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dianneS
Loving the herd life
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The vet was just here.
She agreed that I had done everything I could possibly do. She did mention that perhaps the fecals came back negative on worms and coccidia because she was being medicated. That perhaps she was still suffering the effects of a heavy worm or coccidia load. But I said that even if that is the case, considering her age, her condition and the fact that she's never been quite thrifty in the first place, she won't likely bounce back after a hit like this. The vet did say that perhaps she is just very old and dying of old age. We still don't know how old she was, but she was literally very long in the tooth and some of her front teeth were even loose when the vet checked them and said she must be old. However, her teeth were fine otherwise and would not have been a contributing factor in her weight loss.
The vet could only recommend treating her scours, which would just be treating symptoms and not the cause, just prolonging the inevitable.
The vet took a fresh fecal sample to send off to have tested for Johnes. Then she gave her a sedative and finally the lethal injection.
I just finished burying her. I'm so thankful for my tractor, it made the job much easier. I will hear back on the Johnes test by next Monday at the latest. I guess I'm glad I'm not in the meat or dairy business and I'm not planning to breed any goats, if in fact it is Johnes. I'm still hoping and praying that its not...
I won't be bringing any new goats (or other ruminants) on the property for a long, long time!
This goat was always very skittish and leery of people. She wasn't easy to handle at times, but I will be eternally grateful to her for training my livestock guardian dog. She was the only goat big enough to put that dog in his place and teach him her manners. She did a great job, because he is a great dog. I have video of them playing together.
She agreed that I had done everything I could possibly do. She did mention that perhaps the fecals came back negative on worms and coccidia because she was being medicated. That perhaps she was still suffering the effects of a heavy worm or coccidia load. But I said that even if that is the case, considering her age, her condition and the fact that she's never been quite thrifty in the first place, she won't likely bounce back after a hit like this. The vet did say that perhaps she is just very old and dying of old age. We still don't know how old she was, but she was literally very long in the tooth and some of her front teeth were even loose when the vet checked them and said she must be old. However, her teeth were fine otherwise and would not have been a contributing factor in her weight loss.
The vet could only recommend treating her scours, which would just be treating symptoms and not the cause, just prolonging the inevitable.
The vet took a fresh fecal sample to send off to have tested for Johnes. Then she gave her a sedative and finally the lethal injection.
I just finished burying her. I'm so thankful for my tractor, it made the job much easier. I will hear back on the Johnes test by next Monday at the latest. I guess I'm glad I'm not in the meat or dairy business and I'm not planning to breed any goats, if in fact it is Johnes. I'm still hoping and praying that its not...
I won't be bringing any new goats (or other ruminants) on the property for a long, long time!This goat was always very skittish and leery of people. She wasn't easy to handle at times, but I will be eternally grateful to her for training my livestock guardian dog. She was the only goat big enough to put that dog in his place and teach him her manners. She did a great job, because he is a great dog. I have video of them playing together.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
