| Author | Message | ||
     Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 665 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.216.141  Rating: N/A |
Please remember that this forum is for emergencies only. Post all other questions to the non emergency forum. But to answer your question: Go to the National Pygmy Goat Association website at http://www.npga-pygmy.com and order the Pygmy Goat Handbook and Pygmy Goats: Management and Veterinary Care. That should get you started. The NPGA website also has several good articles about pygmy care as does my website at http://www.maggidans.com I have raised and shown pygmies for over 15 years and I am a director on the NPGA Governing Board. Maxine Kinne's website Kinne's Minis has lots of articles about keeping pygmies, she was the NPGA Health, Education and Research chairperson for many years. Her website is at http://www.kinne.net/ The Fiasco Farm website has lots of good articles about goat care in general at http://www.fiascofarm.com Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Gerald Douglas Robinson New member Username: whisler Post Number: 1 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 216.77.139.180 Rating: N/A |
What book on pygmy goats is best. I just got two pygmys . thanks Gerald robi6472@bellsouth.net | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 638 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.216.141 Rating: N/A |
She needs about 2 ounces per pound of body weight every 24 hours to live. So she should have enough food at this point. I would give a bit less each time, no more than 2 ounces at a time every 3 hours or so. She has to poop. SHe has had enough colostrum to get the antibodies she needs. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Theresa Chandler New member Username: tchandler6 Post Number: 66 Registered: 08-2005 Posted From: 207.69.138.141 Rating: N/A |
I just gave her 3 ozs. of milk tubed. How often do I need to tube her, and how much? Mom is giving all she can with the triplets that she's feeding, so tomorrow I will probably have to go to the whole milk formula. | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 635 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.216.141 Rating: N/A |
I usually give the goat a big lump of fluids 15 to 20 cc (mine are 2 pound pygmies). They usually look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame when I am done with them. It won't hurt to keep giving enemas I usually repeat every couple of hours or so so not to stress the kid too much. I put just a bit of mineral oil in my enema (about 1 to 2 cc and the rest warm water about another 6 to 10 cc for a 4 pound kid. Giving the fluids SQ they are absorbed slowly and don't shock the system as much as a giving alot IV. Give more in an hour or so when those are absorbed. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Theresa Chandler New member Username: tchandler6 Post Number: 64 Registered: 08-2005 Posted From: 207.69.138.141 Rating: N/A |
Thanks for the information on the tube feeding, Maggie. How often should I do the tubing? Today was my very first experience with tube feeding, and I have to say, I was worrying over nothing. It really wasn't so bad after all. I will do it again here in a little bit, if she doesn't take the bottle for me. I did actually just give her the ringers lactate after I emailed you. I only gave her 12 cc's in each shoulder, though. Was that sufficient? If she doesn't start pooping on her own real soon, is it damaging to her to keep giving her enemas? Thanks again, Maggie | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 633 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.216.141 Rating: N/A |
You won't take away her suckling reflexes by tube feeding. But she has to continue pooping. What goes in must come out. I tube fed a kid for a week before he would take a bottle. He was normal and healthy (had fine suckling reflexes the whole time, near sucked my fingers off) just WOULD NOT take a bottle...I tube fed a premie for 4 or 5 days until she developed a suckling reflex. To get around the putting too much in with not enough poop coming out and still keep her hydrated and somewhat fed you can give Ringers Lactated IV fluids by SQ injection under the loose skin over the shoulders. Give her about 15 cc at each shoulder every 4 hours or so. This will help with passing the meconium too. Suckling does help with the digestive process, starting peristalsis, so keep trying a bottle. Giving penicillin at this age is useless, it wears off in about 12 hours and there won't be any germs to fight until at least 3 days old... Go very easy giving an enema the mucus membrane tears easily. Lube the tip very well. You probably just wounded her a bit but she will be fine. Be careful about keeping her too warm, heat lamps and heating pads really dry these little ones out, causing dehydration. Any birth fluids she may have breathed in are easily absorbed by the lungs. It is exactly the same as her own body fluids and for the last few days of gestation the fetus actually WILL breathe these fluids as the chest muscles get ready to start working. It is aspirating milk (or some other FOREIGN fluid) that is the danger...and with tube feeding you get around that problem. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Theresa Chandler New member Username: tchandler6 Post Number: 62 Registered: 08-2005 Posted From: 207.69.138.134 Rating: N/A |
Hello, my alpine nanny had 4 babies today. 3 of them are doing fine, the fourth is not doing so great. she weighs 4 1/2 lbs. I have tube fed her a couple times, gave her bo-se, gave her an enema, in which lots of hard meconium came out, (mixed karo syrup in with her milk) I gave her 2 1/2 oz.s of mom's colostrum milk in the tube feeding both times. She is at least up and around now, but she still has no interest in nursing from mom or a bottle. belly still feels full, after 4 hours since last feeding and last enema. her temp is 102. so she's not chilled. After I gave the enema she is bleeding from the rectum some, should I be concerned with this? I gave her some penicillin to fight off any infection or pnemonia in case she took in too many fluids during birth. QUESTION:: HOW MANY TIMES CAN YOU SAFELY TUBE FEED, WITHOUT HURTING HER OR TAKING AWAY HER SUCKING REFLEXES? |