Parsley before:

This poor fella is such a mess. I just went out and put some Blu-Kote on his poll where he was kind of beat up from trying to fight with Anita's Kiko. It's healing but i just felt better with some meds on there. I took a dog slicker brush out with me so I could give him a good brushing and maybe break loose some of the scabby scruffy stuff he has going on with his skin. A lot of it is just stuff stuck in his hair and the skin underneath is healing. I'm going to get some Ivomec pour on to treat him in case it is mange. I didn't see any lice and all the rest of the goats look pretty good but I will probably treat them all anyway.

at any rate, here is another picture of him that shows how pitiful he looks:



I was brushing him and he was leaning into the brush and making this funny face with his lips and closing his eyes. The girls are really chatty but I have not heard him make a sound aside from one tiny "blat" the first day we went to look at him.

He is already becoming a favorite of mine just for his personality. Proof you can't judge a book by it's cover. lol.

Anyway, he is missing hair on his knees and scrotum. Has thin spots in his hair coat, his legs look Not Right. Like, he is over at the knees in front and sort of spindly and weak in the back. I'm wondering if some of all this might have been nutritional during his development. Anita said he just didn't get full sized, so I am wondering if his being mini sized is stunted growth from poor nutrition or if it is genetic. No real way to ever know, I guess. Just hope it isn;t something serious or life threatening.

I'm going to try and get some more pictures to put in this post (I'll edit them in later today) and see how much he improves over the next few months.

On a brighter note, the pen kept them in all night, and they seem to be settling in fine. everyone still has a good appetite and normal dropping. I'm always paranoid I am going to kill any new animal I bring here, and the goats are no different, lol.

Also, wow. Goats are remarkably strong for their size!! SERIOUSLY considering training them to be draft animals, lol. the twins are just like little tanks! If they can dig their feet in they can drag two people if they want to. Of course then all I have to do is pick them up a little so they can't dog their feet in, haha!

edit to add:



It's really hard to get a picture of him from the side, lol, he wants to be in your face all the time:






Synchronized cud chewing:

Goats are home!!

Without any further adieu...

the free pity goat, Parsley. This poor guy is a mess. His eyes are clear, he is active and temp/resp/mucus membrane colour all look fine, but his coat is horrible, he is still kind of stunted and he is scabby. Any goaty advice on what I can do to help him get back to 100% would be appreciated. I'm not sure now if he has gopher ears or elf ears, but they are funny whatever they are. he is SUPER sweet and friendly and just wants attention from people:



This is Sage, she is an Alpine/Boer cross and is a real lover. She tends to butt heads (literally) with Thyme.



This is my favorite. Rosemary. She is very sweet, just not quite so much of a cuddler as the others. I LOVE her eyes and her little brown feet. She is a registered 50% Boer crossed with Oberhasli:




And this is her twin Thyme, really similar personality as Rosemary and they are like partners in crime with everything they do:



And it didn't take them long to find the table:



They all got BoSe, CDT, and hoof trims today and will get wormed within the next few days (she forgot to bring the wormer with her so will swing back by later this week to hit them all with it for me).

I'm plumb tuckered out. I'll post more tomorrow. I gotta go check on my goats now. lol.

Almost time!!!

It's almost time for me to go get my goats, YAY!!! But before i go... this was posted on a forum i go to and it reduced me to tears so i thought i would share it here.

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker 's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said,''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?''
The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

By this time tomorrow...

I will have a pen full of goats.

I'm not sure i will get any sleep tonight. lol.

The gate:

It's right here, see it?



No? Are you sure? Look closer, it's right there...



See it now?



It's not a "real" gate. I just put the nearest post in a spot where i could flex the panel open enough to get in and out. I was going to have Tsu cut the panel so i would have about a 4 foot wide gate but then there would have been a gap in the fence where the gate was about 6 inches wide and i didn't want that so I just left it like this for now until a later date.

Home for the Goaties.

I wonder if Himself and the Ladies will like it?







I also have a fencer box and stuff to put a line of electric at shoulder height and around the top to keep them from jumping out but I am going to wait and see if I need it and make sure I place the lower wire at the right height... so that won't go up until Himself and The Ladies move in.