!6 hours not eating

I have another questions along the same lines of my last. My first attempt at bottle is comming along nicely. I was scared about the first but with some advice from you guys all is going very well so far. Eating alot (almost like she's starving)she's 1 week old on 6oz every 4-5 hours, peeing every time, and pooping every 3rd or fourth feeding and just soft not runny. So for her I'm pleased. Now, last night I took a 3 day old triplet from mom to lighten her load. (The other 2 are bucks) It has been about 16 hours and she has only swallowed a very little. Just what gets in her mouth right when we start to feed her. No sucking yet. She was up crying just now and we tried to feed her but she just sits with the nipple. No action. Stimulating at the same time and softly grunting on a doe call also. (read that on here) She has peed twice and even pooped just a bit at last feeding try. She is not dehydrated at all from what I can tell, yet. My question is ..when must I start to take action for more pressing care? I don't want to wait till she is dehydrated or down. Do I just need to be more patient and keep doing what we are doing? She is still good but she is so tiny (like a small football) that I'm scared she'll go down quick. I'm gonna try some karo on the nipple next try. I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance to not send up a flare yet and just keep going till she starts. I'm not beside myself yet,but I see myself over there and I'm looking pretty worried. Any tips or just hang tough?

No expert here myself, but have had some tough ones already. My little Marty Graw doe just started taking the bottle good at 4am. She woke everyone up in the house crying. She was a stubborn one. I also had another one that it took a good 24 hours (that's the one that took the grunting to start sucking). She still doesn't take the nipple real well.....just lets it sit in her mouth. But then after a bit takes off sucking. I think some of them are just more stubborn than others. Hang in there....my advice.

I have found that by lightly tapping or stroking them under their chin while the nipple is in their mouth helps get them going. It seems like it makes them swallow and once they do, they are off and sucking - most of the time.



I will put the fawn between my legs, while standing, and back up into a corner so the fawn cant back up. Then with one hand holding the bottle and snout, I will use my thumb of the other hand to open the mouth and use my fingers under the chin to lightly tap or put some pressure on the bottom of the jaw, under the tongue. I will tap and work my fingers back and forth to stimulate a swallow. I have also lightly tapped the "adam's apple", so to speak, to try to stimulate swallowing.





Good Luck as it can be a bugger to get these little boogers to take the bottle.



John

Keep going it took me about 20 hr. with one. she would just sit there with it in her mouth. She would not stand or respond. When I grunted like a doe she finally responded and started drinking, but she was pretty backed up still working on getting that all out and normal. Good luck.

Darin

Thanks for the advice. I feel somewhat better but not good. I'm not gonna hit the panic button just yet. I'm feeding goats milk with pritchard nipple. She doesn't really stand, only for a little or when she had enough and tries to run, and she just holds the nipple in her mouth also. I try again in an hour, and I'll try the tapping thing. Thanks again for the responses!!

Woody,will she suck on your finger at all? Sometimes the warm feel of your flesh will make her want to suck on it. Coat your finger with the karo and let her suck it off for awhile. Let her learn that you and sucking motion go together. Check her gums. If there still moist she's probably not dehydrated yet. Also pick up on her skin. If it snaps right back when you release it she's probably still OK. If it kind of just sets there for a minute before it goes down then she might be getting dehydrated. Also her pee will darken when she's dehydrated.

Well I just tried again. No go. Buckskin, no she dosen't even try to suck. Well.. she gave one swallow. She just sits there holding the nipple. I tried tapping, rubbing, stimulating, karo on nipple, grunting, massaging her chest and throat, lightly pinching her skin like a mom nibbling and licking, petting and begging ...ALOT. Her skin goes right back down so I guess she's still hydrated. She did pee again, though. Now I'm getting worked up. I thought this time was it. At what point do I try to give her back to mom? I really don't want to do that though. I'm not sure about tubeing, either. I got a call in to my vet to see what she thinks. I'll go after her again in a hour or two. She was pretty stressed when I quit. Just went and laid down, or flopped down more like it. Man this sucks!! My lip is really hanging down!

Dc,I'm using goats milk from a farmer down the road. I will get red cap AND try sugar water also. Thanks for the ideas!! I just spoke with my vet and she said as long as she isn't dehydrated, keep trying. I guess we have to knuckle down and keep swinging. I'll let you know what happens.

Before tubing her try feeding her with a syringe. Put the nipple on a 20cc syringe (without the needle) and push VERY slowly while rubbing her neck to make sure she swallows. I also do subcu fluids just to be on the safe side and a shot of B12 to stimulate the apetite. Good luck!!!

Woody, call me. 715-212-5640

Patience, Patience, Patience, Patience, Patience,..........sooner or later, the little one will get hungry. Starting a fawn on a bottle can sometimes be difficult, but if you think a whitetail is a challange, try a scimitar-horned oryx. It takes forever to get them to suck. Then each time you feed them, you have to tackle them and try to hold them until they realize they are gonna eat. Once they get sucking its wonderful. You can pet them scatch their ears, etc., but as soon as the first sound of air comes from the nipple when the bottle runs out, it is like a switch is thrown and it's back to the rodeo. This wouldn't be so bad if they finally learned the drill, but God made some animals dumber than others and it appears the scimitar was standing behind the door when brains got passed out, because each feeding until they are weaned is the same. A Bar-Room Brawl! Oh yea, they grow very sharp horns too and by the time they are 3 months old if you don't look like a pin cushion then you must have been smart enough to get your wife to feed the oryx.

Woody we all know what your going through......just had one like that last week......it is very frustrating as you know she is hungry.........I have found that sometimes you can get them started easier by letting them lay there while you try....yes i know a lot of people say they need to be standing ,,,but for the first time and to try and get them going letting them lay won't hurt....i found when they lay it's one less thing you have to deal with as when they are standing they are backing away from you and trying to run away...i also cup my hand over the top of their face while prying the jaw open this hides their eyes from seeing things and I think it kind of acts like when they are putting their head up under mom's belly to get milk....plus if they are not seeing anything it's one less distraction. Try a different nipple like DC said...try a baby bottle I have had fawns take that kind of nipple when they wouldn't take a pritchard. Feel free to call me to Woody....I'm up late.......412-287-5534

My wife is a Kindergarten teacher. I am a Resident on Highway construction jobs. Do I even have to tell anyone who can set with the fawns for an hour or two to get them to eat. as Scott said "Patience, Patience, Patience, Patience, Patience". I want to scream and throw things she just sets there and smiles and laughs at them and they eat. I'm getting worked up just thinking about it. It looked like i will get my first fawns tonight so in about 48 hours she can start laughing at me again. Then show me how it is done.

Well the deer gods have smiled!! I guess let me explain. It turns out ex's are good for something! After talking to my vet to give her a heads up on what is going on, I called my ex to see what was happening with the lactated ringer solution she said she would get for me a little while back.(She is a nurse) I really didn't expect her to get any but I felt frustrated and mad and who better to blow up at then the ex, right? Well, as I was busting on her about the stuff I told her what was going on and she said when babies won't suck in the hospital (she works in labor and delivery) that she puts her finger in their mouth and taps the roof of their mouth. This causes a sucking reflex and helps get them going. Well, any port in a storm, so when we tried the next feeding I got my wife to put a little karo on her finger, stick it in her mouth, and rub/tap the roof of her mouth. She started to suck!!!! I said get the nipple in there quick. A little karo on nipple and HALLELUHA!!!! A sucking away she went. Drank almost 4 oz. down without stopping. She has drank 4 oz. each of the last 2 feedings. Even peed each time and pooped once. I know I'm not out of the woods yet (cuz you still have to force the nipple on her) but it is a start...finally! I would like to give every one a great BIG thank you for all the concern, help, and advice. You guys are great!!! I know it's an open forum but I feel very fortunate to be able to come on here and draw from the vast pool of knowledge that you all make up. The coolest thing is how willing everyone is to help. It comforts (for lack of a better word) me after I talk to you guys and gives me the drive to keep on going when I'm clueless and scared. Can't thank you all enough. If or when I meet any of you at a meeting or a sale I will definitely buy you a beer, soda, ice cream or SOMETHING!!!!! I'll give an update later and let you know how it's going. Thanks again!!!!!

In the past I have always fought with them to try to get them to take the bottle. This year I tried a different approach. I pull them about 8 in the evening and then try them the next morning about 0530, (which is what I always have done) but if they don't take the bottle the first few tries then I leave them alone (I don't fight with them). It seems like the more you try to force them the more they shut down. Every fawn this year has taken the bottle by the second feeding. Maybe I have just been lucky and not had a hard one this year but every one of them have started easier than they ever have before. Also sometimes you can put a little milk in a bowl and they will drink that if they won't take the bottle for you. That has worked a couple times for me. Just some thoughts. Good luck!!

Thanks great news Woody. Gee wiz you mean ex's are good for something other than high blood pressure??? Your a funny guy. Have a great day!

Great news Woody. Youv'e already gave back to the forumn with the roof tapping trick. I've added that to the old bag of tricks to try. Thanks Rick

Atta Boy, Woody......



Thanks for sharing the trick that worked on the little booger.



Good luck and isn't this deer farming an enjoyable roller coaster ride?





Regards,

John









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believe it or not last year i had a mama die when the fawn was ten days old, talk about a hard one, i would go out and sit in a little pen i had him and, very slowly walk up talking to him, i would sit in a chair and hold the bottle out, after about ten minutes of talking to him he would come up to me shakin like crazy, suck the bottle down and then turn and go nuts again so i slowly got out of there, went the same way until he was weaned, every time he would go nuts but when he was ready he would eat, then thrash the fence tryin to get away, he was born in october and now i can hand feed him leaves through the fence, now if im on his side of the fence he is outta there, weird little fawn but he made it and it doin great, hardest one i ever did

Woody that is great news, I have never heard of the roof tapping, I will file that one for sure thanks for sharing and good luck. Allen