Here's the short version of my question. Any advice for a 2 1/2 week old fawn who seems to bloat on TINY amounts of grass?
I'm writing all the specifics of my situation below if anyone needs more info to answer. I sincerely appreciate your time.
I have a rescue Sitka blacktail doe who I'm guessing to be at two and a half weeks. She had a gurgling tummy with loose yellow stool when I got her two weeks ago. After feeding 1/4 C goat milk replacer every four hrs. around the clock and some stimulation she passed what looked to be meconium. This is why I figured her for only a day or two old. Oddly she was eating every bit of grass she could shove in her mouth. Then came the frothy bloating and straight up liquid stool.
After an entire night spent up with her (mostly perusing your wonderful forum) I gave her Pepto-Bismol, and pro-biotics. I made up a goat electrolyte solution of 4C water, 2 TB honey 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. baking soda. I quit the milk and she lived on electrolyte for a day and half, no foraging in the grass. All this while she was perky and sucking vigorously. Finally I started her back on the milk when her diarrhea was pretty much water.She made some runny poo and then some green pellets I thought it was over and let her eat just a bit of greens outside a couple times and that night she bloated up again like a balloon. I thought I was going to loose her, it sounded like the shriek of a high pressure airhose in there. Drenched her with 2 Tbl. olive oil. at 2am back to the diarrhea
Gave her pumpkin which seems to have helped firm things up and I've religiously kept her from nibbling the grass for the last day and a half because I'm scared to start this cycle all over again.
All this time she's stayed very perky, I've raised almost ten rescue fawns over the years and they usually thrive. They get diarrhea after a couple days of being on the replacer and pro-biotics always has cleared that up for me. I have to give credit to that electrolyte for keeping her alive and well even with the crazy runs she's had.
I've just never seen one not be able to handle the wild grasses or try to eat grass that young. I live in remote Alaska so the deer I've raised just run loose from the time they're young. Keeping this little one cooped up in the house has been hard on both of us!
I'm writing all the specifics of my situation below if anyone needs more info to answer. I sincerely appreciate your time.
I have a rescue Sitka blacktail doe who I'm guessing to be at two and a half weeks. She had a gurgling tummy with loose yellow stool when I got her two weeks ago. After feeding 1/4 C goat milk replacer every four hrs. around the clock and some stimulation she passed what looked to be meconium. This is why I figured her for only a day or two old. Oddly she was eating every bit of grass she could shove in her mouth. Then came the frothy bloating and straight up liquid stool.
After an entire night spent up with her (mostly perusing your wonderful forum) I gave her Pepto-Bismol, and pro-biotics. I made up a goat electrolyte solution of 4C water, 2 TB honey 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. baking soda. I quit the milk and she lived on electrolyte for a day and half, no foraging in the grass. All this while she was perky and sucking vigorously. Finally I started her back on the milk when her diarrhea was pretty much water.She made some runny poo and then some green pellets I thought it was over and let her eat just a bit of greens outside a couple times and that night she bloated up again like a balloon. I thought I was going to loose her, it sounded like the shriek of a high pressure airhose in there. Drenched her with 2 Tbl. olive oil. at 2am back to the diarrhea
Gave her pumpkin which seems to have helped firm things up and I've religiously kept her from nibbling the grass for the last day and a half because I'm scared to start this cycle all over again. All this time she's stayed very perky, I've raised almost ten rescue fawns over the years and they usually thrive. They get diarrhea after a couple days of being on the replacer and pro-biotics always has cleared that up for me. I have to give credit to that electrolyte for keeping her alive and well even with the crazy runs she's had.
I've just never seen one not be able to handle the wild grasses or try to eat grass that young. I live in remote Alaska so the deer I've raised just run loose from the time they're young. Keeping this little one cooped up in the house has been hard on both of us!