is not wanting to nurse?

I would be persistent and teach the kids to get on their knee's, keep putting the kids on the knee's, repeatedly. 
If they get up, put them back down again and show them where the teat is. Do this on and off throughout the day.

I would tie up mama snug and tie up one back leg, the side you are working from, so she cannot kick the kids, this helps.


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## olfart (Mar 7, 2013)

Pooh's temp is 101.7. He bounced around the pen a little bit this afternoon, so maybe he figured out how to eat. I'll try him on the bottle again shortly.


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## olfart (Mar 7, 2013)

Pooh drank 4 - 5 ounces from the bottle this evening. Maybe that will keep him going. Honey's left side is about flat, and the right side is stretched, so nobody's eating from the right side. I'll have to milk out the right side tomorrow and try to get them started on it.


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## olfart (Mar 7, 2013)

After giving Pooh a bottled breakfast and lunch, this evening I finally got him interested in mama as a food source. Granted she was tied to a fence and had me keeping her relatively still, but when he got disconnected he went back and found it on his own. There's hope!


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Yay! Maybe he has it figured out! You are a good patient teacher!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

That sounds great, good work. 

Now, when you go outside, sneak up on them and see if you can catch him nursing on mama by himself. It sounds like he may be dong that now.


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