# Feeding my doe back her milk - interesting



## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

I had read about feeding the doe back her milk as an old tyme mastitis remedy - and since I did find a tiny bit of blood in the milk, I've been giving her a cup or so of milk on the stand for the last few milkings.

My other big issue with this doe is that she never finishes her grain and she is fairly thin.

Well, today I was _*shocked *_to find a clean, empty grain pan after I milked. She ate every morsel and apparently licked the bowl clean. I don't think that has *ever* happened since I brought her home. Even before she kidded she never cleaned up her grain.

Coincidence, or not, I was just very :leap:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

could be a Coincidence..... :wink: :wink: congrats .........happy to hear.... she ate all her grain ......you must be thrilled........that is very good news............. :leap:


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## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

I am SO interested to see if she will eat her grain this evening. Maybe I'll sneak out and offer her an afternoon snack (milk and an extra bite of grain).


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

yeah...... let us know ....I am curious to....... :wink: :greengrin:


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## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

I made her a full size serving of grain for a snack and she hoovered it all down. Then I gave her a cup or two of milk, and that went down the hatch, too.

Decidedly weird for my goat!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

woe........it is working...... :shocked: ..... that is so neat........congrats ...I like that... :leap: :thumbup:


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## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

Yeah, she ate up 3 portions of her grain today & drank at least a quart of milk. I just can't believe it! 

I know this run of luck will probably end tomorrow, because let's face it: goats are weird.

:hair:

I have read that raw goat milk also cures peptic ulcers. I wonder if she's had an underlying issue...


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Glad she's eating better for you!

Funny, mine won't touch milk!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> Yeah, she ate up 3 portions of her grain today & drank at least a quart of milk. I just can't believe it!
> 
> I know this run of luck will probably end tomorrow, because let's face it: goats are weird.
> 
> ...


 she may of had... peptic ulcers..... it is possible.....

true test....how did it go today?


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## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

It's hard to say. She didn't want the grain much, but did drink almost a gallon of milk. The fridge was full, so other than saving a few laps for the dogs, she got the a.m. and p.m. milk. 

I do have some omeprazole (gastroguard) left over from treating a horse for ulcers a few years ago. I wonder if goats can take gastroguard? That would definitely put the ulcer theory to the test. I know how hard ulcers are on horses, it really bothers me to think she might be off her grain because of an ulcer issue. :sigh:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

It is so hard to say ....if she has ulcers for sure......  :hug: 

I'm not sure about....gastroguard............. :scratch: :hug:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Omeprazole is the generic for Prilosec prescription. My DH takes it for bleeding ulcers due to his arthritis meds.
I don't know if a goat should be given this, their stomach is alot different than a horses.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> Omeprazole is the generic for Prilosec prescription. My DH takes it for bleeding ulcers due to his arthritis meds.
> I don't know if a goat should be given this, their stomach is alot different than a horses.


I have to agree with Liz....horses do have different tummies than goats....and it may not be a good idea to give it to them :hug:


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

Definatkly talk to your vet about it first. 
Be carful giving her own milk to, a lot of does like their milk so much they turn into self nursers.
beth


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## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

I did a bunch of reading about omeprazole (gastroguard). There are a lot of anecdotal reports from owners that it works in ruminants. However, they did a study with it in alpacas. The first stomach chamber is such an efficient digester that the drug got digested or broken into component parts by the bacteria in the first chamber before it could be absorbed in the blood stream, which happens in the 3rd chamber. Apparently, ulcers are a widely recognized issue in alpacas - my guess is because they are so $$$. They said carafate (not an OTC) was completely effective for ruminant species, or IV omeprazole. I have seen several references that goats can get ulcers, but not anywhere have I read what the usual treatment is? 

Anyway, a simple option is aloe vera juice or gel, and I have that on my shopping list. I want to try offering her some soaked beetpulp with her grain in it (she seems to like a handful of BP, so there's hope). If she will accept aloe in it, that would give her a nicely buffered grain ration and hopefully I will see her eating pick up.

BTW, she did clean up her grain on the milk stand last night. I'm in a catch-22 that it may not be good to give her back her milk, but with her not eating grain well AND losing condition, I hate to withhold it at this point because it seems to be having a positive affect.

I also followed the breeder recommendation and bolused her yesterday. Good girl ate it in a marshmallow.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Sounds like you have really done some research!

Glad to hear that her appetite has picked up as well.
In reference to sparks note on her becoming a self nurser, that may happen or it may not.....I have a doe that does that and I never fed her back her milk...though she did still nurse from her mom at 3 years old/ I had to take the self nurser to my moms to wean her from my Boots, when the self nurser freshened she didn't touch her own teats until the babies were 5-6 weeks old, then she started it...I had ALOT of trouble dealing with it and when I finally was able to prevent her from reaching her own teats she started to dry up.

I don't think you'll have an issue with your doe doing that, but if you do, I have a remedy for it!


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## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

short followup: she ate all her usual grain again this morning (hooray!), and then ate about a half cup of soaked BP & half cup grain. No milk for her this morning, I need to take it all to town today.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

She's doing great! Perseverence and a caring heart gets you awesome results! :thumbup: :hug:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> short followup: she ate all her usual grain again this morning (hooray!), and then ate about a half cup of soaked BP & half cup grain. No milk for her this morning, I need to take it all to town today.


 :leap: :leap: you have been doing a great job ....with her..... :greengrin: :thumbup:


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## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

liz said:


> I don't think you'll have an issue with your doe doing that, but if you do, I have a remedy for it!


Please let me know the remedy for it! I wouldn't be suprised if it ends up being a problem.

My doe took an aloe capsule tonight (I opened it on her feed) and she has eaten 3 full portions of grain today. That's a very good day for her. I am going to stop giving her milk, and see if an aloe capsule with each feeding of grain will do the trick.


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

Beet pulp is awesome for horses with ulcers, so I'm sure it would be good for goats with ulcers. 

I know of a horse who was helped a ton by beet pulp.


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## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

Thanks - I fed a LOT of beetpulp when I was riding endurance & routinely fed aloe to my travelling horse. It really is great stuff.


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## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

My followup is that she didn't stay on her grain & started looking too thin again (she looks 'hollow' - bony hips and spine, and her belly didn't look full). I tried aloe - which she snubbed - and shredded BP. She doesn't seem to like shredded BP. 

At this point I am trying Diamond V nutritional yeast, and she's eating her regular old grain well for now. She has also tanked up on hay over the last couple of days and her belly looks very full. First time I'd seen her that full of hay. If she wasn't so perky, I'd have thought she bloated.

I'm on the verge of drying her off if she goes off her grain again.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I am sorry she was not eating as much and is getting thin again.......but it does sound.. as if she is really gobbling down her hay.....what kind are you feeding her? 
Have you tried giving her probiotic paste , baking soda, vit B complex? :hug:


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

Have you tried adding rolled barley? this is a good way to add weight. 
beth


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## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

She does have baking soda at all times. Have not tried B complex. I think the yeast contains B vitamins, though.

The Manna Pro goat mineral I was using before had probios in it... I do have some plain probios I could sprinkle on grain.

Hay is a really nice alfalfa.

Have not tried rolled barley - the protein content is almost exactly the same as rolled oats which I have offered.

Yesterday she ate all three portions of her grain OK. I am weighing it, and it's exactly a pound per feeding. We shall see how it goes today.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Sounds like ...you are doing everything right........I will pray she does better and better each day.......... :hug: ray:


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## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

Thanks - she's been eating well on this latest change (adding nutritional yeast) and milk production is way up. I am taking a half gallon per milking, and there is quite a bit left in her udder. I really want production to drop to meet demand!

I read that Diamond makes a special yeast for ruminants, it includes special rumen support cultures. I may see if I can find that for her.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Your welcome... :wink: ....that is great news .........that she is doing so well........ :leap:


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## Zelda (May 2, 2009)

Thought that I'd update - probiotics and yeast seem to be doing the trick. She is still cleaning up the Goat Chow + COB (1.25# per milking), and cleaning up another pound that I leave out for overnight.

Our feedstore doesn't know if they can get the special Diamond yeast for ruminants, but they are checking on it for me.

As a sidenote, she really seems to like the yeast, and goes out of her way to eat it up rather than sifting it out.


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## ksacres (Oct 30, 2007)

Glad she's doing better!

As a side note-feeding a her milk is an old trick for helping a thin doe gain weight. There's a lot of nutrition in there, we do this with any doe we think is too far on the thin side. And there's virtually no danger of bloating on milk. And absolutely no possibility of accidosis (milk nuetralizes acid). Unlike heavy feeds of grain or rich hay.


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