Unusual pregnancy
#11
So, Nala had a retained placenta. I was in contact with my local vet and had reached out to Nanno who has been so helpful. Thank you!!!

Nala had given birth to the first baby boy relatively easily. She was in good spirits and had begun to clean and nurse her baby soon afterwards. Leading up to her due date she was smaller than usual and her udders were nowhere near as big as usual. We had assumed it was probably just a single. In her previous pregnancies she gave birth to twins, three previous times all just minutes apart. With no issues. It was about an hour later and she went into labor to my surprise. It happened fast but I could tell she was struggling a lot more. When the baby was partially out I could tell it was a breach baby, she struggled but she got him out most of the way. She was exhausted and at this time and just the front legs were still in her. I gently pulled the baby out and immediately could tell something was wrong. I cleared its air ways and could tell it was a stillborn. 

This was bittersweet but was happy Nala and the boy were happy and healthy. I spent the night with her. During her previous pregnancies she passed the placenta no more than hour later after she was finished giving birth. 18 or so hours had gone by and she still had not passed her placenta. At this time it was hanging out of her, not long enough for her to step on it(if it is, my vet recommended to tie it in a not to shorten the length). She was not running a fever but had labored breathing and was not her usual chipper self. I called the vet and they recommended to come get a dose of oxytocin(helps induce contractions)if she has not dropped the placenta at the 24 hour mark and to give it to her in the muscle. There's no time-frame for it to work. I gave it to her at 6pm last night and had checked on her frequently checking her temperature to look for signs of infection. Goats temperatures are in-between 101-103. She was a consistent 102 average. At 8 this morning she still had not dropped the placenta but was still at 102°. I called my vet and they wanted to see her. I loaded my trailer got her to stand up to load and her placenta fell out! Whew! I called the vet back and canceled the appointment and they recommended to keep an eye on her temperature. If it breaks the 103 °mark to bring her in.

I should also add she was eating her usual amount of food and drinking while nursing and caring for her baby. 

This is my 3rd pregnancy and her fourth.

I hope this helps anybody who might be in this situation.

Still learning the goat world.
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#12
I'm glad you were able to get some oxytocin and that the placenta finally came away on its own before she had to have veterinary intervention. Still keep an eye on her temp and appetite for the next few days, and also be aware of the color and smell of her discharge. It should be bright to dark/brick red or orangish color. If it's a yucky brown or looks like it has any streaks of pus in it or if it has an off smell then it's not ok and she'll need antibiotics to clear things up. Hopefully she's fine and won't need any of that, but it's definitely worth keeping an eye on. I'm glad she's feeling well and caring for her kid. Those are great signs!
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#13
         

Nala and her baby boy. She truly is an amazing goat. She's got the best udders and we can milk her without a stanchion. Such a great a mother as well.

Her temperature has been normal at all times and she's eating, drinking and taking care of her baby and is just about back to normal.
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#14
Well Nala developed a mild form of Mastitis. We noticed a very slight pink hue to the milk after we had hand milked her. We filter all of her milk and we had noticed small amounts of blood on the filter. She has never had Mastitis before and this was a very mild case from what I understand. The baby boy was only nursing on one teat and after a few days her other teat was pretty swollen. So we decided to milk her 2x a day. The next 2 milking we noticed the small amount of blood in her milk. If it didn't clear up soon we were going to treat her but milking her seemed to have solved the issue and that was over a week ago.   

A continuation of an unusual pregnancy...
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#15
Glad she's doing better. Sometimes blood in the milk is from a lot of congestion or an overly fully udder, but not necessarily mastitis. One thing for sure--congestion or overfilling can quickly lead to mastitis if not taken care of, so I'm glad you got on top of it and she's doing better now. Keep up the good work!
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