Time Flies By & Traumatic Kidding

I can't believe it has been a few weeks since my last post. So many things have gone on. One of the biggest events in the past few weeks was the goat kidding that happened last night. Here are some excerpts from a few email about it. The first is the initial email when my daughter was asking for help with this situation.

"On Mar 6, 2010, at 9:05 PM, Good Goats wrote:

> If anyone wants to give me a call, my number is 918-598-4004. . . I
> could use some help!!
>
> I have a FF Boer doe that is in labor. She having hardly
> contractions. I felt in her and her cervix is only dialated enough
> for 2 of my fingers to fit in. I can feel a hoof in there but there
> is no way it is going to come out with her cervix that small.
>
> Any help would be great. Thanks!
>
> ~ Suriyah"

Here are a few emails by her and myself after the event:

"Well, in the 6 years that we have been doing goats (& lots of 
kiddings), that was the worst and most traumatic kidding I think I 
have ever dealt with!!

We gave her Oxytocin and I manually dialated her cervix, probably for 
about 30-40 minutes (on and off, and time flies by when you're 
busy!). Anyway, I finally got it much bigger and the kid was right 
there ready to come out. She was now pushing, and the kid's feet were 
out and the nose was right there, and it's tongue was starting to go 
purple. Every time she would push we could see the whole ring of the 
cervix - it was yellowish/whitish. I was still helping stretch the 
area, and then the kid came out.

It was ALIVE (after over 2 1/2 hours of being in the birth canal and 
the sack being broke), to our amazement - and a little doeling!!!

Immediately after the kid came out, the mom started bleeding like 
I've never seen before. It looked like someone was pouring a jug of 
blood there - it was gulping out. I ran and got the Shepherd's Purse 
tincture, and a good friend (who's not "farmy"!) started putting 
counter-pressure in her. I gave her a ton of Shepherd's purse, and 
her tongue was going white. Within a minute, the bleeding subsided 
and the color came back to her! She started licking her kid and 
acting great for what just happened! I gave her a bunch of Karo and 
sugar water, injectable B and probiotics.

She is now eating grain and hay and nursing her kid!

I just hope she fully recovers. Anyone want more info about what 
happened email me. Also if anyone has any ideas of what to do to 
boost her blood/etc, ideas would be welcomed.

Thank you!!
~ Suriyah"
"I was there at this birth. As the 2 front feet started to present more, the nose was also there but, the tongue was hanging off to the side and looking purple. While Suriyah was massaging the cervix, I was using counter-pressure on the vaginal opening. I was hoping that the head would pop through. I believe the cervix retracted but, as the kid finally came out. One quick look down and we could see the kid was ALIVE. I took the kid and supported it and started swinging it upside down.

At this point we realized the doe was bleeding what looked like cupfuls of blood. Our friend (Teresa) instinctively grabbed a clean rag and shoved her hand partly up inside. Suriyah ran for the Shepherd's purse (we have had a past experience where we watched Shepherd's purse stop a life-threatening hemorrhage - my own life) and so we know how fast it can work. We started squirting dropperfuls of it down the goat's throat. It was only when I saw the doe's tongue start to turn white that I said to take the lid off and pour it down her throat. Within less than a minute, the bleeding stopped.

At this moment, mom and doeling are doing fine. Now to get some sleep before one of the other does goes into labor . . . yes, we have 3 more in the stalls right behind me ready to pop . . . and a few more outside. Yikes!

Thanks,

Kim"