What is upsetting to me is the fact that she is probably in pain now. Goats do not express pain like horses or dogs do. The fact that she is laying down, does not want to get up, and does not want to eat, means she is a very sick goat. A healthy goat will never turn down food. The fact that it was admitted that she ate too much grain she probably set her self up for a problem right there.
What REALLY upsets me the most is the statement of trying to keep her alive until the sale.
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OK, young lady, this is not the right thing to do! You don't "dump" a sick animal just because you don't want to treat it! What kind of animal compassion is that! If the answers you get here aren't good enough for you get onto one of the dairy goat forums. Ask the same questions, you will probably get the same answers and definitely criticism for this lack of compassion. BTW, I was raised in the Midwest farm belt and we also had dairy cows. Although goats and cows are both ruminants their systems do not work the same.
I'm sorry but I just don't do well with this type of "situation".
[i]
Charlene in Central Oregon[/i]
THANK YOU for saying that Charlene! I really wanted to but I am still new to this forum.
I'll tell what the treatment of this goat reminds me of.
Back in the day Coons Hollow in Redmond was a drop off point for Jerry Cook to make his quota of killer horses to ship to Texas. He always tried to keep the sick ones alive until the weekly truck came. As long as they made it on the truck, he would get his money for the quota. It did not matter of the horse died on the way down there. He had his money and it was no longer a concern of his. I had a friend who was living in the apartment attached to the barn and was visiting her every weekend. Jerry got in a horse that went down. It was too weak to get up. I went out there and saw the horse down and asked him about it. He said that he was not going to have it put down because it was money. He would just keep it alive until the truck came. I came back four days later and the horse was still down on its side but it had dung a path around itself with it's hooves. Spinning itself trying to get up. I blew a gasket on Jerry and was ordered off the property. Debbie told me that the next day the truck arrived and they drug the horse up into it, ran the rest of the horses in over top of it and the truck drove off. Jerry got his money. She moved out right after that happened.
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You make it sound like I want to dump her. :'( I want her to live. I am going to get a video of her right now to show you all. :'(
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07-19-2014, 07:02 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-19-2014, 07:03 AM by sydneyjd.)
Ok,Can we scrap and restart this conversation? I hate it when i have people yelling at me. :'(
I will repost what I know,and ask you all what your advice is.
You can scrap and restart it. But I really don't think it's going to change any opinions or advice. When you ask for advice from experienced people, and do not like what you hear, you can't just start all over and expect different answers.
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sydneyjd everyone on this forum is passionate about their goats and would go without just to provide for them. You post about a sick goat that is obviously in need of a vet or at least someone who knows goats and can try to figure out whats wrong. When told some things you need to do, you came back with well my dad says twisted gut, we will just let the goat suffer for a week and then try to sell it. So here is the problem.
1, you asked for help and ignored it.
2, your goat is suffering and you are willing to let it continue
3, this isnt about you, its about the goat
Now I understand you are young and can only do so much. And it sounds like your dad isnt real interested in spending the time and most likely the money to help you either. And thats why you came here with your question. So you are in a tough spot for sure. Not being able to afford to help a beloved animal is a terrible thing to have to go though. But when you come back with, eh, we will just sell her in a week... that speaks volumes to your character. Most people are not going to respond in a friendly manner. So here is what I am going to suggest. If you cant have a vet out regardless of reason, you need to track down someone who raises goats locally and see if they will come out and look your goat over. Craigslist is a good place to look / post for help. Your feed store is another place. There are so many things you could be doing help your goat if you wanted to spend the effort to do them.
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She doesn't look bloated and she's very underweight. Have she been checked for worms (specifically coccidia)? Coccidiosis can take a goat down fast (diarrhea being a major symptom) and it can spread quickly through your herd. A fecal exam is the only way to determine this for sure. I've never dealt with this myself, so I don't know the best advice.
I think what's bothering people, Sydney, is not that we think you want your goat to die. It's the idea that you'll only give her till Tuesday and then off to the sale barn if she's not better. That's not much of a chance. But more than that, it really bothers us that you would fob your problems off on some unsuspecting person at the sale. Selling your sick goats is both irresponsible and unethical. You may not be able to afford this loss, but neither can the person who buys your goat. You also risk infecting up-to-now healthy animals at the sale. If, let's say, your goat had something horrible like Johne's disease, then you risk contaminating herds in your area with a terrible illness that cannot be cured, that lives in the soil for a very long time, and is infectious not only to goats but to cattle and all other ruminants. Your sick animals are your responsibility and if you cannot cure them then you must end their lives humanely and take the loss, unless you can give them away to someone with full disclosure. Anything less is dishonest and you can ruin your reputation that way.
That said, I also know that you are a teenager and you may not have much control over what happens to your animals. Your dad may be the one who decides to take her to the sale barn, and if that's the case then I feel for you. But I think we all want you to know that there is a better way to do things so that one day when you run your own herd, you can operate it in a more responsible way. Money is nothing compared to a good reputation and a clear conscience.
I hope you can figure out what's wrong with your goat and get her healthy again. I hope that whatever she has does not spread through your herd. Get a temperature and do a fecal exam!
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Well said, Nanno and Dave. Sydney, there are many people in Michigan who are very knowledgeable and would help you but you need to contact them, explain in detail and ask for help to save your doe. If any of us were anywhere near where you live we would be there to give you a hand but we are pretty much scattered all over the continent and beyond. Find a mentor nearby or join a local goat 4-H or dairy group. There is always help where you least expect it!
[i]
Charlene in Central Oregon[/i]
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