B12 for month old kids?

MAAA

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One of our bucklings was acting very lethargic and couldn't stand for more than a few seconds this morning. No idea what's wrong with him. Since we've brought him in the house and made him eat/drink, he's doing much better. Should we give him a B12 shot? And if so, how much? Any ideas on what could be wrong with him?
 

Latestarter

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Greetings and welcome to BYH. Sorry you're having difficulty with your buckling. Congrats though on the new babies. How many kids from that doe? what breed? How old is he? Was he born normal or breech? Pulled or unassisted? Did he get colostrum when he was born? Did the doe have her CD&T shot ~a month before kidding? It may be a mineral deficiency (selenium/copper) that is causing the leg weakness, or he might just still be weak and need a little time for his joints to tighten up. I'll tag a few folks who might be better able to help you. They may need some or all of the added info I asked to be able to help better though.

@Goat Whisperer @frustratedearthmother @OneFineAcre @babsbag @Southern by choice and there are so many others I could list.

Good luck with him and if you get a chance, we all love to see pics of other's animals, especially the babies. They're so cute! Glad you joined us. Hope you'll stick around. Browse the threads and make yourself at home.
 

MAAA

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Thank you both for the quick reply. He is the biggest of two (has a sister), mini nubian, almost a month old (three weeks), he had a normal birth, plenty of colostrum, his mom had her CD&T. He weighs about 15 pounds. He's a BIG youngun and an udder hog. We live in a selenium/mineral deficient area and have to supplement.
 

Hens and Roos

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Sorry to hear that he isn't feeling good. Did you take his temp to make sure he isn't running a fever? Hope you can get him back to feeling well!
 

OneFineAcre

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You may want to get a fecal
Coccidia can cause problems at that age

I'm not sure about the dose on the B-12 but with the weight someone can maybe answer
I don't think a cc would be too much
We give 3 lb kids 3/10 cc
 

Goat Whisperer

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B 12 would probably be fine, although a B complex or B-1 (thiamine) would probably be better.

I say "probably" because it's hard to tell what's wrong with your goat :)


You need to take his temperature.
What do his eyelids look like?

Can you get a vet out? If you can't call a vet today can you call one tomorrow?

Coccidia could be a concern. What does his poop look like? They don't always have scours- getting his fecal checked would be good. This doesn't scream cocci to me, but again it's hard to tell. I know "they" say 3 weeks is prime for cocci, however I've never seen it flare up in a goat that young. I know it happens, I just haven't witnessed it.

How does his stomach look? Is it distended, hard, squishy, making noise?

Have you given any new food/hay/milk to him recently? Is he grinding his teeth.

Are you sure he's eating and the dam is kicked my him off?

Does he like with other goats/horses/etc. that could have stepped on or butted him?

Does his body feel normal?
 

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Meant to say, probiotics might be helpful too.

I wouldn't give anything until you get the temperature first.

How is his breathing?
 
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