For some context - One of our doe just had her first litter sometime in the last few days. She didn't make a great nest to the point I didn't realize she had kits in it until today - some thin, loosely arranged hay and a small spread of fluff in the box, with a large amount of fluff still strewn around outside. (We've had quite a few litters in the past, but this was our first in about a year and a half. Usually our does will gather up the outside fluff and put it in the box when they have their litter if they haven't done it before.)
When I checked in there on a hunch that there could be a few kits hiding in the small space under the fur, I found two dead kits that looked like they'd been flattened by momma, and one still alive in the very back of the box.
The one still alive had a very tight tangle of hay and fur around a rear leg. One hind foot is extremely swollen and black. I untangled it as gently as I could and sprayed it with a bit of hotspot Vetericyn, dried it in hopes that more fur wouldn't stick to it, and put it back in the box.
We've never had a circumstance like this and I'm realizing I don't know much about tourniquets on limbs. Is it safe to try to leave it without anything on the limb, or is there a reason I should put some type of tourniquet back on? I'm not sure the foot is recoverable and want to try to figure out what the best option is. We were so busy this past week; I feel terrible that I didn't check for kits sooner.
I have small rubber bands (regular, chick bands, and goat castration bands) and quite a few ointments and things to treat livestock with. I'm hesitant to put anything wet or sticky on it with all the fur that will dry stuck to it in the nest. Any help would be appreciated.
When I checked in there on a hunch that there could be a few kits hiding in the small space under the fur, I found two dead kits that looked like they'd been flattened by momma, and one still alive in the very back of the box.
The one still alive had a very tight tangle of hay and fur around a rear leg. One hind foot is extremely swollen and black. I untangled it as gently as I could and sprayed it with a bit of hotspot Vetericyn, dried it in hopes that more fur wouldn't stick to it, and put it back in the box.
We've never had a circumstance like this and I'm realizing I don't know much about tourniquets on limbs. Is it safe to try to leave it without anything on the limb, or is there a reason I should put some type of tourniquet back on? I'm not sure the foot is recoverable and want to try to figure out what the best option is. We were so busy this past week; I feel terrible that I didn't check for kits sooner.
I have small rubber bands (regular, chick bands, and goat castration bands) and quite a few ointments and things to treat livestock with. I'm hesitant to put anything wet or sticky on it with all the fur that will dry stuck to it in the nest. Any help would be appreciated.
