# New born goat with severe diarrhea



## dms6483 (Oct 19, 2012)

My husband and I got home yesterday and found one of our newborn (born 6/11) baby goats with severe diarrhea. He was sleeping and it was running out. We called the vet....after hours....and he told us to give him Gatorade and to bring him in on our lunch break today. My question is this, what should I keep at home to treat this in the future? He also said to give him a shot of penicillin if we had any but, what we had expired in 2015. Should we have chanced giving it to him? I'm just praying that he is still alive when we get home to get him.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

The most likely cause of scouring at 5 days old would be ecoli or another bacterial cause. It could also be milk scours from over-indulging on nursing and a dam that allows him to eat & eat. (typically a doe will step away after a bit of a nursing session to limit them.)

My favorite produce for bacterial scouring is a red liquid sold in the pig section at your feed store called Scourhalt or SpectoGuard or Scourcheck.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Do NOT use the expired penicillin. Neomycin or Spectoguard would be the treatment I'd use.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

I agree with both the above. Give the Spectoguard at twice the dose on the label. Give it for 5 full days. Also - right now - give him some pepto bismol to slow things down. You can give the Spectoguard right in his bottle if he's a bottle baby. If you give it am and pm, then give him some probios mid day.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good advice given.


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## dms6483 (Oct 19, 2012)

He's not a bottle baby, even though we have tried. Also, the doe does walk away after they have nursed for a few minutes. We dropped them both off...even though it seems to be just the one with the problem....with the vet about an hour ago and we are waiting to hear back. The doe had triplets but, when we found that she had given birth, one was dead. We think it may have been stepped on.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

Let us know what the vet says... I am praying for your babies. (((((hugs)))))


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## dms6483 (Oct 19, 2012)

Well, the baby has ecoli. The vet got some intravenous fluids in him and gave him a shot and then gave us a list of things that we could choose from to give him. He's still weak but seems to be slightly better. We are just anxious for him to start nursing again so he can build his strength back up.

I've attached a picture of them that was taken the day they were born. He is the lighter one.

Thanks so much for all the help with answers


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I hope he gets better for you.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

We've had ecoli here too. My bucklings seem more susceptible than my doelings for some reason... This is the first year I've ever had to use Spectoguard and I've had to use it on every set of kids thus far!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Hope all gets better soon, glad you have an answer.


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## dms6483 (Oct 19, 2012)

Well, our baby goat didn't make it. He seemed to be doing great Saturday so we took both of them out of the barn in the pen where the others were so they could get some sunshine and fresh air and they jumped around like they wanted to play. Sunday, I checked on them as soon as we got home from church and they were both in the barn asleep. I went back later that afternoon and, at first, I thought he was dead but I could see he was breathing. I tried to get him to stand but he was too weak so I made him a bottle and tried to get him to eat but he seemed to be too weak to even suck. We eventually took him in the house and laid him on some towels in the living room so I could keep an eye on him. Sometime around 7:30 he kicked a few times and then just stopped breathing and that was that. I felt so bad for him. He was only a week old and had suffered through so much. It has me really worried about what might happen when the others drop their kids.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

I'm so sorry for your loss, it's very tough


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I'm so sorry.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

If it is a problem on your property, you can vaccinate the dams for ecoli so the colostrum will protect the kids.


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

How sad--I'm so sorry! :rose:


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## dms6483 (Oct 19, 2012)

We got home yesterday to 2 more babies (twins). They are both bucklings so that gives us 3 bucklings so far. I sure hope the other 2 does have some doelings. The 2 that we lost (1 some time after birth and the other on Sunday) were also bucklings.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Very cute!


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

Wonderful ears! Can the ears ever be TOO long? Not for me!


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

I'm so sorry you lost him. But the new babies help salve the hurt, don't they? (((((Hugs)))))


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## dms6483 (Oct 19, 2012)

We had one more set of twins born on Tuesday (June21). I'm so sorry but I have to share pictures. We finally got a doeling from this set. The doeling is the one not nursing.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Very cute!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Congrats! They're adorable!

So sorry for your losses


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