Inducing Labor in the Pregnant Doe
By
Elaine M. Eidemiller
Seven Maples Dairy Goats
Oil City, PA

Reasons for inducing labor in the pregnant doe range from the necessary medical reasons, like a doe who is suffering from pregnancy toxemia and needs to deliver the babies in order to survive, to reasons of necessity and convenience for the doe's owner. Many goat owners must be gone throughout the week at work and can only be available on the weekends to be in attendance at the deliveries of their goats.

The important thing to consider when inducing labor is to be sure of your due dates and that there are 10 days between when you induce the doe and that doe's due date. Does must have been hand bred in order for the due date to be reliable. It is not recommended to induce a doe, for convenience sake, when that does was pen bred and in with a buck for several weeks -- the due date cannot be considered reliable in this case.

The importance of due dates can also be used to determine how long over a due date a doe should be allowed to continue before labor is induced. I once had a doe that was going on 10 days beyond her due date. After consulting my vet, it was decided that this doe needed to be induced, especially since I only had one due date for her. She was induced and had two very large twin does.

Just as inducing labor is harder on a woman than natural labor, you must remember that this is also the case with the pregnant doe. The method of using a combination of Dexamethasone and Lutalyse can make your doe's delivery easier, than if just using Lutalyse by itself.

As my vet explained it to me, the Lutalyse alone will just cause the labor contractions -- labor contractions which are much harder than in natural labor. The cervix is being forced to dilate, rather than dilating naturally. But if the Lutalyse injection is preceded by about 24 hours with a Dexamethasone injection, then the Dexamethasone will do two things.

  1. First, the Dexamethasone will release hormones necessary in assuring that the kids are matured and give that extra push to mature the lungs if need be.
  2. Second, it will start the process for a doe preparing to go into labor, much like natural labor, including the dilation of the cervix -- so that by the time the Lutalyse is given and the contractions are forced, the body is already in the prep stages for the upcoming labor.

Both the Dexamethasone and Lutalyse injections are given intramuscularly. Dosages are usually 2 to 3 ccs for the Dexamethasone and 1 to 1 1/2 cc for the Lutalyse. The Lutalyze dosage is standard for all weights. Actual dosages, however, should be determined per label dosages on your med bottles and in consultation with your vet.

The time frame for the induction process would start with your Dexamethasone shot first. Twenty-four hours later, give the Lutalyse shot. Thirty-two to thirty-six hours after the Lutalyse shot, parturition should occur.