Well I took our four babies down to the big livestock vet in town to get them disbudded yesterday... Needless to say they did a horrid job. After calling my goat expert friend (lives almost 4 hrs away) she thinks they used the wrong size iron (too big) and did not restrain them well enough. (So much for thinking taking them to a vet was a good idea)
They are now on medications and burn ointment.
My question is to anyone who has had something like this happen to them. In the areas where there is pink raw flesh did your goat’s hair grow back?
I have attached photos of three of the babies.. Hopefully this will give you an idea of the extent of the burns. (The 4th one.. and my only Doe out of this is the only one that looks ok.. although you can still tell the iron was too big she does not have any "pink" spots)
As a side note: My goat expert friend (Breeder and Judge) has invited me up for next year’s "disbudding" of her babies. We are going to spend the weekend doing TON's of babies so I will be experienced and can do my own babies from now on.
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Her name is Renee Furst.. Corrales Kid's Ranch... She is a pygmy goat breeder/judge. (I live in southern New Mexico).
Margaret Langley said:
Heather, your friend 4 hours away that can teach you disbudding, are you talking about Lora Kniffin by any chance?
If you are I am so jealous, I would love to go there and help disbud and milk etc. for a weekend, and kidding season, oh I would love to sit and watch a huge kidding season.
We do have little scurs on these three.. the doe that was not as bad is not showing any signs. I did think it was strange that with as badly as they were burned they got scurs. Luckily the scurs are not bad and I can just nip them with my hoof trimmers. I am so grateful the hair came back as well as it did. They are going to their first show in September (3 shows in one weekend). I can't wait to see how well they do!!!
Margaret Langley said:
Oh, Heather that is so wonderful! I am so happy for you and I do hope they won't have any horn growth. They look real good and I am so happy you up-dated this for us!
I can't wait to see how mine turn out. I think I did Marley's twins 7 weeks ago today and they were 12 days old (shouldn't have waited so late-good thing they are not NDs since they seem to be the worse for scurring). So far they look great though. Their hair has grown almost completely over. I had shaved it all the way down cause I wanted to see real good.
It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be doing it. Don't get me wrong , it ain't fun, but you just have to bite the bullet and do it with the same spirit you use when doing other things that are in the best interest of whom you are doing it for, that aren't pleasant. For me it's hanging onto one particular child (Henry 12)I have who always lands me in emergency with him getting stitched. So hang in there and stay determined to learn to do it next year!
UPDATE: 55 DAYS AFTER BAD DISBUDING!
Everyones heads look much better. The hair is coming back. They all have a few spots that don't have hair, but it's not really noticeable. I had my friend who is a judge look and she said that even if those spots stay bald it will not count against us. I am posting before and after photos of their heads incase someone else runs into this problem and is looking for the same info I was.
Thanks for the update, Heather!!
Goats are the most forgiving animals I think I have ever met. (I have dogs and horses too). These little guys still want to be with me.. Even when their eyes were swollen almost closed they wanted to lay in my lap and chew on my shirt..
Update for today: Everyone is looking much better. The wounds as well. All the swelling is gone. Everyone was running around playing and even trying to head butt each other. I will definitely keep you guys updated. I am sure somewhere along the way this is going to happen to someone else. :o(
When I called to make the appointment they said they do disbudding all the time.. My guess is not on the dwarf breeds though. (I did let them know at the time they are pygmy goats and they seemed like that was not an issue at all).
Glenna Rose said:
I am soooo sorry sweety! It does look awful and is very sad but the really good part is they have a momma that loves them to take care of them and I am sure that they will make a complete recovery! They will love you and will not hold this against you. Truth be known this is probably a lot harder for you to deal with than them. Best to you all dear!
That is so sad :-( Lesson learned. Sometimes it's not "for the best" to take them to the vet. I'm just heartbroken looking at those pics. I am a newbie goat owner, and had my triplets disbudded the day that I bought them. I was so afraid that they woud hate me forever, lol. It was just excruciating to watch (let alone hold them down for it). But the wonderful woman that did it for me did a WONDERFUL job. She has Nubians, and I think she said that the iron may be a bit big for the ND's. It worked perfect! It is now about 2 months since I bought them and had them disbudded, and they look great. No signs of scurs, the lovely "copper rings" have fallen off and their hair is now growing back in full force.
I wish you and your babies luck, I think they will be physically fine (not sure about showing, as I don't know anything about that). Just keep the wound clean maybe some antibiotics if infection does happen to set in.
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