Health Updates

I tell you, for a while I was treating so many goats and chickens and llamas and me and taking care of the cat with cancer that I’m not sure how I kept it all straight.  Here’s some updates.  Gouda’s eye is much better.  He’s off meds and hot packs and it continues to improve.  Thank heavens.

Gouda’s eye is doing much better

I’m not sure I even mentioned that Haley ended up with a uterine infection, but she’s through her course of antibiotics.  I think getting healthy has helped her milk production too.  She’s still a bit thin, and we’re still giving her kids bottles, but everyone is doing well and better.

Haley

Same with Blaze.  She is still struggling to feed her boys after the mastitis, but everyone was healing and we are helping feed the boys, so it’s all good.

Blaze and twins (Bandit and Trooper)

We’re actually helping lots of goats with feeding because of the copper, but so far, all the kids seem to be healthy and not showing signs of copper deficiency.  Please, please, please let that continue.

Mary feeding Tootles (and Bubbles on the other side)

Clover is still really anemic from the copper deficiency and pregnancy, as are Bonnie and now Blaze.  I am trying to baby them.  Heck, I’m trying to baby all my moms.  They’ve had copper (as everyone in the whole herd has) and the three with bottle jaw have been wormed.  I just don’t know what more I can do.  For Bonnie and Blaze it’s a balance between their needs and the kids.  I can’t wean at three weeks old.  It’s very frustrating because I was so optimistic that the copper capsules would help them.  I’m sure it has, but it just isn’t enough.

Clover

In addition to everyone’s copper capsules, Lily and Harley are still on the meds for their arthritis and back injury.  Lily is really slowing down, but she’s hanging in there for now.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since she’s 12 1/2 years old.

Lily (scratching out the winter fur)

Harley scares the daylights out of me because she doesn’t seem to know she is disabled, and she races around with the yearling does like she’s a kid.  It really worries me because she sometimes falls, but she gets up.  She’s happy, and I know she doesn’t want to be penned by herself for the remainder of her life.  She’s having fun, and I’m going to let her enjoy herself no matter what.

Harley

I am going to be letting Tony out of the garage soon.  He has really been putting weight on since the weather has warmed up, and he’s still eating like crazy. This boy goes through two or three quarts of llama feed and a whole lot of alfalfa every day.

Tony Llama

Mama Phoenix is still hanging in there.  We’re still just waiting for her second foot to fall off.  Snickers is still hanging in there too.  This month he turns sixteen, and seven of those years have been lived with mouth cancer.  He has absolutely no manners anymore, but I just can’t yell at him.  Okay, I still yell at him to get down, but he just ignores me.

He’s pretty much just a really old kitten.

Old herds are really a lot of work.

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Everyday Goat Herder

Most of the time, my winter days with the goats is just doing routine things–feed and water.  Part of that also includes just paying attention.  It’s been nice to notice that Antigone’s head has completely healed up where her horns were removed.

Antigone and Pistol (in back)

I see Margarita is not very round.  She’s bred and it makes me worry she isn’t getting enough to eat.  That means I put her and her maa in the Love Shack.  Although, after just a couple of days, I’d returned Maggie to the Love Shack three times and Margarita twice, so I gave up.  Now I’m trying to get Margarita to eat in the milk room after Dolly is done with her extra feed.

Margarita and Maggie

Then I noticed Clover was under the bench in the greenhouse, which made me think that I hadn’t seen her when I fed grain.  Sure enough, she got under there and couldn’t get out, so I had to pull her out.  Luckily, that’s not a very frequent problem.

Clover

I’ve noticed Reva limping again.  I consulted with the vet, and we’re going to try a different antibiotic that is more safe for while she’s pregnant and try to take care of that stubborn infection in her hoof.

Reva

Because I seem to not know how to truly tell when the girls need more copper, I also try to pay attention to anything that can give me a clue.

Mary with a fish tail

Of course, I’m not so sure that Mary’s fish tail isn’t an improvement.  She’s actually getting enough hair on her tail to sport this look.

I also noticed one afternoon that Maybeline (I know she’s not a goat, but still…) had twine from a bale of hay wrapped around her foot.  No matter how hard I try to keep them picked up, they end up everywhere.  Anyhow, Maybeline was not about to let me take it off her foot, but she did run from me like I was a demon trying to drag her soul from her, and it finally fell off.  Of course, she still thinks I’m evil now.  I swear that girl better just be pregnant and hormonal, or she’s major bi-polar.

Maybeline (and Odie in back agreeing that Maybeline is crazy)

Fionn has been coughing off and on all fall and winter, but he seems to be acting fine.  I am just keeping a close eye on him to make sure he’s still eating well and acting well. He’s not a young kid anymore.

Fionn

Then these two little stinkers managed to flip the lid off the corn, and I spent a couple of tense days hoping that they didn’t overeat on the corn.  I did threaten Pluto that I’d never forgive him if he killed himself by overeating.

Anubis and Pluto

Then yesterday when I was doing chores, I noticed that Athena had a bloody back side indicating that she had aborted.  At least she was not very far along (more like she didn’t settle than aborted), and she is acting fine, so I’m not worried about her.  Still, I will keep a close eye on her to make sure she doesn’t get an infection.

Athena

Mama Phoenix was doing better.  She was doing so well that she managed to fly up to the roof of the soap room to roost for the night.  That means she reinjured her leg when she flew down in the morning.  Sigh.  We’re back to gimping around.  Poor girl.

It seems like there’s always someone to take care of and do something with.

Fading

I’ve noticed the last few days that the black is fading from Lily’s face again.

Lily taken 26 Jan 2019

They are not technically due for more copper until April.  Her fading color makes me think it might be time for more copper even though it hasn’t been six months.

Lily 12 May 2018 (just before getting the first dose of copper)

And if you don’t believe me that the entire herd was in critical condition just before we found out what was causing all the problems, look at the difference in the image above and below.

Lily (13 October 2018) just about the time they got their second dose of copper)

I sometimes wonder if these goats will ever get caught up.  At least I know what it is now, and I can do something about it.