Chat
03-28-2016, 09:07 PM
I'm not sure what a blood profile on a goat would cost, but it was way too much when we had one done on our dog last year (and naturally because it was expensive it told us nothing useful). I'm not sure I want to pour that much money into a goat who is (as Charlie Horse puts it) 100 years old. He's very special, of course, but I'm kind of thinking that a vet isn't going to do much more than shrug and tell me that everything breaks down in old age. I don't mind doing things like deworming, supplementing or changing diet or minerals, etc., but if it's something serious like liver failure we're not going to take any measures to prolong the inevitable.
I'm hoping that as spring progresses and the soft grass comes in Cuzco will start putting on more weight and being more himself again. He doesn't seem unhappy or in pain, but he's on the thin side. I'm disappointed because his coat was unusually thick and sleek this past winter. It's definitely alarming to see it go from such luxuriousness to falling out in clumps all at once! He hasn't acted "off" in any other way. He's eating well, going for regular 3-mile walks, and still rules the roost even though I notice he doesn't actively seek out dominance fights with Finn lately (like for the past month or two). Cuzco will still beat Finn (or any other goat) that gets in his way, but Cuzco is definitely making a point to avoid getting into those confrontations in the first place.
Speaking of Finn and Cuzco, we saw a funny incident on our walk today. Finn went racing past Cuzco and you could tell he was thinking about clipping Cuzco with a horn on his way by. But Cuzco heard him coming, cocked his head ever so slightly, and gave Finn the ol' hairy eyeball. Gravel flew as Finn backpedaled furiously and swerved out of Cuzco's reach just in time. So yes, Cuzco is definitely still King of the herd, but when I am sending him through a gate and Finn is standing on the other side, Cuzco has recently stopped plowing into Finn and pushing him out of the way. Nowadays Cuzco just skirts around him. Finn doesn't challenge Cuzco's passage, but he doesn't move out of the way either. I'm sure that seeing his days on top numbered has got to be emotionally challenging for the poor old fella. I hope it's not so stressful that it's making him go bald!
I'm hoping that as spring progresses and the soft grass comes in Cuzco will start putting on more weight and being more himself again. He doesn't seem unhappy or in pain, but he's on the thin side. I'm disappointed because his coat was unusually thick and sleek this past winter. It's definitely alarming to see it go from such luxuriousness to falling out in clumps all at once! He hasn't acted "off" in any other way. He's eating well, going for regular 3-mile walks, and still rules the roost even though I notice he doesn't actively seek out dominance fights with Finn lately (like for the past month or two). Cuzco will still beat Finn (or any other goat) that gets in his way, but Cuzco is definitely making a point to avoid getting into those confrontations in the first place.
Speaking of Finn and Cuzco, we saw a funny incident on our walk today. Finn went racing past Cuzco and you could tell he was thinking about clipping Cuzco with a horn on his way by. But Cuzco heard him coming, cocked his head ever so slightly, and gave Finn the ol' hairy eyeball. Gravel flew as Finn backpedaled furiously and swerved out of Cuzco's reach just in time. So yes, Cuzco is definitely still King of the herd, but when I am sending him through a gate and Finn is standing on the other side, Cuzco has recently stopped plowing into Finn and pushing him out of the way. Nowadays Cuzco just skirts around him. Finn doesn't challenge Cuzco's passage, but he doesn't move out of the way either. I'm sure that seeing his days on top numbered has got to be emotionally challenging for the poor old fella. I hope it's not so stressful that it's making him go bald!