03/30/2026
Ever felt like a dummy? Don’t worry, we sometimes do too - unfortunately we don’t have a cure for the human dum-dum moments. We do have help for the livestock babies, though!
‘Dummy’ babies are those with ‘Neonatal Maladjustment Syndrome’. The classic ‘dummy’ symptoms are the baby being lethargic/weak, failure to nurse (no to minimal suckle response), inability to find the udder, and general lack of vigor.
The ‘Madigan Squeeze’ is a technique of literally squeezing (in a particular manner) the chest of newborn ‘dummy’ babies. The technique was originally used for foals, but we have adopted it (very successfully!) for calves, lambs, and kids. We even had a client recently use the Madigan Squeeze on a 2-week old lamb that was just not thriving - and it worked great!
The Madigan Squeeze is not always a full cure. Generally, when it works, it doesn’t take long for the baby to have more energy, and the suckle response follows quickly - they’re up and nursing in no time!
The following link is to Dr. Furrer’s favorite video showcasing how to perform the Madigan Squeeze (there are plenty of other videos on YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh7wqE8RlnA
More about the Madigan Squeeze and ‘Dummy Syndrome' (article is more about foals, but correlates to other species): https://ceh.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/health-topics/neonatal-maladjustment-syndrome-foals
