Her name was Nanny, and she was my
first goat. About four years old, she
was three weeks away from having her first kids. She would have had twins. The condition that killed her was pregnancy
toxemia.
Pregnancy toxemia or ketosis is a
metabolic disease of ewes and does that occurs in late pregnancy or early
lactation. Caused by improper nutrition
at this critical time, the problem arises from the mother’s inability to meet
her glucose requirements. She begins to
break down her body’s stores of fat, resulting in the production of toxic
products called ketones, which make the ewe or doe sick.
This condition can be seen in either
thin, undernourished animals or in overly fat ones. What happens in the fat animals is that they
build up too much fat in their liver, which impairs its function, leading to
improper fat metabolism and ketone production.
Nanny was too fat.
Pregnancy toxemia is also called
twin-lamb or twin-kid disease. In the
last two to four weeks of pregnancy, a mother that is carrying multiple fetuses
in her abdomen is walking a metabolic tight-rope. There is not enough room in there to carry
babies plus low quality feedstuffs.
Therefore, her nutrition quality must be at a higher plane than what may
have been adequate previously. The
mother needs to be eating feed that is higher in energy and protein, such as
grain and alfalfa hay.
Usually the first signs of the disease
are a decreased appetite and listlessness.
The sick mother will hang back from the rest of the herd and not come up
to eat at chore time. Over the next two
to five days, she will become progressively weaker and show neurological signs
such as muscle twitches, incoordination, and blindness. She will soon become recumbent, go into a
coma, and finally die.
If treated early in the course of
the disease, most animals will recover.
The later one waits to begin treatment, the less likely the outcome will
be successful. The best initial
treatment is a liquid called propylene glycol.
This product is metabolized in the animal’s body to glucose, or sugar. It is a very inexpensive medicine and anyone
who raises sheep and goats should keep it on hand. At the first hint of a problem in the mother,
this treatment should be started. Give
two to four ounces orally twice a day for two to four days if necessary. If too much propylene glycol is given,
however, the appetite can be suppressed.
If you don’t have any propylene
glycol and suspect a problem, start treatment with some kind of sugar-pancake
syrup, honey or Karo syrup-until you can get some.
If the condition does not improve,
Dextrose can be given intravenously by your veterinarian. If the mother if far enough along in the
pregnancy, often babies can be saved by an induced abortion with dexamethasone
or a caesarian section. Sometimes these
methods are employed even if the young ones are not viable, in order to save
the mother.
As with many disease conditions,
often an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Obesity should be avoided in early
pregnancy. Good quality hay should be
fed throughout the entire pregnancy. In
the last four to six weeks of gestation, a grain mix should be fed. Start with one half to one pound a day, and
work up to one and a half to two pounds a day in the last two to three weeks.
One problem I have run into is
owners who are worried that the lambs or kids will be too large at birth, so
they decrease the amount of feed to the mothers in the last one to two months
of pregnancy. This is the worst possible
thing to do as this can lead to dire pregnancy toxemia consequences.
As always, I hope you have a
successful lambing and kidding season.
If you have any pregnancy toxemia concerns, consult your
veterinarian.
The Lima News-
February 8, 2004
Congratulation for the great post. Those who come to read your Information will find lots of helpful and informative tips. Portland Dog Training
ReplyDelete