Chat
03-13-2018, 06:28 PM
Well, I had an interesting time at the vet today. I ran Tigerlily in this afternoon when I didn't find any kid(s) in the pen this morning. We got there and they could feel just past the partially-dilated cervix like I did and there was nothing there. So they looked for the kid on an ultrasound and found nothing. Next we took her into the x-ray room. Tigerlily immediately stepped on the foot pedal and took an x-ray of the empty table. We had a fun time getting her up there and holding her down. Normally I would not have been allowed to stay in the room, but they needed me to hold that scrambling, struggling goat down so I donned a lead vest and hung on tight. They took two x-rays and found nothing. They took two more in a different place and still found nothing. No baby at all! I was more perplexed after the vet visit than I was before. Tigerlily was looking good, bright, alert, and eating hay in the trailer. Nothing seemed wrong with her. There was no afterbirth hanging and not really any more discharge except when someone stuck their fingers into her. So I paid the bill and took her home.
When we got back, Phil and I went hunting for the fetus. She must have had it somewhere because I knew I had felt it in there the night before. It didn't take us long. We discovered it in the doe pen in the place where she'd been nesting the night before. Either I was in a total stupor this morning and didn't notice it (quite possible--I've been a real zombie in the mornings ever since the time change and I still haven't recovered from the crazy horse competition I went to last weekend), or she snuck back into the doe pen after I let everyone out and delivered it before we left for the vet a few hours later. I didn't think to check again after I let her out because she didn't seem to want to hang around in there. Anyway, we found a single small buckling, black with white markings like his dad Lightning. Tigerlily was not interested. She's not mourning like Nubbin did when she lost hers a few years ago. I don't know if she'd cleaned him up of if Daisy-dog did that later after I opened the pen.
The fetus was no good for necropsy after sitting out in the sun all day so we buried it. The vet did not think an abortion screen would be necessary but he wants me to take some precautions anyway since we're not sure of the cause. I'm pretty sure she got whacked and that it's entirely her own fault for picking fights, but I can't be certain of that. So I'm to give Tigerlily a course of antibiotics and keep her separate from my other pregnant does until she's done cleansing. Since she spent the last two days spilling goo all over the doe pen, I switched all the does to the boys' pen and moved the boys up to the doe pen with Tigerlily for now. Once Tigerlily is done cleansing I'm to walk around the pen and spray bleach on the ground to disinfect as well as I can. Kind of a headache and probably not necessary, but I'll do it anyhow just to be cautious. Now hopefully she won't have any other complications like mastitis or anything.
When we got back, Phil and I went hunting for the fetus. She must have had it somewhere because I knew I had felt it in there the night before. It didn't take us long. We discovered it in the doe pen in the place where she'd been nesting the night before. Either I was in a total stupor this morning and didn't notice it (quite possible--I've been a real zombie in the mornings ever since the time change and I still haven't recovered from the crazy horse competition I went to last weekend), or she snuck back into the doe pen after I let everyone out and delivered it before we left for the vet a few hours later. I didn't think to check again after I let her out because she didn't seem to want to hang around in there. Anyway, we found a single small buckling, black with white markings like his dad Lightning. Tigerlily was not interested. She's not mourning like Nubbin did when she lost hers a few years ago. I don't know if she'd cleaned him up of if Daisy-dog did that later after I opened the pen.
The fetus was no good for necropsy after sitting out in the sun all day so we buried it. The vet did not think an abortion screen would be necessary but he wants me to take some precautions anyway since we're not sure of the cause. I'm pretty sure she got whacked and that it's entirely her own fault for picking fights, but I can't be certain of that. So I'm to give Tigerlily a course of antibiotics and keep her separate from my other pregnant does until she's done cleansing. Since she spent the last two days spilling goo all over the doe pen, I switched all the does to the boys' pen and moved the boys up to the doe pen with Tigerlily for now. Once Tigerlily is done cleansing I'm to walk around the pen and spray bleach on the ground to disinfect as well as I can. Kind of a headache and probably not necessary, but I'll do it anyhow just to be cautious. Now hopefully she won't have any other complications like mastitis or anything.