# Dex for Premature Kidding ?



## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

I have a doe that I'm worried may go early. She's lost her plug and the last couple of days has been oozing a bit of creamish blood tinged discharge. I've got her written down for March 15. The earliest she could possibly be due is March 8th (figured from the date that Sherrie brought Pilgrim home), even at 5 days before that would be the 3rd. :/ 

At what point would you give dex to help mature the babies lungs? At what point would it be too late to help? 

TIA
Denise


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

I wouldn't give the doe Dex as that may actually put her into pramature labor. If she kids early, you can give the babies a wee amount of dex.


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## mamatomany (Aug 7, 2008)

I just had a 12 day old premie here and I did not give dex too and she is doing fine. I will include that in my next vet trip tho! I also want to get some injectable CMPK while I'm at it.


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## SherrieC (Oct 26, 2007)

Oh nooo, hold dem babies in..


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## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

Ok...so if I can catch early labor I'll give dex and hope it has time to do some good. What would the dose be for a kid?



SherrieC said:


> Oh nooo, hold dem babies in..


Yup. My prefered method of treatment and she has been instructed to keep them legs crossed. LOL

Hmmm....is there any way to stop or slow down labor if she does go early? I'd even go for old wives tales. :/ I REEEEALY want a doeling out of her.


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## KJFarm (Oct 26, 2007)

.25cc per 10#. You will have to calibrate it down for smaller than 10# and you will need to get an insulin syringe for an accurate dose.


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## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

Thanks Janie. A friend gave me a couple boxes of those insulin syringes when his mom passed. Love those for kids.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Denise our premies here were due on the 14th. I waited on Dex to see if they were holding their own after BoSe and colostrum. Ours were having a little difficulty so I gave them .10cc as vet directed for 4 lb and 3.7lb kids. 
I think the most important part in getting premies to survive is to get the goo out of their nasal and throat fast, and get them dry and warm as quickly as possible. These littles will be inside the house for a good two weeks or so.
Tam


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I have never had Dex make a doe go into labor, it was part of the whole 'ketosis' routine of tyring to mature the lungs in the kids, and keep the dam alive, we then lutelysed the does in several days as close to 145 days as we could get to have viable kids. The way dex works isn't really understood as to why lungs would mature giving a NASID drug, and it usually only works in girls and doe kids. So giving it at birth really isn't going to help if the lungs are mature she can breath, if not, it's to late to give dex at birth. It's not like the lungs work a little bit, its all or nothing.


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## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

Ok...so giving it to a premature kid wouldn't work. 

Still trying to figure out if even giving it at onset of labor would be too late to help with lung development. 

I do kinda understand dex. It is a corticosteroid. Like prednisone. My daughter has asthma and was frequently prescribed prednisone. NSAIDS should not be given with corticosteroids--like advil...or banamine. 

Also still unclear how dex affects pregnancy. In GK101, it says can be used to induce before day 141, but is much slower to work than lute.

Still researching..... :/ (Have I mentioned before that I hate science stuff? LOL)


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

If you use Dex with lutelyse you will induce. Some use the two routienly together, although there isn't anything to Dex that helps with delivery, it's more of a past around thing that some do because it's been done awhile, rather than there is science to it (this is big in the boer goat world). I took prednisone most of my pregnancies (asthma) and none caused labor, in fact just the opposite (one still born, one induced and two csections because I didn't go into labor), in fact my first c section was from a failure to go into labor even on pitocin IV, they couldn't even get a contraction out of me.

They would not be using dexamethzone pre labor in humans, if it speeded up or caused labor, in emergencies where they were delivering babies preterm to mature the lungs.


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