bloating after every meal

What kind of wormer,how, and how much...Did you take the fawns temperature?

If worms were bad... they can get an infection from the worms dying all at once

Just my thoughts

What kind of formula is she eating?

Bless her precious little heart.

For reasons you mentioned with the reduced milk intake (I am also curious at what you are feeding for milk/ replacer) she is not gaining weight properly. I understand your concern. I had a little one do that last year and Therabloat did the trick. If you can get it, give her 1 cc in her bottle. If you can't get it let me know, I can help you with that.



I mentioned also in a post elsewhere - Target Fawn Paste. This is my first season using it and I swear by it. It is all we give the fawns when they are born and am very pleased with the results. I mean literally, ALL we give - just a tag in the ear, 1/2 tube of the paste at birth and the other 1/2 tube 24 hours later. It protects them from all kinds of pathogens and gets their guts working properly from the get go. In addition, if ever there is anything going on with them later on, you give a full tube at once and that did the trick for me all season.



Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Antlershed - I am a rep for Target, and can get some on the way to you if you would like. In the meantime, go get some probios or whatever you can put your hands on today from your feed store. Any probiotics is better than no probiotics.

Antlershed,

I have a fawn like that this year same thing as yours....he has been wormed and he has had all his vaccinations. He did have a navel infection that is all better now. the odd thing is he got the navel infection at about 8 weeks of age. Anyhow, since he has been weened he seems to be doing better......not sure why but it seemed he had problems with the milk and I used plain old Red Cap.

Here's a suggestion if you have not tried it already. Feed the milk cold. Sometimes when the rumen is screwed up, warm milk will cause gas bubbles. Give 10cc of mineral oil if you havent tried that as well. Has this deer had any trauma? Has it hit the fence, bumped a post or been stomped on? Liz........sound familiar???? What do you think about the enema therapy we discussed.

I'm curious to know if you are bottle feeding and their head is up when they eat or if their milk is from a point lower than their natural nursing position if they they were eating from Mom. With their head in a raised poition the milk bypasses the rumen as it should. When feeding milk from a low position (like a bucket on the ground) the milk sits in the rumen where it should not. This is true of other ruminant animals and is not a knowledge of deer specifically that I gained, but a rumen is a rumen.

Antlershed- I am so sorry to hear this news.... You have tried so hard. Knowing now that she has had problems since birth sheds a little light on the subject. Sometimes no matter how hard we try there are just times that we have to 'Let go and let God'. You have done all you can, just remember that. There have been times that I have cared for fawns that I thought there was no way they would make it and they did, and others that I though I had far out of the woods only to find them gone the next time I went to check on them.



I be 100% honest, I used to HATE it when folks on here would tell me this, and here I go go saying those very words, "This is all part of deer farming. You will lose some and you will save some."



I am still hoping for a good response from you regarding your little ****. Take care.

Antlershed- Man, I'm so sorry to hear that. I can understand your urgency in wanting to get this figured out.



First, get me your address (either through email at [email protected] or by clicking my name and sending me a private message) so that I can overnight you some Target Fawn Paste. I agree with Robbie, any probiotics are better than none at this point.



From the pics above..... See how her left abdomen is more distended than the right? That is a sign of true bloat.



Second, my vet told me that you coud use the Therabloat every 24 hours until symptoms subside.



Third, Scott makes a good point with the milk. Make sure it is not too warm.



Fourth, is there anywhere that you could get paseurized goat milk? I am not saying that the replacer is the problem, but I know others that switched from a powdered replacer to goat milk and it solved all of their problems. For some reason bloat is much more prevelant with milk replacers than goat milk.



~ What are you feeding for grain, fresh greens, etc. other than the mik? Is there milk weed where she was eating?

~ Did you worm this one too?

~ So, she is almost 6 weeks and has done fine to this point? Any other health issues?



Try all of the following:

1. Baking soda (as mentioned by Robert).

2. 1/8 cup of veg/peanut oil. It will break up the gas bubbles.

3. Massage the stomach area and hope for gas release. I know it doesn't sound pleasant but you need her to pass gass and burp.

4. Keep her off the greens for now, but offer alfalfa hay.



They can die (as you know) from too much pressure on the lungs and heart. We have to figure out what is causing it. Has she had a sudden change in diet? Has she had any moldy hay? From the pics above, it looks as though that is hay underneath, maybe for bedding or that has just fallen from where you feed it. Nonetheless, if that gets wet mold will grow underneath it. You know our little fawns and how they like to nibble on everything. Could you check under that to be sure it is dry and clean?



Let me know your address.

Antlershed- How are things looking today???