Happy, Sad - a bit graphic

My neighbour called me last night to ask me to help one of his goats - trying to kid two weeks early. I have smaller hands than he does, so I can get in when he can't. I drove over as quickly as I could, and he told me the doe had been fighting on the weekend. When I went in, it was obvious the kid was dead, so I spent a good half an hour just trying to get it out, without success. Then I realized that there was a huge tear inside the doe, so we left her be. He was going to put her down later, poor thing. I feel so bad, but there was nothing anyone could have done - and at least I saved him a big vet bill for nothing.

On the brighter side, Polly, my foundation Saanen doe, hopped up on the milkstand unaided this morning! :wbounce: She had a huge single kid last May, and we think she might have torn some ligaments as she's been horribly lame for a long time - and you can hear things "creaking" in her pelvis. I'd rigged up a ramp for her to get up to be milked, but this morning, I hadn't put it up yet, and she decided she didn't need it. Things must be healing for her to feel that perky.

oh yeah for your Polly

too bad for your neighbours doe.

oh dear poor doe. only thing worse than losing both the offspring AND the parent animal is having to pay the vet to tell you. Must have been a hard morning.

but POLLY!!! go GIRL!!

What a hard blow for your neighbour losing the doe as well as the kid. I'm glad you were there to help him though.

That's great that your Polly is able to jump again!

It's always ups and downs with the animals, isn't it?

It is. Last time I helped out my neighbour, I was able to reposition and pull a very large kid, which went on to thrive. This time, not so lucky.

I'm very pleased about Polly, though. I wasn't sure if I was going to lose her or not - if she couldn't get up, that would be the end. I doubt I'll ever breed her again, but with careful management, she should keep milking for quite a while yet. Last time I milked her through, she went 22 months before I dried her off - and that was only because she was due to kid. Once she does dry up, she'll be the official "nanny" goat :lol: for the kids when their mothers go off to pasture - she's earned her retirement. She likes to hang out around the barn. Last year she was nursing her grandkids as well as her own - had me worried as to why the milk yield went down all of a sudden until I caught the little beggars at it!

I had to laugh this morning - I have one little goat, "The Sprog", who has the run of the barn. He had a rough start and can't compete with the herd, so he gets alfalfa pellets twice a day outside the pen. Today I fed him then I happened to look back. There were three, very accusing, white Saanen faces looking over the wall at him, then looking at me. Hazel, her daughter Kitty, and Penny all saying "Why does he get pellets and we don't?" :lol: Apparently, taking them to the Royal has gone to their heads.

ROFL ...oh my...thanks for that laugh today.

Can you learn how to do an emergency C-section? or, at least keep some of that type of supply list on hand. if you can sew a blanket stitch, you can close a C-section opening. And tears could be mended, possibly saving the breeder. I know several people around here who have opened up cows, horses, sheep and goats in order to save their breeding genetics.

It's a tough thing to do, after waiting for sometimes, more than one gestation period, to have to put the female down. even owners of larger livestock get attached to some of their animals--
and silly me-- I do more crying over animals that never had a real chance to survive from the very beginning---

No, I would not consider doing an emergency C-section - without anaesthetic?!? I would open up a doe to save the kids if she had just died and there was a chance I could save the kids, but not otherwise.

the only anaestetic the vet used was lidocaine at incision site. other stuff would kill or weaken the babies. i would hold them steady under the drape. once he had me to go get something and the little dog went nuts when i turned her loose, so had to get back into position quickly. so, you could do an EMERGENCY c-section.