Kinda Milking

After selling kids, I was anxious to start milking.  In fact, I started that Saturday morning with Antigone and Joy.  But Antigone’s diarrhea was back, so I wormed her instead of milking her.

Antigone

That means, I’m only milking Joy.

Joy in the milk room

She’s not one to just come up and wait for me to milk her when it’s time.  I generally have to go out to the top of the hill in pasture and call her name.  Of course, when I do that, I get the entire herd.

the whole herd following even though I only said, “Joy.”

At least she comes up.

Here she comes, followed by Chiffon

But I also end up with a bunch of other girls who think they should get to come in.

Really?

I keep telling Zinnia to feed Abby for a couple more weeks and then she can come in too.

Zinnia

But there was one girl who showed up that I did let in for a trial–Onyx.

Onyx was trained two years ago but didn’t have a baby last year.

I hope she actually has some milk left once I wean her girl.

In the Love Shack

As soon as I got back from taking the kids to the sale barn, I moved someone else into the Love Shack.  Both Astra and Moxie were very interested.

Astra and Moxie checking out the Love Shack pen

Because it’s Perdita!

She was okay in the garage.

Perdita in the garage nibbling grass I cut for her.

But she’s much happier where she can be outside and see the other goats.

Checking out what Cupid is checking out

rubbing against the panel

I do believe Astra and Moxie would have liked to join her for some sweet feed.

Let me tell you, Perdita is milking this for all the sweet feed she can get.  I also think I saw her trying to nurse her mom through the fence.  She has always been such a mama’s girl.  It just makes me so happy to see her eating and drinking and acting like a goat again.  She still has a ways to go to really be fully recovered, but she is very much improving.

She’ll stay in here until both she and the ones up north are done with their coccidia meds (they are on different meds).  Then I’ll have to move her up there because they are finally coming to pour the floor in the Morton building, and I need to take the pen down again.

Perdita at the Hospital

I’ve still been concerned about my girls up north.   Once they get a little low on copper, they pick up the worms.  That causes anemia, and because of the low copper, they can’t build new red blood cells.  It’s a fast downward spiral.  Ava is still pretty pale, and her diarrhea is back.  But she is eating, so I’ll keep a close eye on her, treat the diarrhea and make sure she’s wormed.  As long as I can keep her eating and drinking while the meds do their thing, she should be able to recover. I hope.

Ava in the north paddock

Perdita, however, quit eating and drinking.  That means she was in rapid decline.  Thursday, I loaded her into the truck and had my nephew help me load her mom, Astra, and I took them to Iowa State.

I love the pen my dad made me for hauling goats.

Perdita and Astra

Astra looks amazing since she took the year off from kidding.  She had great eye color, and she was a good choice to be the blood donor.  I warned them she is sometimes a “pain in the Astra.” Really, she did well.

She did get impatient with having to stand while they took blood and then gave her fluids.

They took about 9% of her blood volume.  That is safe for Astra, and Perdita needed every drop she could get.

Then they gave it to Perdita.  (No picture of the transfusion because the towing/recovery person was breaking into my truck that I accidentally locked the key in while they were doing that).  She already looked much better after the transfusion.

Waiting while they worked with her mom.

post transfusion with her very own vet student

Astra and I came home, but Perdita got to stay for a little longer.  She really had become dehydrated in the couple of days I had her penned, so they wanted to give her electrolytes and make sure she was stable.

getting Astra ready to load up while Perdita ate (yay!)

I called to check on her the next morning, and she was eating and bright eyed.  That was an improvement.  Then they said they were waiting on test results, and I prompted that it was the fecal exam because I assumed she had picked up worms with the copper issues.  They also said the Johne’s test.  I did not approve a Johne’s test, and I would not.  Let’s say I was a bit more than annoyed at them doing a test I did not approve. After stewing and nearly having a full-on anxiety attack, I called and told them I was coming to get her.  While I was en-route, the vet called to give me the results of the fecal–she has worms.  She did say the Johne’s test had been listed as optional, and they managed to stop it.  I’m still mad after eight years to get a diagnosis of copper deficiency and all the fighting I had to do while vets were condescending to me about worms (even when the goat they were treating did not have worms–yes, really), and now to just have them try to test for something else without permission.  Anyhow, I brought Perdita home.

She is resting comfortably in the garage. I will continue the worm treatment and she will be closely monitored.  And I really wish the Morton building were completed because that would be a better place for her.  Sigh…