Antigone

After Antigone’s horn injury, I called the vet Monday afternoon to make a plan for a permanent fix.  After our conversation it was determined to leave the bandage on for a couple more days and then see how it looked.

Antigone

Wednesday afternoon, I cut the bandage off.  I couldn’t see how her injury was doing because the bottom layer of cotton was glued to her head with blood and blood stop powder.

I called the vets the next morning, and it was decided the best thing was for me to take her over and let them deal with her (okay, I had already decided that).

The earliest we could get her in for the bandage clean up and removing the horns was Tuesday morning.  She and her maa got to stay in the Love Shack and get pampered until then.

Pistol and Antigone

Of course, I had to rely on my mother to drop her off Tuesday morning so I could get to work.  I was relieved when I got the call that she was all done and ready to come home.

When I picked her up, I did talk to the vet, and he confirmed that her so-called normal horn was also really thin.

There’s a good chance she would have broken it if we hadn’t removed it too.  It’s going to take some getting used to her without horns, but she’s much better off.

She’ll stay in the Love Shack for a couple more days, and I still have Pistol with her to keep her company.  I’m glad we’re done with this.

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A Tragic Heroine

Antigone.  You should never name a goat after a tragic heroine.  (Warning: bloody pictures below, but she is doing well now.)

Antigone

Saturday, Antigone had her head through the fence and saw the dog, which caused her to panic.  She yanked her head back, and the sheath came off her short horn.  I tried to bandage it.  I held her. I sat on her.  I did everything but hog tie her.  Antigone was covered in blood; I was covered in blood; the milk room was covered in blood. Finally, I gave up and called the vet.  He did manage to get the blood stop powder on and a good thick padded bandage.

It wasn’t too long before the swelling got worse, and she was starting to struggle breathing, so I cut through most of the wrap.  That seemed to help.  I had just enough wrap left to go loosely around her chin again.

After I was sure she was done bleeding, I shut her in the Love Shack with her maa, Pistol, for company.

They get to stay there until I’m comfortable taking the bandage off and the rain is done.  Since they have hay and nobody to be cranky with them, it’s a pretty posh place to wait out the rain.

Antigone and Pistol shortly before the accident

This morning, when I went out for my second check, her breathing seemed a bit restricted again, so I caught her and cut through the last bit that the vet had put on.  I tried to refasten my last little bit of the self-sticking wrap, but I wasn’t too sure it would stay.  I added a bit of tape, and she seems to be doing okay now.

My mom is going to come check her tomorrow while I’m at work.  The rain has stopped this afternoon, so I did let her and Pistol come outside, but they are staying locked in the Love Shack and it’s pen because it’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow too.

This little girl better get past the tragedy stuff, because she’s supposed to be my happily-ever-after girl.  The vet did say to trim it up and cauterize it so that it didn’t grow back like that, it would have to dry up and heal first.  I’ll probably see if we can do that so she doesn’t injure it this badly again.  Her good horn even feels weak compared to most goat horns.  I’m guessing, as weak as she was when she was born the weakness might be an effect of the copper deficiency (it can cause weak/easily broken bones).

Hooves

I’ve been trying to trim a few sets of hooves each evening.

It’s a lot of work to keep up with their feet, and as wet as we were in September, I didn’t get many done.  Sadly, I seem to have missed Caroline on the last round, so her feet were pretty bad.

Caroline

Now I’m working hard to get caught up.  Of course, my milking girls are easy.

Zinnia and Haley

Some goats are not quite so cooperative, and I have to tie them in front of the food.

Litha

Of course, I have a few goat that just know what’s going on and refuse to let me catch them.  Then it takes way too long before they get trimmed.

Betty Lou

I feel really bad because I cut Wanda’s toe.

Wanda

She had to wear a gauze and duct tape bandage.  You can still see where I cut it, but it is healing. I hate when I do that. 😦

I don’t think I’ve mentioned that we now have white line disease in the herd.  You know, because everything else isn’t enough of a challenge.  I discovered it in Victoria when I did her hooves this time.

Victoria

It makes the outside of their hoof separate and allows mud to get up in there.

white line disease

It can be really painful.  I clean it out.

Then I keep them trimmed back, but there’s no cure for it.

Sigh… I don’t even want to know what’s next.