Had to euthanize a kid last night. :(

[chubbydog811]

Sorry to hear about your little goat! I'm sure that sucked more than you could explain to someone who has never done it.

...One of my rescue goat's udder exploded, and the office was already closed...I'm sure she was in incredible pain, but she didn't show it. I loaded her up in the car, and took her to a friend's house who had the right size gun to take care of her with. I'll admit, I wasn't there for it, but I was in the barn next to where they did it...Took 4 shots to kill her. I assume it was probably the same deal as the first goat you did. I didn't especially want details, so I didn't ask, and they didn't tell. But it was in the best interest of the goat to just shoot her and get it over with, instead of waiting until Monday (This was a Saturday afternoon).
Also will add (on a different note) bringing a goat to the vet can get expensive fast. The vet will need to do an exam, make sure that the animal really needs to be killed, and sometimes even try to save it. On top of that, you have to cart them all the way to the office (its 45 minutes for me) stress the animal out more, and spend alot more than needed. Where they could just go peacefully in your back yard instead.

Bunnylady wrote:

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.

This is SOO true! I had a two of my colts gelded this week. The vet gives a sedative, then the drug to knock them out. I was very glad that these were ponies, because they fall every where when this drug sets in...And someone(me) had to be holding them. First one pushed me when he fell and almost caught me on a wall, second one almost fell on me (note:I was about 6' away, on a long lead, so I didn't get hurt when he fell). He stumbled foward and then sideways...Not fun at all!
Anyway, sorry again about the kid, you did right by him though

 

[SisterFlax]

You did the right thing.

I found this forum today looking for a humane way to kill a goat, other than a gun. My husband can and has shot them for me, but it feels so brutal. If an animal that is not going to make it, and too weak to put up a fight I would like an injectable way to euthanize - I can hit the jugular no problem. From my googling, this is not an option available for an owner. Bleeding them out seems as messy and awful as shooting them, I do not have what it takes to drown an animal... I have two deaths to enterotoxemia this week - one especially was clearly agonizing. I DID get the vet out, but she just watched the doeling die with me... It was fast at that point and she had stopped struggling.

If anyone has another method of putting an animal out of it's misery that is humane and fast, please let me know.

My heart goes out to you and you are not alone in your sadness for your little guy.

Nan

 

[Shiloh Acres]

I am sorry to hear you are facing that.

I am not sure if you can rig up a way to do it safely with something the size of a goat, but we have used car exhaust fumes for very small animals in the past.

I'm trying to think of a med you could maybe use a large dose of to put them to sleep, but I can't think of anything readily accessible. I wouldn't want to guess on it anyway, since goats so often have to be dosed off-label at high dosages anyway.

So sorry you are dealing with these things.

 

[cmjust0]

There are two things we're warned against using in goats, for fear of instant death..

1) PenG, intravenously.
2) an antibiotic called "Micotil"

Thing is, I don't know of anyone who's ever done either to know whether it's a "drop-dead instantly and peacefully" kind of reaction, or a "thrash about and scream in pain for a few seconds before keeling over" kind of a reaction..

As such...wouldn't try, nor could I recommend, either one.

Really sorry you're having to make that decision, though.

 

[ksalvagno]

Would your vet sell you a dose of stuff to do the deed yourself? My vet is usually willing to sell a single dose of drugs that the average person isn't supposed to have a bottle of. Of course I have to have a reason why I need that dose but it sure saves on a vet call when I know what the problem is and just need a certain drug.

 

[lilroo]

i'm so sorry to hear, These things can be close to the heart and like others said go kiss another kid and remember why you have goats.

 

[mabeane]

Life on the farm...it is NOT always easy.

 

[goatgirl4008]

Sorry bout your kid. I use to work on a very large hog farm and the vet that would come out every 3 weeks said on small less than a week old kid blunt trauma aka. a quick yet forceful whack on the concrete floor on the top or back of the head. It is harder on the person than the animal. I had to destroy a perfectly good doe kid the day she was born cause the #$%^& pigs crushed both her back legs from the hock down. It was horrible needless to say the pigs were gone the next Monday to the sale. In a kid like that it was the best option but on the larger goats a .22 shot in that swirl of hair just behind there horns pointing the gun down and toward the nose is very quick and normally a clean kill. But don't think to much about it. The first 1 we did I told myself I can do this then I started thinking about it and my husband had to do it. But it got done with 1 shot and takein care of. If there is another way on large goats I don't know about it. Again sorry for your lose. But I agree with another post love on or just sit back and watch the others play a smile will eventually come back. The baby not forgotten but knowing he's. Playing and causeing trouble across the rainbow bridge. I read another post that said not to use a .22 we have only had to use more than 1 shot on only one animal and that wasn't even a goat. The shot placement I feel is key. But you have to find something that works for you and you feel comfortable doing. Please remember thi is my opinion and I don't know everything just sharing my experiance.

 

[cmjust0]

Sorry bout your kid. I use to work on a very large hog farm and the vet that would come out every 3 weeks said on small less than a week old kid blunt trauma aka. a quick yet forceful whack on the concrete floor on the top or back of the head. It is harder on the person than the animal. I had to destroy a perfectly good doe kid the day she was born cause the #$%^& pigs crushed both her back legs from the hock down. It was horrible needless to say the pigs were gone the next Monday to the sale. In a kid like that it was the best option but on the larger goats a .22 shot in that swirl of hair just behind there horns pointing the gun down and toward the nose is very quick and normally a clean kill. But don't think to much about it. The first 1 we did I told myself I can do this then I started thinking about it and my husband had to do it. But it got done with 1 shot and takein care of. If there is another way on large goats I don't know about it. Again sorry for your lose. But I agree with another post love on or just sit back and watch the others play a smile will eventually come back. The baby not forgotten but knowing he's. Playing and causeing trouble across the rainbow bridge. I read another post that said not to use a .22 we have only had to use more than 1 shot on only one animal and that wasn't even a goat. The shot placement I feel is key. But you have to find something that works for you and you feel comfortable doing. Please remember thi is my opinion and I don't know everything just sharing my experiance.

Sharing experience is good..

FWIW, though, the shot placement you describe is almost exactly what I did with the adult goat and the .22, and it didn't go very well..

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I used to work on a large dairy (cow) farm and we weren't allowed to shoot guns b/c there was a house fairly close to the farm. We had to use blunt force trauma on calves that needed euthing. It was really hard for me.