# Doeling swallowed end of nipple!!



## BlackRiverBubbles (Mar 21, 2013)

My 8 week old nigerian dwarf doeling just bit off and swallowed the end of a pritchard nipple. Not just the little nub, but the whole end. Is there anything that I can do, or do I just have to wait to see if it causes problems?? These were brand new nipples 8 weeks ago...do they really not last that long and I need to get new ones?? Should I not have kids that old on bottles?? New to this and any advice would be greatly appreciated...Thanks!!


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## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

I start mine on pritchard nipples because they're perfect for brand new kids, but I transition them over to the lambar nipples within a couple weeks. The pritchards are easy for them to get started on, but they're not durable. I don't have any experience with them swallowing something like that- hope it doesn't cause any problems for her!


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## Horsehair Braider (Mar 11, 2011)

It *most likely* (no promises) won't cause any problems. That's kind of a big piece in a little goat, but so far as I know, there is nothing you can do anyway but wait and see. I've had them swallow some weird things too, but so far, no problems... knock on wood. Just try not to let it happen again, and hopefully you'll be OK this time. Fortunately it IS very soft, and round, and that ought to help.

I use the Pritchard for goats up to one week old. By that time I've got them on the lambar nipples, so I can't really answer the question about how long lasting Pritchards are.


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

I've had kids break off about a third of a Pritcharn nipple with no effects, but never a whole one. I know that would have me scared. A couple years ago, I had a doeling swallow about half a non vac pop bottle nipple (bigger that a Pritchard). She seemed OK at first. Then, one morning she didn't want to eat. I came home form work to find her dead. I cut her open and found that tip of the nipple impacted in her rumen.


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## BlackRiverBubbles (Mar 21, 2013)

Thanks-you all make me feel a "little" better and I'll keep a close eye on her and hope for the best. It wasn't the whole nipple, just the whole end of it so I'm hoping that it will pass right through (fingers crossed). I tried to transition them to a lambar with the grey nipples but they didn't want anything to do with them, even when I put them on the bottles. I guess I waited too long by what I have read. The next group of babies are going on a lambar much sooner so they transition easier (hopefully). How often do you replace your nipples?


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## H Diamond Farms (Jun 3, 2011)

I'm surprised that your 8 week old kid won't change nipples. By that age I'm sure they just attack the bottles, mine will suck down the milk off about anything. 
I usually have a couple varieties of nipples and just change them around so they learn to drink off different types. That way when they go to a new home it doesn't matter what they are using. As a side note, if you do want to change and they don't take a different nipple, just skip a feeding. When they are hungry they should take to the new nipple.


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

Maybe some oil to help lube things up so it will slide on through? I love the Pritchards too, but I do change them out after 2-3 weeks. They get soft and bloated, easy to chomp in half.


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## BlackRiverBubbles (Mar 21, 2013)

She's still eating fine and seems to be ok so far...haven't seen any evidence of it passing but I'll keep watching. I put the grey lambar nipples on again tonight and she still will have nothing to do with it...stubborn little thing!! Thanks Sully for the info on changing them out every 2-3 weeks-I had no idea that they needed to be changed that often.

On a side note, we had new quads born today although one was stillborn (buckling), the other 3 are doing great. One doeling and 3 bucklings and they are very colorful


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## punchiepal (Aug 4, 2010)

We switch our ND's over to human baby bottles as soon as possible after the pritchards.


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## informative (Aug 24, 2012)

It's a goat they can chew through a tree for breakfast, thorn brush with poison ivy for lunch and have a tin can for supper and you're worried about a baby bottle nipple? heh.

Funny story had a beaver bite clean through a garden hose yesterday. Guess he was just curious and gave it one good clean bite all the way through. Have two 50 foot somewhat useless hoses where I used to have a single useful 100 foot one =( Just reminded me of how powerful and random animals can be..


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Goats do not eat tin cans. Sometimes things don't pass, they just stay in the rumen for life never causing a problem. Other times there are impactions that threaten the life of the ruminant. Baling twine can cause big problems. People that take a laid back attitude about goat care are not usually successful.


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## BlackRiverBubbles (Mar 21, 2013)

Thanks for the support Angie I am happy to say that all of the kids are on the grey lambar nipples...even if they are not happy about it. I never realized that goats could give you the same attitude that teenagers do, lol!! The new babies are on human baby bottles and I am not going to use any pritchards unless it is a last resort and only for newborns!! I really appreciate all of the advice and so far she is doing fine


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

Attitude? Oh,yeah...goats have it! Glad she is doing good.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

informative said:


> It's a goat they can chew through a tree for breakfast, thorn brush with poison ivy for lunch and have a tin can for supper and you're worried about a baby bottle nipple? heh.


A nipple is plastic or rubber and won't break down in the rumen. Browse, bark, plants....they all break down.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Goats do eat things they are not suppose to. It gets stuck in the rumen and normally there is no problem. When there is a problem we call it hardware disease. 
Tin cans they taste, nuts and bolts...well they go to chew on it and it goes down because its small enough. I have no idea their infatuation with metal tasting...or wheelchair tasting either. Unfortunately the wheelchair parts do not hold up as well as the Tin can. This is common here...they just cannot resist the wheelie monster 
Tam


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

My babies when very young were infatuated by the sprinkler handles on our irrigation lines. Not sure what they're made of, iron maybe? They would all run up and just lick and lick and lick and chew on them...weird. There may have been hard water on them too, which is full of minerals of course, and it's irrigation water, probably full of all kinds of crap around here. The water hadn't been turned on yet, so it would have just been stuff from last year.


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## informative (Aug 24, 2012)

swgoats said:


> Goats do not eat tin cans..


Of course that was "satirical humor" - sorry if it was misplaced.

I was merely attempting to lighten the serious tone. Small non-toxic non-pointy non-metallic item would either pass through or it wont. Either way it seems very unlikely to cause any serious issues. One could probably live a long happy healthy goat life with a nipple in their belly


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