Disbudding Dilemma+Sweet Licks of Sweetlix

Elly May had an "outing" this past week. Although both Edna and Elly May were disbudded when they were little, they have developed "scurs" (little horns).  Edna's is already 1/2 inches long, so I am waiting until I wean her to address it.  However, Elly May's scur is just a little nub.  I decided that it was probably at a good point to "re-disbud" so I loaded her up in a doggie crate and took her to the vet...

When the vet saw the scur, he took some snippers and just snipped it off like a fingernail!  It will likely need to be trimmed regularly, but it beats having to go through the stress of "redisbudding" her.  The only drawback is scurs can bleed when snipped, so I will need to perform this task carefully.  (It made me feel funny taking her all the way to the vet only to have him clip it off!)   

Elly May sang the whole time in the car.  And it was a loud song too!  The only time she quieted down was when we turned on the radio!  That funny goat!

The goats are also getting a new loose mineral (Sweetlix Meat Maker 16:8).  I had previously used the MannaPro Goat Mineral.  However, I was suspecting that Charlotte was mineral deficient, so I decided to purchase a different type of minerals.  When I first put them out, she took a nice big lick!  I can't tell how much she is getting on a weekly basis, but I hope they will clear up any mineral issues.  The Sweetlix Meat Maker 16:8 minerals are formulated especially for goats.  They are high in copper and cobalt (crucial to a goat's health) as well as have the goat-specific phosphorus to calcium ratio (16% calcium to 8% phosphorus).

I couldn't resist posting a picture of a cute little guy named "Chocolate."  He was born last Thursday morning right out in the pasture!  He is really soft and loves following his mama around the field!  Seeing him be born makes me excited about the goats kidding next year!

Unexpected Excitement!

I was thinking about writing this post about bottle-feeding, or Edna's frolicking, or goat resources.  But, alas, those posts will wait for a few more days.  Raising a goat is sure to bring the unexpected, and this morning brought an unplanned trip back to the vet.

Edna wants attention!

The evening after Edna was disbudded, I noticed one of her eyes was red and the eyelid was swollen.  I assumed that this was a reaction to the stress and heat of the disbudding.  Yesterday it seemed to be much better, with only a little puss-like stuff coming out of her eye.  Just to make sure, I called the vet and he said to keep watching it.  I also noticed some golden gel was oozing out around the disbudding area.

This morning, I woke up at 5:55am to to feed Edna early since I had a program to attend and needed to get started on my day early.  Edna had her usual voracious appetite, but her eye was still watery and there was lots of golden gel around one of her buds.  Being a new goat owner, I didn't know what the golden gel was, or what was causing it!  I was concerned about her getting an infection.

Come 8am, I called the vet and they told me to bring her in.  I was racing the clock to get to my commitment on time.  This time, I braced myself for the funny looks people gave me walking into the vet.  "Oh!  Here comes the girl with the goat!"

When the vet was finally able to see the goat, she examined the golden gel and explained that it was serum that was oozing out.  When the goat was disbudded, the goal of the procedure was to cut off the blood supply.  As a byproduct, a bit of serum from the blood was seeping out from around the wound.  It makes sense, I just didn't know!

However, the trip was not in vain.  I found out Edna was running a fever (probably due to the stress of the situation).  The vet gave me an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medication to function as "goat Tylenol."  Although I still dislike the idea of giving my goat shots, I feel it was a good decision in order to give her system a boost.

I arrived home from the vet.  I gave Edna a quick bottle, changed clothes, grabbed a piece of Spearmint gum since I didn't have time to brush teeth, and rushed off to my commitment.  I was 20 minutes late, but I didn't mind.  I am so thankful to have a goat to take care of!

This afternoon I noticed that there were several raw spots on Edna's head.  After another call to the vet (they know who I am now!), I determined it was probably from her itching.  The vet said to leave it alone, and it needed to be kept dry.  When I took her temperature this evening, I found that her fever was gone.  Hurray!

Temp. Taking

It was a hectic day, interacting with the vet, learning to make goat-health decisions, and enjoying my goat!  I am loving this goat adventure, and all of it's twists and turns.

Another piece of information about shots I recently learned: I read that the CD/T shot given to Edna at disbudding is not usually given until the goat is 3 or 4 weeks old.  I don't think it is dangerous to give it to them earlier, just maybe not the best.  I will keep researching…

Edna has been busy making new discoveries!  She is getting really good at jumping up on things.  Remember her "Goat Cave?"  Although she hasn't been sleeping in this little house (her bed is a dog crate now), she has figured out how to jump up on it!

Up she goes…

"Queen of the Mountain!"