I need goat kid help!!!?

Question

we have a week old pygmy kid that we are bottle feeding. He is very small, He does stand and walks good, but mostly stands in one spot or sleeps all day. The vet thinks he might have hydrocephalus, and may be blind. What are some signs of blindness in goats? and we are feeding him goat milk from the store, any ideas on how to put some weight on him?

Answer 1

I'll give this a shot.  I've bottle raised 6 goats.  One was extremely little when we got him and very skinny...it took a while for him to put on some weight.   A week is really small though....what did your vet say?  Do you have ANY goat farms near you to get fresh milk?  The store milk is probably not enough for him.  Be sure to warm it up...I don't know how much experience you have but he will need to eat like every 2-4 hours at that little age.   Until they are like 2-3 months.  I would get online and check that out.  I know I didn't want to get mine too small because you have to feed them at least every three hours and that means in the middle of the night.  :)  

Is he warm at night?  He is so small, you might need a warm light in there.  Is he in a kennel at night?  Be sure he is warm enough for sure.  Be sure to snuggle with him a lot so he will bond with you well and you can help him warm up during the day.  Pretty soon, you will be mom and he won't let you out of his sight. Are you gonna get another?  They are like dogs and need a companion.   They are not good alone.  

Blind...does he respond when you put a hand in front of his eyes?  Each one?  Pass is around each eye and see what he does.   Hopefully he isn't really sick.  Try to find a goat farm to get some advice.   Good luck with him!

Answer 2

Did the vet take his temp?  And do a fecal exam?  A kid that age, especially when bottle raised,  can aspirate milk into the lungs and get silent pneumonia, which requires antibiotics.  It will need to be treated very quickly if that is what he has.

A fecal should be done to check for coccidiosis and/or e.coli.  These are two relatively common problems in young kids, and sometimes they have no symptoms other than lethargy.

It is possible that he has a birth defect.  It is rare, but it does happen.  

Goat's milk from the store is fine.  Cow's milk would be OK, too.  Stay away from replacers of any kind, there are many kids that cannot tolerate replacers.  

Blindness in goats can be caused by a vitamin deficiency.  There is a product called Nutra-Drench goat formula.  Make sure it is the GOAT formula, and not the SHEEP & GOAT formula.  He can have a little of that every day & it will help build strength along with give him necessary vitamins/minerals.

How much are you feeding him?  His tummy should feel round & full after a feeding, but not so full that it feels hard and uncomfortable.  Pygmy kids have very small tummies, and need small feedings very often throughout the day.