Nigerian Dwarf Goat Prolapse
We experienced our first goat prolapse last year, which we were very unprepared for. I think it is important to share these experiences with some scientific backing so people have fact-based information available to lead them to educated decisions.
Our experience started when one of our does was bred young. A buck will practically break through a brick wall to get to his ladies, so it was frustrating, but not a complete shock when we found him in her pen when she was 7 months old. It was the end of August.
We did as much research as we could and found very conflicting information. Not unlike parenting, every animal is different, but we were really new at this and very uncertain how to handle it. The breeder who provided our goats said it was totally fine and she was not too young. The vet we saw later said is it a teen pregnancy and can be ok, or can be not ok. Our herd animals are also our pets, so we monitored her very carefully but were mostly not worried – she was bigger than her siblings and we knew she would be a great mom. What we know now - does will reach maturity between 4-6 months old. Doelings should be 60% to 75% of their mature weight at the time of breeding. Our doe was bred in her second heat and she was 80% of her mature weight, so this likely had nothing to do with her prolapse.
In her last month, we noticed a bulge coming out of her hind quarters. As you can see in the first photo, it was pretty gnarly looking but it would prolapse a little bit and then go back into place. My mom is the main caregiver for the goats, and is also a nurse of 40 years, so she knew what she was looking at and started researching. It was manageable for a short time, but then we experienced what we now know is the full prolapse and quickly headed to the vet.
As I mentioned before, we couldn’t find much information in our initial searches. A deeper dive brought us to the following information.
What is a prolapse? (This was a vaginal prolapse. Uterine prolapses are typically seen after birth.)
Description/Symptoms:
The incidence of cases requiring obstetrical help is low in goats. According to information collected from a number of reputable breeders there is need for some kind of help in about 3-5% of the births. Birth complications, when they appear in the goat, can be very difficult to treat. The uterus and the vagina are fragile and are easily ruptured even when the greatest care is exercised. (Engum and Lyngset 1969)
Increased pressure in the abdomen due to advanced pregnancy or excess fatness, straining, and hormonally induced loosening of pelvic tissues approaching kidding time can increase the chances in vaginal prolapses.
Partial, occasional prolapse of the floor of the vagina may first occur when the doe lies down. This is what we first saw with our doe.
Over time, minor irritation and tissue injury can lead to further prolapse, and then the affected doe may start to strain and further exacerbate the condition. This also happened with our doe and eventually her prolapse was huge and she was in a lot of pain.
The bladder and intestines can become trapped inside the prolapsed tissue. Prolapsed tissue is at increased risk of exposure, inflammation, and trauma. Our doe’s prolapse was blocking her intestines, so she couldn’t defecate.
Cause:
Causes aren’t well understood in goats, but include heredity, large number of kids, lack of exercise and previous prolapses.
Treatment:
If you notice a partial/ occasional prolapse, you should increase the quality of hay, and supplement with grains, but do not let them forage or eat treats or pellets toward the end of the pregnancy. Weight gain will cause further prolapse, and as she gets closer to term, the kids and any extra weight doubles the pressure on the prolapse. Does gain most of their weight in the last six weeks of gestation.
If a partial prolapse does not recede on its own, you can use gloves and diluted Chlorhexidine Solution to clean the area thoroughly. If it is overly swollen, powdered sugar can help to reduce the swelling, but make sure to dust it with the sugar, wait for the swelling to go down, and then clean again with the chlorhexidine solution. Gently push it back inside and use your finger to reposition it properly. See the diagram below. This is really all you can do, and if it doesn’t stay in place, then you need to take her to the vet.
Intervention is then required to prevent injury, infection, or a difficult birth. The vet will administer an epidural, thoroughly disinfect the area and then using a prolapse paddle or similar means, will push the prolapse back into place. They then apply a retention harness, or retention sutures.
Post Prolapse
This is the treatment we witnessed from our vet. They cleaned her thoroughly, gave her an epidural, her hind legs were elevated with the legs broad apart. They repositioned the prolapse and then gave her two huge sutures to keep it in place. This was very painful to hear and to watch!
Two sutures and some inflammatories later, the swelling went down considerably and she started to move with more comfort within a couple of days. After a week, she was back to her normal disposition.
We were instructed to monitor her closely up until the birth as we would need to cut the sutures loose for her to deliver.
We had a successful assisted delivery of twins in this case, but this doe would not be bred again. Vaginal prolapses will recur with each pregnancy, and many vets recommend culling the animal to prevent further complications with future kiddings.
I hope you never have to experience this in your herd, but if you do - please stay calm and follow the steps outlined here after speaking with your own vet.
[1] Unknown (2023) “Prolapse of the Vagina,” Australian Livestock Export Corp: Vetrinary Handbook: Diseases. Available at: http://www.veterinaryhandbook.com.au/Diseases.aspx?diseasenameid=228
[2] Unknown, (2020) “Kidding Problems,” Morrinsville Vetrinary Clinic. Available at: https://vetclinicmorrinsville.co.nz/about-us/news/kidding-problems
[3] Engum, Jens and Lyngset, Olav (1969) "Gynecology and Obstetrics in the Goat," Iowa State University Veterinarian: Vol. 32 : Iss. 3 , Article 4. Available at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/iowastate_veterinarian/vol32/iss3/4
[4] Luisi, Billie (1979) “A Practical Guide to Small-Scale Goatkeeping”
[5] Belanger, Bredesen (2018) “Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats.”
[6] Lewis, Colleen MD (2022) When is a young female goat old enough to breed?
