but we are excited to announce this beautiful boer doeling is thriving despite her challenges at birth and for the past 72 hours.
Here is the short version!
- Lillith had Pita a beautiful traditional red headed boer baby doeling and a huge, solid red, boer buckling who was dead at birth.
- Pita was able to escape the birthing pen. I found her at 2am, Sunday, 2/9, on the other side of the pen talking to her Mom.
- We never saw her latch. She tried to nurse Lillith's chest as soon as I put her back in with her Dam.
- Milked Mom and syringe fed her to ensure she got something.
- Temp dropped by 11;30 am Sunday and she was brought in to be warmed. Got her warmed using a tented towel and blow dryer. Gave her some of Mom's milk via syringe once she was 101.5.
- Her temperature dropped again and this time I had to bathe her in a garbage bag to get her temp up. Gave her some more milk when she reached 101.5 and made sure she maintained her temp for a while. I took her back out later to visit with Lillith. She still didn't nurse. As you can imagine Lillith is a wreck which is so heartbreaking!
- Noticed she was laying around at the gate in the sun so I took her in for a temp check. This time she was 99.0% degrees, again warmed her, got her stable and set her up to stay inside for the night.
-We fed her every 2 hours and by 6 am she was coughing/wheezing. Gave her some OTC antibiotics and waited for the vet to open. I didn't have any strong antibiotics on hand. She got lots of supportive care and antibiotics from the vet. Brought her home and within 20 mins she crashed and went floppy. Checked her temp, it was good but she wouldn't eat and she was just laying limp in my arms. Gave her molasses numerous times and nothing, just a floppy baby boer doeling. The hubby called the vet and I ran her out to Lillith hoping she could stimulate her. I held her while she talked to her and licked her. The hubby came out and said the vet was in surgery. I ran back in with her, called the vet back to tell them we were on our way back. I held her and kept telling her to fight to live on the way back to the vet. Every once in a while she would make this awful scream. I call it the death scream. I wasn't even sure she was breathing at times.
- She was alive when we arrived. He said she was hypoglycemic and tube fed her. I held her the entire way home not thinking she would make it. We started tube feeding every 2 hours. After the 3 rd feeding she stood up!
- We finally got a pee and a poop yesterday! This is by far the best text I have gotten in a very long time. She can now walk in and out of her goat crate.
- She got to spend some time with Lillith Monday afternoon with human Dad watching closely. She was maintaining her temperature as well!
- As of this morning we continue to tube feed her but she took 4 ozs and is walking around. She still will NOT bottle feed despite trying every trick in the book. I have also tried to syringe feed her. She is not having that either. She is fighting to NOT have the tube put in which is a good sign. She also gives me these looks at times and I am not sure if she loves me or hates me but I'm okay either way because she is alive!
Our little PITA goat has the will to live! She has fought to live for the past 72 hours and we have done everything humanly possible to make sure she survives and grows old on the farm. We continue to pray that she will heal and be strong enough to go back out with Lillith in the next 24 hours.