Depressing Day Yesterday

Thursday evening Rocky was getting ready to go to the coast fishing while I was doing my chores feeding everybody. When I went to feed two of my pygora goats I noticed the smallest one, Mini, seemed reluctant to move and not interested in food. On further observation I noticed her quivering which was really weird since it wasn't that cold out and she hasn't been sheared yet. When I reached over and pulled on one of her horns to bring her closer to me she was so shaky that she stumbled and fell. She managed to get back up, but I could tell that her quivering was from the effort it took to stay up. She had her little legs spread out in order to keep her balance.

Rocky was kind enough to stay home a little longer to help me give her antibiotics and check her out a little more closely. (This mostly meant that he had to keep Billy away from me.) We decided it did not look good, but calling a vet would have been a waste since she was 14, which is ancient in goat years.

So the first thing yesterday morning I went out to check on her. At first I thought that both she and Billy were dead. They were both laying on their sides in the shelter and didn't move when I first called them. The second time I called Billy jumped up, but Mini just twitched and ear and kicked her feet a little. She was stuck on an incline with her feet in the air facing uphill. She couldn't get up.

I called my father-in-law since Rocky was fishing and he sent Ricky (not to be confused with Rocky) out. I had to wait for Ricky before I could try to help Mini or else I would have had to deal with Billy who could have put me on my back right next to Mini. I tried to help Mini get upright, but it just wasn't working and she kept groaning like she was in pain. I finally settled on turning her around so her head was uphill, hopefully making her more comfortable. Ricky volunteered to put her down, for which I am very grateful.

After that was done I asked to have her horns cut off, so they did that and then buried her. Now poor Billy is in a run all by himself and not very happy about it. I'm going to wait a week or so before I move the other goats in with him just in case he gets sick.

Poor Mini. I'm going to miss her, she was a sweet goat. (Too, bad it couldn't have been Billy.) Anyway, now we're down to just three goats and I'm wondering if I should start looking for replacements so Rocky doesn't have to start mowing the ditches again.