Week old goat kid orphans not pooping

[aliciaFarmer]

Hello. I don't know how many goat people are here but hopefully somebody can help. Very long story short, my favorite Nigerian Dwarf doe passed away after having 3 kids and 5 days later discovering that a fourth was stuck. I called the vet numerous times and he said that was impossible. I ended up having to help get it out of her and nursed her for several days before she died of infection (despite daily antibiotics and uterine flushes) and while burying her yesterday we discovered there was actually a fifth baby which is probably why nothing helped.

The three living babies are bottle fed organic whole cow's milk though I do have Doe's match kid milk replacer. I was told not to use that because it can be constipating but it seems like cows milk can be as well. My buckling was all scrunched up a few days ago with his tail down and it was evident that he couldn't poop so her a vet tech recommendation I gave him an enema. He pooped immediately after that and all was well. Now I haven't seen any poops in their area since last night and I'm concerned, especially because it seemed lower volume before that anyway. They aren't lethargic or anything like that and are still active though a little less than usual. I'd given them each a dose of selenium and vitamin E and I follow the recommended amount of feeding for their weight throughout six bottles a day -- 20% of their body weight and they act like they're really still quite hungry. I'm not sure if I should give them each an enema again or do something else but it seems weird that they're eating normally and not pooping, especially with their slightly reduced activity. When I go in they are very happy and wiggly but when I'm not in their little indoor pen, they are very chill as of the past 24 hours. They were born on the 19th so are 10 days old.

Has anyone had any experience with this or have any recommendations by chance?

 

[BrinaM]

Hello. I don't know how many goat people are here but hopefully somebody can help. Very long story short, my favorite Nigerian Dwarf doe passed away after having 3 kids and 5 days later discovering that a fourth was stuck. I called the vet numerous times and he said that was impossible. I ended up having to help get it out of her and nursed her for several days before she died of infection (despite daily antibiotics and uterine flushes) and while burying her yesterday we discovered there was actually a fifth baby which is probably why nothing helped.

The three living babies are bottle fed organic whole cow's milk though I do have Doe's match kid milk replacer. I was told not to use that because it can be constipating but it seems like cows milk can be as well. My buckling was all scrunched up a few days ago with his tail down and it was evident that he couldn't poop so her a vet tech recommendation I gave him an enema. He pooped immediately after that and all was well. Now I haven't seen any poops in their area since last night and I'm concerned, especially because it seemed lower volume before that anyway. They aren't lethargic or anything like that and are still active though a little less than usual. I'd given them each a dose of selenium and vitamin E and I follow the recommended amount of feeding for their weight throughout six bottles a day -- 20% of their body weight and they act like they're really still quite hungry. I'm not sure if I should give them each an enema again or do something else but it seems weird that they're eating normally and not pooping, especially with their slightly reduced activity. When I go in they are very happy and wiggly but when I'm not in their little indoor pen, they are very chill as of the past 24 hours. They were born on the 19th so are 10 days old.

Has anyone had any experience with this or have any recommendations by chance?

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I don’t really know about goats but with foals sometimes it takes more then one enema to get them unblocked. My brother in law raises goats and he uses whole milk too. Hope they are better.

 

[aliciaFarmer]

I don’t really know about goats but with foals sometimes it takes more then one enema to get them unblocked. My brother in law raises goats and he uses whole milk too. Hope they are better.

Thank you so much! I may just have to try again. I did watch the little guy poop after the first time I gave him an enema but maybe they need a little extra help for a few days. They had colostrum from mom for the first two days but then artificial colostrum so that could have had an impact on their systems as well. I will keep trying until I see regular movements from them.

 

[BrinaM]

Thank you so much! I may just have to try again. I did watch the little guy poop after the first time I gave him an enema but maybe they need a little extra help for a few days. They had colostrum from mom for the first two days but then artificial colostrum so that could have had an impact on their systems as well. I will keep trying until I see regular movements from them.

We give the foals enema then flush with warm water due to vet said enema may irritate them a little and only use if have too. The foals are not hard to tell they lift tails and strain to go. Not sure about goats. The foals have the plug they call it that has to come out. I’m glad your babies are active when they see you that’s a good sign and eating. Do they get under a heat lamp? That pic of the blue eyed kid is adorable!

 

[aliciaFarmer]

We give the foals enema then flush with warm water due to vet said enema may irritate them a little and only use if have too. The foals are not hard to tell they lift tails and strain to go. Not sure about goats. The foals have the plug they call it that has to come out. I’m glad your babies are active when they see you that’s a good sign and eating. Do they get under a heat lamp? That pic of the blue eyed kid is adorable!

I'm only doing warm water for the enema because I was afraid to use anything else. Some people recommend dish soap and water or olive oil or whatever oil but some people say that plain water works just fine on these little ones. I didn't know that about foals -- that's very interesting. I'm probably just overreacting because the past nine days have been completely and utterly insane, heartbreaking and in a few instances, terrifying. Lots of fun moments with the kids though and lots of joy. ♡

No, I don't put them under heat. They are inside a cabin we have with a little space heater in the room. I made a pen for them out of pallets. Or rather my husband did. When I just did their bottle-feeding they were super hyper so that's a hugely good sign and two of them had poop on their hooves so whatever was causing them not to poop all day may now be remedied. I'm just going to keep a very close eye on them and try not to get too worked up.

Thank you! Her name is Lyra like the constellation. Her sister is Ursa and her brother is Orion (all constellation names). I had another goat that wasn't supposed to kid until April who went into labor less than 24 hours after the first mama so I actually have two other kids as well. I was terrified they were going to be preemies but nope, there was a fluke at the breeder before I bought her. Unfortunately they are all half-siblings and I have two bucklings and three doelings, all polled, and three of them have those pretty blue eyes.

 

[chickens really]

@cassie

 

[cassie]

If a kid is constipated glycerine infant suppositories work just fine. You can also put a little Karo syrup in their milk.

 

[aliciaFarmer]

If a kid is constipated glycerine infant suppositories work just fine. You can also put a little Karo syrup in their milk.

Thank you! I will pick up some suppositories today. Is Karo syrup corn syrup? I don't have any of that for today but we'll get some tomorrow. The closest store other than a tiny drugstore is almost an hour away. Would molasses work in the meantime?

I also read yesterday that milk alone doesn't cause them to poop much, only pee like crazy which was refreshing to learn. Only one of them has been scrunched up and visibly uncomfortable a couple of times.

 

[cassie]

Thank you! I will pick up some suppositories today. Is Karo syrup corn syrup? I don't have any of that for today but we'll get some tomorrow. The closest store other than a tiny drugstore is almost an hour away. Would molasses work in the meantime?

I also read yesterday that milk alone doesn't cause them to poop much, only pee like crazy which was refreshing to learn. Only one of them has been scrunched up and visibly uncomfortable a couple of times.

Karo syrup is corn syrup. The advantage of corn syrup is that it is dextrose and it does not have to be digested. Unless the constipation is an ongoing problem it isn't really necessary. Back in the day when people mixed their own baby formula for infants instead of buying it, they used canned milk and they added a little corn syrup to keep things moving. Molasses would probably work here but bear in mind I am talking about small amounts of the syrup. Otherwise things may move too well. I haven't tried it, but you might go on the internet and see if you can find a baby formula made with canned milk. I would guess Karo would be one of the ingredients and that should tell you how much to add per pint of milk.

 

[aliciaFarmer]

Karo syrup is corn syrup. The advantage of corn syrup is that it is dextrose and it does not have to be digested. Unless the constipation is an ongoing problem it isn't really necessary. Back in the day when people mixed their own baby formula for infants instead of buying it, they used canned milk and they added a little corn syrup to keep things moving. Molasses would probably work here but bear in mind I am talking about small amounts of the syrup. Otherwise things may move too well. I haven't tried it, but you might go on the internet and see if you can find a baby formula made with canned milk. I would guess Karo would be one of the ingredients and that should tell you how much to add per pint of milk.

Thank you so much. I will look it up for sure and keep all the info on hand. The one that I was worried about had a big poop this morning and is doing great now. I appreciate the tips so much! These little cuties have such sensitive little systems.