Had to euthanize a kid last night. :(

[jodief100]

I am truly sorry for your loss, but did you have to add that graphic picture of how you put him down. just for the record he should have been euthanized not shot. That is my own personal opinion. Just because you had a freak accident doesnt mean you shouldnt have goats. If you keep animals no matter what type, death is part of raising and caring for them. I am sure we have all had experiences whether it be with goats, dogs, etc. but that has not stopped me from having then and letting them be a joy. I am truly sorry like I said, but that was toooo much information for me to handle.

"Shot" is euthanized. It is the quickest and most painless way to do it. Would letting the poor baby suffer for a few more hours while waiting for a vet be better?

CM is hurting and I don't think this was the appropriate time or place to be critical. I think relaying the details is good therapy and if it helped than I am glad he did.

If it was too much inofrmation for you than you should have quit reading. Leave CM alone so he can mourn in his own way!

 

[ksalvagno]

He was a cute little guy.

 

[lilhill]

CM, he was a handsome little fella. Hope you are feeling a little better today knowing that you did what you had to do for the baby. It's tough, but that's to your courage and compassion, he's no longer in pain.

 

[cmjust0]

I am truly sorry for your loss, but did you have to add that graphic picture of how you put him down.

I didn't have to, but writing it all down kinda helped me come to terms with it.. I also happen to think it's good that people considering goats have a chance to read stories like this from time to time, rather than simply reading about all the joyous things that come with goat ownership..

just for the record he should have been euthanized not shot. That is my own personal opinion.

If what you mean to say is he should have been "put down by a vet," I disagree whole heartedly. My way, he died without having to travel more than about 200' from his mama.. They were seperated -- for the first time in his short life, mind you -- for just a matter of moments.

Even that was stressful for him, but he was only nervous and confused for a few seconds because I was there, and I comforted him and very quickly settled him back down before sending him to the other side.

Now, compare that with a 1/2-hour drive to the vet...with a broken leg, in a jostling car...without his mama...then being in a strange place, with strange people, and no other goats...

When the end result is the same, it makes more sense to carry it out in whatever manner keeps the goat as calm and comfortable as possible.

It would probably have been easier on me to load him up, take him somewhere, and make him someone else's problem...but this wasn't about me. This was about him. What was easier on him was harder on me, but that was OK -- of the two of us, his welfare was more important than mine.

And, for the record, a gunshot is considered to be a perfectly acceptable means of on-farm euthanasia, and on-farm euthanasia is just a reality of keeping livestock. In fact -- for you, and anyone else out there keeping goats -- you may actually want to browse this link someday. Never know when you might need to know how to carry something like this out.

If you click the link, you'll notice the call for a .38 caliber pistol -- I used a .380 automatic. Also, notice the suggested shot placement -- that's exactly what I did. The link says "When performed skillfully, euthanasia by gunshot induces immediate unconsciousness" -- and it did.

In fact, given the supersonic nature of a bullet, I'd gaurantee he was gone before the sound of the shot ever reached his ears.....he never even heard the shot that killed him.

For him, it was the blink of an eye.

Just because you had a freak accident doesnt mean you shouldnt have goats. If you keep animals no matter what type, death is part of raising and caring for them.

True.. I also believe that people need to be made aware that these things happen -- indeed, with unfortunate frequency -- when it comes to livestock, as opposed to the usual pets like dogs, cats, etc. And when these things do happen, a trip to the vet isn't always feasible or human...which means it's sometimes up to us to do what has to be done.

That's why I suggested that if anyone can't stomach the idea that they'll be called upon one day to send one of their goats to the other side, think long and hard before you actualy go buy some.

I am sure we have all had experiences whether it be with goats, dogs, etc. but that has not stopped me from having then and letting them be a joy. I am truly sorry like I said, but that was toooo much information for me to handle.

Well...you were no more compelled to read it than I was to write it. I'm sorry if it upset you, but...well, if reading about it was too much, imagine having to do it.

You may, someday.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

My way, he died without having to travel more than about 200' from his mama.. They were seperated -- for the first time in his short life, mind you -- for just a matter of moments.

Even that was stressful for him, but he was only nervous and confused for a few seconds because I was there, and I comforted him and very quickly settled him back down before sending him to the other side.

Now, compare that with a 1/2-hour drive to the vet...with a broken leg, in a jostling car...without his mama...then being in a strange place, with strange people, and no other goats...

When the end result is the same, it makes more sense to carry it out in whatever manner keeps the goat as calm and comfortable as possible.

I agree.

 

[glenolam]

Well said, cm.... You are a strong, wise person who has the capability to reason and you have more courage than most do.

He was a cutie and you know you have support from most of us.

 

[Bunnylady]

A few years ago, I had a doe and her kid both develop neurological symptoms a few days after she kidded. Neither one could stand, and I hauled them both to a vet (about a 45 minute trip). The likelihood of either recovering was poor, and it was decided that the kid would be euthanized, while we concentrated on trying to save the doe. The vet techs took him into another room to "do the deed," but I could still hear his struggles and cries of protest as the needle went in and the drug began to take effect. He may not have known what was happening, but he was fighting it all the way!

Just sayin', if anyone thinks the needle is a peaceful, gentle exit, it ain't always so. People have been severely injured by large animals that are fighting anesthesia, even the routine, non-lethal kind.

(In the end, we were unable to save the doe too, and I wound up bottle feeding her remaining kid. It turned out that the infection that killed her entered her body during the birthing process. Nothing quite like the guilt of knowing that a decision I made (breeding her) led to the death of a beloved pet!)

It seems odd to think that an act of violence can be an act of kindness, but you do what you gotta do. Kudos to the OP for having the courage to do it (and yes, it does take courage to do something like that, when every fiber of your being wants to save the animal, not kill it). Some people say that goats are born looking for a way to die; you don't really understand what that means until you've owned a few of them. My condolences to the OP for your loss; hopefully it will be a long time before you have to make a decision like that again.

 

[Emmetts Dairy]

I am truly sorry for your loss, but did you have to add that graphic picture of how you put him down. just for the record he should have been euthanized not shot. That is my own personal opinion.

In my personal opinion...being shot sounds alot worse than it is. When someone is an expirenced marksman..they know how to "euthanize" with a gun. I agree that it would of been too much for the animal to endure to be driven to the vet for 1/2 hour in that kind of pain or endure the stress of being that injured and pulled from his mother...this was quick and it was a VERY Humane way to handle the situation. I support you CM and I would'nt hesitate for a minute to do the same thing.. its part of having them...and loving them! And its sometimes becomes a jagged pill to swallow when we have to do things for thier best interest.

Just remeber we are here to support and help eachother through sharing expiences and situations. Not criticize...I dont hold the opinions of everyone on here....but the man just went through hell....give him a break..skip the sentences if you cant handle it...or dont read it at all if your sentitive to that kind of information. You are in control of what you expose yourself too. But be kind...we all here to do the best for our animals and share experiences with them good or bad.

 

[cmjust0]

In my personal opinion...being shot sounds alot worse than it is. When someone is an expirenced marksman..they know how to "euthanize" with a gun.

Unfortunately, I had to gain a little real-world experience with the process to be able to do it as efficiently as I did this time...

STOP READING THIS, RIGHT NOW, IF READING ABOUT A BOTCHED EUTHANASIA WILL DISTURB YOU...AND IT PROBABLY WILL DISTURB YOU, BECAUSE IT'S GENUINELY DISTURBING...SO YOU SHOULD PROBABLY JUST HIT THE BACK BUTTON AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT THREAD. SERIOUSLY.

Still reading? Okay, well...don't blame me when you have nightmares. I do think people should know what happens when things don't go just right, though...and that it does happen, no matter how well you think you've planned..

I'd also like to think my horrifying experience might keep someone else from doing what I did...would be about the only good that could come from it.

Soooo...the first time I had to do this, I took the advice on the page I linked earlier and used a .22LR.. Seemed "friendlier" somehow..

This was an adult goat, too.

Don't use a .22LR. I was only certain it was over with after I'd sent bullet #4 into her skull when using a .22LR. I'm positive that she was wasn't conciously aware of anything that happened after #1...but I was...and it's not something I'd wish on anybody -- hence the post on it..

Suffice it to say that once they go motionless and you grab a leg to move them...and they pull back...you jump up right quick and send in bullets #2 and #3.

I walked around for about 5 minutes after #3 and she was totally motionless when I came back.. I sat right over her and watched, just to see if she was -- by some horrible miracle -- still breathing..

Nothing.. She was absolutely still. This is probably >10min since bullet #1, mind you.. I'm sure there's no way she's still alive..

So, I reached down and took her by the horn and I'll be daggone if she didn't pull against me again, then commenced to kicking her legs some more..

Bullet #4 went right into the center of her skull, and I was actually facing her at that point.. Had to look her right in the eye as I pulled the trigger. By that point, though, her eyes were "dead," of course, so that made it a bit easier...but still. Things had obviously not gone according to plan at this point, and I'm just winging it..

You don't want to have to wing it when you're doing this -- again, hence the post..

She immediately went 100% limp after bullet #4, and I saw blood begin to pour from the hole.. I got this sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach like...aw, man...that's bad...and then it got WORSE..

Suffice it to say that the word "geyser" comes to mind, if that tells you anything -- and no, I'm not embellishing. Probably 3-4" high, for at least a full two seconds.. That told me that, somehow or another, she actually still had some fairly significant blood pressure at that point..

That ended it, though.. Forever, and always...done.

Moral of the story...if you have something better than a .22LR to euthanize a goat, USE IT. And if you don't, my advice would be to just go ahead and pump several in there in rapid succession.. The reality is that they have extremely thick skulls, and pretty small brains, so it's not as if you're just shooting them "in the head" to do the job.. There's a target, and it's not a very big one..

I actually heard one of my neighbors put a cow down with a .22LR one evening.. He'd apparently learned the same thing I did that day, at some point earlier in his life.. I heard "snap...snap snap snap snap snap snap snap...snap snap.. snap"..

Soooo...it's not just me, I don't think..

And, like I said...if you just read this and went OH MY GOD...I can't believe he actually posted that...well, you were warned.

If, however, you just read that and went...wow, that's good to know...you're welcome, and I hope you never ever ever have to do it.

 

[cmjust0]

Something else I forgot to mention about the day the kid broke his leg...

As soon as I heard him start screaming, I bolted out the door and ran toward him.. Coming in the opposite direction, from the old truckbed trailer under which he's constructed quite the "man cave," came our male Sarplaninac LGD, Ivan, running as hard as he could run.. He got there before I did, and was met by our other LGD, Mischa.

Ivan was bouncing on his front legs and raring up to see if he could reach the little guy.. He wasn't excited by the activity, per se, nor trying to "get at him"...but more like trying to touch him or sniff him or something.. It was like a frantic "OMG OMG OMG OMG" bounce, like "I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!!!"...but, obviously, there was nothing he could do.

He can't exactly kill the giant dead tree, yanno?

The goats come to the dogs when the dogs get mad -- a learned behavior, and a good one -- and the dogs both got really raw with the goats about the time I got there, and they ran them all off.. Kept them away, too, which was good as it gave me room to work. I dunno if that's what they were trying to do, necessarily, but it was helpful.. I think it was more like the dogs were just worried and the goats were annoying them by milling around..

Once I was there, the dogs sat down and watched the kid -- not me, the kid -- the whole time I was trying to get him down. I only know that because I stopped to look around a few times to see if there was anything I could reach to stand on that would get me just a few inches higher, balancing the kid over my head the whole time so he wouldn't just be dangling there... There was nothing to be had, of course, so I just kinda had to grow a few inches for a minute...which I apparently did, somehow, because I obviously did get him down..

Anyhow, I just felt like I needed to come back and append this to the story, because Ivan and Mischa were both super concerned about the whole thing. Big kudos from me to two really good LGDs.