De-Horned 2yr old Doe-WEEK 3 update

[Mike CHS]

I can't see how anyone could fault your decision. Good post and thank you again.

 

[Womwotai]

Thanks for the very thorough post, Southern. Good job documenting every step along the way. How long do you anticipate it taking before she is considered to be fully healed? How long before the bandages come off?

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

Pictures were great. : ) I can see what you mean about the eyes. I'm glad everything went just fine and that Millie is doing so well!

 

[cindyg]

Wow, that is amazing. Those sharpened horns are something else. How does the wound heal? I mean, what grows over, just skin? Or bone? Will she have the spots on her head that are soft for ever now? Maybe you'll have to get her a little helmet to protect them. Also, and this is completely off topic, how do you manage to farm goats etc and keep your nails in such pretty condition?? Not fair.

 

[Baymule]

Thanks for sharing the pictures and the thought process that led up to this decision. This is farm life. Sometimes it is messy, and hard decisions have to be made for the good of all.

 

[hilarie]

In my opinion you get the golden ticket for a) considering all the options and being openminded about the whole thing, and wanting to do what is for the highest good of all, and b) manning up and doing the hard thing because, in your opinion (mine too), it was right. Your action needs no defense. I went through the same process with Sweet William, my wether, who had deadly scurs that would have grown into his skull. BTW, it looks like your vet did a beautiful job. Looking into those cavities, you'll never believe that those holes will close, but they really do - and become hard enough that Millie will be more than happy to be a butthead again Have you had to change the dressing, and if so, how did it go? And was her face swollen the next day? William was so puffy the next morning, I had to unwrap and rewrap his bandage:

William before surgery. You can't see the end of his scur, but you get the drift: it just grew straight inward.

 

[hilarie]

He looks totally miserable in that picture, but it's only because his eyes are puffy. He was quite himself: hungry and affectionate and indignant that I was keeping him in a pen within the pen, so he'd get some rest.

 

[hilarie]

This was 3 months after surgery. Today he's right as rain - hair completely grown over the defects, head hard as nails, and he appears to have NO memory (or resentment) of the whole thing: he's the sweetest, most affectionate, loveable goat I've ever known, which is why I was willing to go the distance with him.

 

[Southern by choice]

Thank you all for your support and also understanding.

We were actually instructed to NOT change the bandages til 4-5 days out unless it is wet or she takes it off or smell. Because it is not a flesh wound that needs de-breeding I guess. Vet said changing everyday could actually cause higher chance of infection.
After hearing from others about healing time I asked how long... anywhere form 3-6 weeks. Seems short to me but I have no experience with this. Technically I don't know what it is exactly that grows over... good question. Maybe @hilarie can say.

Millie has no swelling at all. We are going to change her dressing and I will get photos along the way- hopefully. Millie is stubborn so this outta take 3 people without her being sedated.

@hilarie - Thank you so much for posting pics of Sweet William! Poor baby- those scurs were awful. His head looks great! and he is handsome... looks like a Lamancha I know. Also thank you very much for your posts and encouragement. Sharing in previous posts really helped in making the decision. As a nurse I know you know where I am coming from when I say there is a place of putting all the emotions to the side to do what needs to be done... doesn't mean I didn't process after the fact but I needed to focus on what needed to be done.
The pics are very helpul! THANK YOU for posting them!

I wonder if Millie's might have been easier because they weren't scurs and she's a doe... smaller area and grows different. Sweet Williams looks like the opening may have been really big.

The whole thing has caused me to ponder a few things... I will share those thoughts later.

@cindyg LOL- my nails! I have talons! Seriously, they are thick and grow like crazy. They are very hard to cut so I tend to let them go til they just break off (no time for manicures- seriously) problem is they don't break... They grow 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch every month. I don't know why they grow like this... weird huh.

 

[Baymule]

I personally have never dehorned an animal. But I have been one of the party at the squeeze chute. My job was to dab (slop more like it) black gooey stuff on the open wound. It was dehorning cattle and this long handled scoop looking thing was used. The dehorn tool was placed at the base of the horn where it grew out of the skull and the long handles were squeezed together. It made a crunch, sucking sound, blood spurted, the horn fell, I swabbed it with the "medicine". It was a part of "working cows" we wormed, branded and dehorned. We also dodged some pi$$ed off cows, dodged kicks and tried to keep them from climbing out of the chute, which sometimes they did. Then it was everyone for themselves and we ran for the fence. LOL I miss cows.