HEALTH CARE: Cold Weather Care for
Newborns and Young Kids
For many people, this time of year is one of
great expectation and excitement. From the
winter holidays into a new year, the promise of
good things to come is felt everywhere. Some
of us yearn for a "real winter" with snow,
crystal beauty and a winter wonderland
remembered from our childhood. Others have
already had their fair share of this wonderland
surprise and are looking forward to spring time
and warmer weather.
But for those of us that are forever housing,
feeding and loving goats of all sizes, winter time
can be daunting; especially with the anticipation
of winter kids. There is no denying the
enjoyment which comes from seeing the first
kids of the season born, watching mom clean
them up right away and knowing that they are
fed, healthy and warm. Unfortunately, life is not
always the fairy tale we hope for and circumstances can in fact be very unpredictable and unfavorable for
kid survival. So here are a few tips for those times when things don't go quite as planned (or expected).
Photo credit Darian Denman , Rolling Meadows Orchard & Farm
Erica Oller, DVM
Harrogate Hospital for Animals
Harrogate, TN
harrogatevet.com
Kids born but mom not wanting to clean:
Reality is unfortunately not pretty and sometimes moms are inexperienced or just plain exhausted, and may
not be mentally or physically capable of attending to newborn kids right away. If you are nearby, old
towels work great to clean up kids, making sure to remove sac and fluids away from nasal passages and
mouth. A kid that is coughing, sneezing and blowing mucous bubbles is just what you want to see to know
that any residual fluid is being removed from airways. Placing kids in front of mom to encourage her to
help clean can 1) give you a break (.after all they are HER kids and she needs to take care of them!) and 2)
encourage the bond between mother and baby. Now for those that pull kids at birth and bottle feed, then
10 DWARF and MINI