Kids affected with this syndrome get extremely weak, and have flaccid paresis or paralysis, when you pick them up, they will flop like bean bags and have no muscle tone. A kid acting weak since birth likely doesn’t have floppy kid syndrome as it almost always sets in after 3-10 days.
If your kid is showing other symptoms check out our blog Goat Kids: What can go wrong and what to do.
One of the first symptoms is their tongue will not work properly, they will be able to swallow but cannot suck. You will usually notice that the affected kid stops feeding or at least less aggressively and then starts to show signs of weakness. What causes this in kids? Metabolic acidosis, in other words a pH imbalance, the kids blood becomes too acidic. Kids are usually affected between 3-10 days and rarely ever before that time. Kids can be born acting and feeling just fine, since the syndrome typically sets in no sooner than at least 3 days.
A kid with Floppy Kid Syndrome will be all floppy, when picked up they will feel as though they are empty and can’t hold themselves up, they may also be uninterested in milk or totally refusing to eat due to the tongue not working properly. Swelling, an upset stomach and other abnormalities are not symptoms of this sickness.
How to treat a kid with Floppy Kid Syndrome
To treat this syndrome, we must correct the acidic imbalance, the treatment is usually very simple and if caught early most kids recover in 12 hours. Severely affected kids may need further supportive care such as IV fluids.
Give the affected kid baking soda mixed with water, mix 1 teaspoon in 1 cup warm water.
Do not ever feed baking soda in milk doing so will prevent the milk from forming curds in the kids' stomach, and the milk will go straight through the intestine and will cause an osmotic diarrhea, put in simpler terms it will do more harm than good. Feed him/her with a kid bottle or tube, if you have never fed a kid before see our goat bottle feeding blog.
For the next 12 hours feed the kid this electrolyte solution
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon molasses, sugar or honey, molasses is the best as it has lots of minerals.
2 cups warm water Feed her as much as she wants to drink, if the kid does not want to drink at least get 2oz in her/him every 1-2 hours
The kid should visibly improve at each feeding, if it does not improve your kid likely doesn’t have floppy kid syndrome.
You may be wondering if kids can get better without treatment, some do but most will die if not treated. Giving baking soda and electrolytes will not hurt a kid who would have made it, and since there is no way to tell if they will make it, and the chances of them dying without treatment are greater than the chances of recovery, it’s a good idea to treat them regardless of whether you think they will recover or not.
This sickness is not passed from the parents and a kid who gets sick as a baby will not necessarily be weaker when grown up. Therefore, you can still use a kid who had floppy kid syndrome for breeding purposes, without undesirable consequences.
The cause of floppy kid syndrome is unknown, and as far as is known, unpreventable.
But knowing the signs of this syndrome and how easy the cure is will prevent you from having to call a vet, but, if you are uncomfortable treating the kid or think it is beyond your capabilities then don’t hesitate to call the vet.
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