[wytsend]

12 months old officially !

[fifixx]

He seems a bit better still.  But tail down still with an occasional perk-up!  Presumably the slight hunch and tail-down are the discomfort?  Poo is back to dark brown as before.  I am going to give him a squirt of Anke's recipe using a syringe in the side of the mouth.  (If I just put it in a bowl, wouldn't he hoover it up as it will be sweetish?)

[jaykay]

Glad he seems better - yes, the tail down and hunch are cos he's uncomfortable.
You could always try feeding it in a bowl......mind you, this is goats we're talking about, when did they do what was required of them without fuss 

[fifixx]

Ha - gave him 3 small syringe full of water, salt, honey, bicarb - no probs.  Left the bowl on the floor as had made too much and the mum slurped it up as if it was champagne!

[Anke]

He would only take it from a bowl if he was already drinking water or normally being pan-fed. I am still struggling to get my 9-week old kids to drink water from the bucket (they are taking hay and creep readily now, but absolutley refuse to drink water! They still get about 2ltrs of milk a day)

PS.: Mum would like it because of the honey in it.

[fifixx]

Monday morning report:  much the same!  Nibbling all the time at hay, still a bit hunched and tail down but happy to moan that he is not getting any food!  Am going to put him out of the pen and leave mum and other 2 in there, give him water and check a bit later on.  How often should he have water and how much?

[Anke]

It will take him a couple of days to get over this upset, but I did it to one of mine just a couple of weeks ago - every two hours for the first day (when he had to be forced to take it, but I did not get up during the night) and then every 4 hours for another couple of days, when he was starting to take it from the bottle.

Just check that he is pee-ing and watch for any jucky stuff at his backend. His temperature is back to normal?

PS.: Is it not Tuesday today???

[fifixx]

Whoops, on account of too much tequila intake on Sat night, my days are still a bit out of synch!  yes - tuesday!

[jaykay]

Will he drink water from a bowl. If so, clean water ad lib. If you have to bottle him with it, little and as often as poss.

[fifixx]

He is hungry!  I am going to try a bit of milk in a bottle this evening - is it too soon?  poo is normal, tail up and down, still slightly hunchy.  He managed to leap over a hurdle to get back in with the others!!

He is still eating hay but is definitely smaller than his 2 sisters.

Homeopathic remedy arrived this afternoon so trying everything....

[jaykay]

I'd try him on a bottle and see how he goes - he's had a couple of days off milk now 

[fifixx]

I googled "hunched goat" and came across this http://goatbeat.net/index.php?topic=4397.0

Exactly like mine.

I just tried to bottlefeed him and got a tablespoon or so in!  He very violently protested, wriggled and butted - but I persisted!  I will try and catch some poo tomorrow and take it to the vet - it is just like the older goats - maybe too hard?  the article mentions yoghurt and probiotics - any ones or do they have to be specific to goats?  I have some powder which I take daily - "The lactic bacteria contained in Threelac are Lactobacillus Sporogenes, Bacillus Subtilis and Streptococcus Faecalis"  would this be appropriate?

I'll call the vet for a telephone chat tomorrow morning just in case. 

[Anke]

Yoghurt wouldn't do any harm, but he will take a few days to get used to eating/drinking again. Persist with small amounts as often as you manage. I would stay clear of greenery and concnetrate for a few more days though. If not enough milk continue to give water. Or some camomile tea with some honey.

[fifixx]

Woo hoo - success with the bottle - 100ml - not much, but he actually sucked....whew!

[ballingall]

We use Kaolin and morphine if the goats scour. But as Wytsend said- be very careful with very young kids. You can get from the chemist, but they are reluctant to sell it as obviously it has got morphine in it, and they think you are addicted to it! Our chemist knows what we use it for and is quite good about selling it us. The morphine is good as in an older goat if they have a sore stomach with scouring, then the morphine relieves the pain too.

But always go carefully with it. Its just as bad ending up with a contipasted kid.

Hope the wee one is better.

Beth