# I get worried



## Sweetpea8 (Jun 6, 2013)

Hi!

I've watched my goats give birth a few times and we used to have beef cows too, but I still always get worried if I'm doing the right thing or not. My goat, Lily is due in 5 days. She is a La Mancha /saanen mix and she and her mother have given birth at this point before. Her ligaments disappeared tuesday night. She was slab sided and post legged yesterday. This morning she was having contractions about 15 min apart and there is a slight glisten of clear mucus at her backend. Her udder was pretty loose too. Well, I started to watch and the contractions stopped so I fed her and left for a bit with my daughter watching quietly. My daughter said she had contractions about 5 min apart while I was gone, but then a large noisy truck parked outside for a few minutes and they pretty much stopped. These are milder contractions she's having, she either wiggles her tail a lot or goes through them quietly. Not like the yelling contractions when they are ready to push. I gave her some cpmk because her ears are a bit cooler than the other goat's. last time I checked her she was just resting quietly no contractions while I was watching. I'm heading to tsc to get some stuff and my daughter will check on her every half hour. If she hasn't progressed by the time I get back I'll go in and see if a baby is malpositioned. I feel like she is just in early labor . Her udder is filling up now too. I just need reassurance that I'm doing the right things. She is talking to the babies more than usuual but isn't up and down a lot or anything like that. Thanks for any help!
Stephanie


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Sounds like you are doing fine.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree, you are doing good.


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## Sweetpea8 (Jun 6, 2013)

Thank you, a little reassurance goes a long way!


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## Sweetpea8 (Jun 6, 2013)

I went in and checked her her cervix and it is thinning and only open the tiniest bit ; I couldn't even get one finger through. I think I'll give her until morning then get her to the vet and see if I can get them to induce her if she hasn't had them yet. I'm pretty sure she'll have more than one and last year the first one had a leg back and she kept seeming like she was in early labor for 4-5 days until one morning she just looked low-not bright and alert and thankfully I was able to get a vet who came out and induced her for me. When she had the kids the next day, they were huge and needed lots of pulling. I don't want to go through that again, and definitely not on a weekend again. My cousin asked me if I had any oxytocin. Are we allowed to get it without prescription?
He lives down in the wilds of TN, so maybe his vet lets him keep it on hand. I apologize for rambling. Any advice is welcome!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Oxytocin is RX. Do not use that unless she is open.

If she has been acting as if she has been in early labor for that long, I would get a vets opinion.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

Any news?


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

If she isn't even due yet give her time, probably prelabor.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Prelabor can last for many hours, like within a day or so. 
5 days, now 4 days prior to kidding date, she can have those babies, they would be OK.
Being's it has been days of acting pre-labor as you say, there is concern.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

How are things?


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## Sweetpea8 (Jun 6, 2013)

Hi! She started getting weak and stumbly and I realized she was only getting up when she had to so I treated her with cpmk and molasses Thurs night, Fri morning she looked much better so I thought I was just being too worried and didn't do anything new, but Friday night she started looking even more depressed and weak so I treated her again and checked through the night. No more contractions since that first day and not talking to the babies much any more or building little haynests.so Saturday am she looked really weak and depressed again so I drenched her again and took her to the vet. She looked pretty good by the time he saw her a few hours later but he told me she's a bit chubby (oops) and had a bit of sugar in her urine, but he did let me take some lutehome although he said I should just keep up with the drench since it does perk her up. So I have been busy the past few days trying to drench her around the clock , check her for ketones( she gets trace ketones 4 hours after being drenched.) checking her heartrate too make sure she gets enough calcium to get her well enough to eat but not make her heartrate too fast, added acv, baking soda, probiotics and vitamins to the regimen. She's good and strong enough to wear me out drenching her but she started to drag her back legs sometimes, gets very star gazy, and hasn't really been eating , just picking here and there. She seems a bit better today,are about 1 1/2cups alfalfa pellets, when I take her for walks she nibbles here and there and today looked a bit more serious about it. Still no babies, but her udder has really started filling up today finally and because she is eating so little and not really drinking except what she gets when I drench her( I have also been giving her alfalfa pellets soaked in lots of water with the syringe to keep her rumen going and make sure she gets a bit of fluids). I gave her the lute this morning, then a couple of hours later she looked like her udder is fuller, so maybe it wasn't necessary, but I just want her to have her babies before she gets to weak from not eating much. I did try to find the injectable b complex but no tsc near me had it in stock. I hope I'm not too confusing, I haven't had much sleep lately. I'm hoping she'll have her baby/ies today or tomorrow and I can start sleeping at night more again
Thanks for all the advice! I'll update when she has them!
Stephanie


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## Sweetpea8 (Jun 6, 2013)

1 little doe arrived safely this evening ! I bounced and went in to check and there don't seem to be anymore. I'm not sure what to do about the milk fever /ketosis I've been treating Lily for now that she's had the baby. I usually start milking them all the way out 12 hours after birth to avoid mastitis because she has staph that we keep at bay by milking , garlic and vitamin c. I guess I shouldn't milk her out all the way for Agee days?thank you!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Wow you have been busy.

Glad she had her baby.

You will have to keep up with the calcium drench 2 x a day at minimum, until she starts eating alfalfa on her own.
SO her own body can regulate it. Maybe a day or 2 depending.
Keytone levels watch them too, if they are OK you can stop it.

With her producing more milk now to feed her baby, I would not milk her out, it will take more from her calcium wise.
Causing more issues.

If she has staph on the outside of her udder, she should be OK and just need a little milked out to keep her from getting too tight for a while, so she can get her own calcium levels back on her own. What are you using for the staph?

Congrats on the new baby and hope mamma gets better soon. She should improve within no time.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

How are things?


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## Sweetpea8 (Jun 6, 2013)

She is slowly getting better. I found the injectable vit b on amazon and started that yesterday and she looks more alert but is still not eating too much. I think she is building her rumen bacteria back up, all she will eat is a few cups of alfalfa pellets am and pm and a tiny amount of forage when I take her for a walk outside. She does a little more every day though and looks strong. We haven't been milking her completely out just taking a cup or two to make sure the milk keeps moving. I just got a bag of compressed hay from tsc and I'm hoping it will help her to eat more!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

You are doing the right things. At least she is eating some, she should get better. 
Keep up the Fortified vit B complex shots for a few a days and probiotics. It takes 3 to 4 days to rebuild a little down rumen. Longer if it was shutting down.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

How are things going?


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## Sweetpea8 (Jun 6, 2013)

Hi! I cut back on the b complex over a few days and gave her the probiotics for a few more days and now she is eating pretty normally, she is giving us about a half gallon a day (worked her way slowly up to that) now and feeding her baby well and eating well again. Her daughter had twins a few days ago so the stress of waiting for babies is over for us. I took all 5 of them on a foraging walk today and it was a bit crazy but fun to see the babies bouncing all over and the momma' calling them. Thanks for checking!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Really good to hear, good work.


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## Sweetpea8 (Jun 6, 2013)

I really appreciate all the advice too, it is such a comfort to have people I can ask who are more experienced in goats!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Glad we helped.


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