As spring approaches, many goat producers are preparing for the beginning of kidding season. One condition that producers may encounter as does enter their last trimester of pregnancy and near parturition (birthing) is ‘pregnancy toxemia’. This can be a life-threatening condition for some does and early recognition of this disease is paramount to providing successful treatment. This very same condition is also seen in sheep with similar clinical signs and treatment options.
Pregnancy toxemia is a term used to describe a metabolic condition called ‘ketosis’ that occurs during late pregnancy, generally in the last 6 weeks of gestation. Ketosis can also occur during early lactation, most commonly in high producing dairy does. Ketosis occurs due to an imbalance of nutrient supply and demand resulting in the metabolism of fat stores and the build-up of ketones in the goat’s system. Generally, two classes of goats are at greatest risk. Underfed does may develop ketosis as the energy demands of pregnancy begin to outweigh the energy supplied by their diet. Conversely, fat does and especially those with multiple fetuses are also at greater risk. The abdominal fat stores, coupled with the presence of multiple fetuses, leave little room for feed capacity in the gastrointestinal tract. In turn, these does cannot keep up with the energy demands of the rapidly growing fetuses due to an inability to consume a sufficient amount of feed. Show goats consistently fall into this category.
Picking up this disease early can be challenging as the clinical signs can be very vague. Early on does will act dull and are a little slower to come up to feed or begin having difficulty keeping up with the herd. Eventually they may go off feed completely and may grind their teeth frequently. As the disease worsens, does may get down and have difficulty getting up, they may show rapid breathing and may go blind or even become comatose. This progression may occur very acutely or over several days. Pregnancy toxemia should be a top consideration for at-risk does as described here, and should also be considered a potential secondary condition if another primary problem such as parasitism or pneumonia is diagnosed. Your veterinarian can assist you in making an accurate diagnosis and prescribing proper treatment. When in doubt, a urine test for ketones can be highly reliable in diagnosing pregnancy toxemia.
Once a diagnosis is made, treatment is aimed at correcting any underlying conditions and correcting the metabolic imbalance. When discovered early, a doe may respond simply to an increased plane of nutrition, assuming she has not already gone off feed. Oral propylene glycol can be effective by acting as a precursor to glucose and therefore providing needed energy. If the animal is severely ill and off feed, then intravenous dextrose and fluids are often required. In the most severe of cases induction of parturition is necessary to save the doe. Once the energy demand of the fetuses is removed, the doe has a chance for recovery.
Darren Loula, DVM, is a large animal veterinarian at Fair Grove Vet Service in Fair Grove, Mo.
