Happy goats should also be healthy goats

It's been an interesting week here at Critter Farm. Extensive caprine (caprine: of or pertaining to goats) knowledge is being acquired at an almost alarming rate.

At the beginning of the week, I was feeling pretty darn cool just having this little bottle sitting in my refrigerator:

It's CD&T goat vaccine that goat kids need to receive at 4 weeks of age, 8 weeks, 12 weeks and then annually. (The CD&T provides three-way protection against enterotoxemia (overeating disease) caused by Clostridium perfringins types C and D and tetanus (lockjaw) caused by Clostridium tetani.) Having this in my fridge means that I am going to give the injections...AWESOME.

Then I got my much anticipated package in the mail from Jeffers Livestock (EXCELLENT prices, by the way - with a flat rate for shipping: $5 to Oregon) - In it was a digital thermometer, Magic Shears for hoof trimming, and Probios:

Probios is recommended by many goat owners for aiding digestion during times of stress, following antibiotic treatment or if a goat seems "off".

Meanwhile, my goat babies Pete and Reggie were thriving. We've had a ball getting to know each other. So I didn't worry much when Pete developed the sniffles...you know, a bit of a goopy goat nose and slightly runny eyes that would be crusty in the mornings. This seemed to clear up fairly quickly, but then the cough came. Just a little at first, but it was always there...a nagging sort of wet cough. Could it be pneumonia? Was it just sniffles from the stress of moving? What if it was (gasp) lungworm?

So off I went, researching everything I could about goat ailments, penicillin, antibiotics, etc. I went to feed stores looking for what is carried in my area.
Oxytetracycline is the antibiotic generally used to treat pneumonia. LA 200 is one type of oxytetracycline available for livestock, but it comes in a liquid base that makes it an extremely painful injection. I don't like that:

Bio-Mycin is another form of oxytetracycline but comes in a different base that is supposedly non-painful. I like this better:

But I was having a hard time deciding which route to take. Should I really try to diagnose this on my own? How can I be certain he needs oxytetracycline and not penicillin? And what if I'm treating the wrong problem?

So, after discussing my options with my wonderful goat-loving friends on a Yahoo goat owner's group, I consulted my local vet. He advised that I should give them both a course of antibiotics. "It can't hurt", he said. Off I went to his clinic:

I came back with these. Two syringes with 1ml each of Tetradure, a more powerful oxytetracycline. Since Reggie's eyes were sort of drippy, we decided to give him a dose, too. "This shouldn't hurt," he said:

The vet also said it would be fine for me to give them their CD&T vaccinations at the same time. So, I laid out all my stuff:

I filled my CD&T syringes:

and accidentally jabbed myself in the finger:

Because it's been so rainy and cold out, I set up a spot on the kitchen floor to give the injections:

My assistant (a.k.a. husband, Jim) helped with goat holding. Pete got to go first (poor lad):

I can only say I hope I get better at this - for their sakes. I had to stick Pete three times with the antibiotic shot because I kept losing my grip when he would wiggle. Roxy was quite concerned with Pete's crying:

Then it was Reggie's turn:

The CD&T injection went smoothly, but the antibiotic - WOW - I can tell you, it must've hurt like the DICKENS (the vet was WRONG), which explains Pete's earlier crying. Reggie let out a bleating shriek like you would not believe as I pressed the syringe plunger. It was awful. It must really burn or something. Poor little sweetie:

The second I was finished, though, he was back to his usual docile, mellow self. Roxy, again, hovered nearby, in case she was needed:

Once the boys were safely back in the goathouse, I had a big one of these to calm my nerves:

When I checked on them at bedtime, all was well. They were being their usual silly selves:

Appetites were not affected in the least:

Pete got his nightly requested kiss:

This morning, two pairs of bright eyes were waiting to be let out (I was the blurry one this morning, as you can see by the photo quality):

And our day proceeded as normal. Nobody seems to remember a thing about shot day:

I'm really hoping the antibiotic shot works on Pete's cough. I'll keep you posted.

Wordless Wednesday: My baby likes to sit in my lap

All about Pete and Reggie

This is Pete:

and this is Reggie:

They are my almost 8-week-old Nigerian Dwarf goats:

As I mentioned in my last post, I brought them home on Saturday and we have spent the past few days settling in and getting to know one another.

Pete was one of three babies born to his mama and, because of this, is a bit smaller and more slender than Reggie, even though Pete is four days older. Pete is long and lean and easily able to jump onto and over things like a graceful gazelle...

He has recently scaled the top of the hay feeder (note Reggie underneath):

...the wooden fence in the goat house (this storage can has since been removed because he could have used it to springboard OUT of the goathouse entirely):

...my son, Aidan:

...and the wooden gate separating stall from storage area:

Pete clearly likes conquering anything taller than he is.

Reggie is my stocky little pudge:

He was one of just two babies born to his mama and is bigger because of this. His fur is fine and soft, almost downey, while Pete's is quite a bit coarser.

Reggie cries when Pete scales things in a single bound and leaves him behind. Whenever Pete goes over, therefore, Reggie now goes under or through:

I've clearly got two budding escape artists that will need to be watched very closely.

Both my little guys have been neutered. I did not plan on using them to breed and by not neutering them, they would have likely become very smelly and aggressive. In goat-speak, neutered goats are called wethers. The process for wethering is to place a small, tight band around their testicles. This cuts off circulation and, after a few weeks, the testicles fall off painlessly. Pete and Reggie had their bands put on about a week and a half ago. Here's Pete's:

You would think this would be uncomfortable, but neither one seems to mind:

Even though the boys are just as different from one another personality-wise as they are physically, they really like each other. They are virtually inseparable. Where one goes, the other follows:

They sleep together:

Observe together:

Pose together:

Jump together:

Eat their hay together:

Drink their water together:

and eat their grain together:

Here's breakfast yesterday:

And speaking of grain....every morning, they each get 1/2 a cup of grain. As they get bigger, I will increase this amount to maybe a cup each per day. As babies, they need this grain to finish growing. When they are fully grown though, at about one year of age, I'll discontinue the grain and they will eat only grass hay and whatever browse they get in my pastures. Concentrate diets can create an imbalance that causes them to get urinary calculi (stones) which will kill them.

Because I am such a new goat mama, I am very mindful of the amount of this goat chow they get. Their health and well-being is of great concern to me and my learning curve is very steep right now. I, therefore, reserve the right to stop feeding them this feed even before they reach a year old, should I become convinced that they don't need it for healthy growth. :-)

Good girl, Roxy:

A Saturday introduction

My new babies (please note the beautiful heart)...:

...finally got to come home with me today:

My family was very excited to participate:

These little boys are seven-week old Nigerian Dwarf goats:

Don't let their age fool you, though. They may be young, but they are already very capable of getting into trouble. This is one of a handful of examples we witnessed just this afternoon:

Roxy, my farm pup, had never seen (or smelled) anything like these little guys:

And she has decided she is in LOVE. She was by their sides all day long. Every time they cried, she would run to them:

Look at those ears!:

There's so much more to tell, but it's been a long day. Goat baby bedtime is 8:30PM, you know:

Back soon...

The end...and a beginning

When I was little, I used to think about how, when I'd be older, things wouldn't hurt my feelings so much. While I always seemed to learn some important life lessons from hurtful things happening, I was anxious to learn them all and be finished with them. I just assumed that being older naturally meant that relationships and interactions with people would become easier and ...well, kinder. You might be chuckling right now because sometimes this is the farthest thing from the truth. Relationships can be hard - even when we're old(er). Communication can be difficult - even as adults. And apparently, we continue to have life lessons we need to learn.

I've had a rough go of it the last few weeks. I found myself in a situation that I never dreamed of being in and was judged in a way that I will never fully understand. The result is that I have ended a very unhealthy relationship with an organization that I once believed in with all my heart. While I wish that the situation could have had a different outcome, I can honestly say that I tried my best, worked my hardest and gave myself completely to the experiences of the last year. The fact that others chose to undermine, misrepresent, and speak with malice and threats is something I have no control over.

I know that what I've written may seem intentionally vague and unclear, but this post is an ending for me. It is a tangible and positive way for me to part from the bad that is now finished and allow myself to be open and welcoming to the good that is yet to come.

I'm a firm believer that when one door closes, many, many others open. If you have a good heart and good intentions, I believe that good things await.

Two of my "good things" are almost ready. On Saturday, I will introduce you to them.