Because of the simple name of this syndrome, a lot of people assume they have a case of floppy kid whenever they have a kid that’s, well, floppy. However, it is a well defined condition that only occurs between three days and two weeks of age. The textbooks say it has been seen up to a month of age in rare cases, but most vets will draw the line around ten days to two weeks.
What is floppy kid syndrome (FKS)?
A kid who had appeared healthy since birth suddenly can’t stand or even nurse or wrap its tongue around a nipple. The kid does not have diarrhea and is not dehydrated. If not treated, it may fall into a coma and die within 24 to 36 hours. In a small number of cases, a kid has recovered completely without treatment, but that is obviously not recommended.
Floppy kid is a metabolic disorder caused by a base deficit, according to Goat Medicine. It may be caused by consuming too much milk. It can be easily corrected by giving a kid about one-half to one teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a small amount of water. Since the kid is not dehydrated (because it consumed too much milk), you only need to mix enough water into the baking soda to get it into the kid. Even though the kid can’t suck, it can usually swallow, so you should be able to get the baking soda into the kid with a bottle or eye dropper and a lot of patience. If not, a vet can administer sodium bicarbonate intravenously. A single dose of baking soda is usually all that is needed, although since overfeeding is the suspected cause, some people also advocate limiting milk consumption for the next 24 hours.
If you don’t see improvement fairly quickly, it’s probably something else.
What floppy kid is not
A weak newborn does not have FKS. Giving it baking soda will do nothing for it. Newborn weakness is usually due to hypothermia or a deficiency in selenium or vitamin E.
A weak kid that’s one or two days old may be starving, especially if it is one of four or more kids being dam raised. Some kids simply do not have the gumption to fight their siblings for two teats. It is an unfortunate myth that a doe can feed whatever number of kids she births. (See How many kids can a doe feed? for more on this topic.)
A down kid that’s two or three months old does not have FKS. At that age, weakness is often caused by worms or coccidia. While coccidia and other protozoan infections may cause diarrhea, FKS does not. A down kid may also be dehydrated if it has become too weak to be able to walk to the water trough.
This post is for educational purposes only and is not meant to replace the services of a professional veterinarian.
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Very helpful to read of the distinction between FKS and other problems. So far all my kids have done well.
Thank you. Very good information. I’ve had kids with this condition before. It can be very disheartening when you don’t know what to do.
Thanks I had two die this year I think that was the problem. They were both about week and a half old. Wish I had seen this about a week ago.
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Our baby goat was born yesterday, June 26, and still cannot stand. We’ve been feeding her hoping she’d gather some strength which is slightly more positive. Is there anything else we can do to help her?
How much does she weigh, and what breed is she? Sounds like she might be premature. How much colostrum has she had?
Thank you for this educational post!
Baby goat was born March 9, she was very small, cold and weak so I brought her inside to warm her, milked momma to feed her. Took a couple days to get her to eat but then she ate really well and seemed to be doing well. Then all of a sudden she could hardly stand up then the next day she couldn’t stand at all. What could have happened and what could I have done to save her. My heart is aching over thinking I didn’t do something I should or could have. She passed March 20
She may have been deficient in selenium or vitamin E if she was very weak, but the fact that she got better for a couple of days makes me think that was not it. If she was born very small and died within the first week, there might have been something wrong with her from the beginning. There are so many dots that have to be connected correctly to make a healthy goat that it’s actually kind of surprising that we don’t see more of them born imperfectly. We had one born last year that ever gained more than a few ounces in the first week and then just faded away by 5-6 days of age. Here is more info on selenium and vitamin E:
https://thriftyhomesteader.com/goats-selenium/
https://thriftyhomesteader.com/vitamin-e-goats/