RIP Care A Lot's Pecial

Bad day, Bad day, Bad day....

We only go out of town two weeks a year. One at Christmas and one in the summer. I am planning now for that trip by trying to find a sitter who can milk the goats etc. So I had a homeschooling mother and daughter over this morning to help with the morning chores. I was up at 5:30 and swept the porch which is now my milking parlor. I'd say it took about an hour and a half to finish with the does, and as we were walking back to the buck pen I noticed a white lump... as I got closer I noticed the position he was in and sure enough he was dead. I was so embarrassed that someone came over to see the farm and how everything works and they met a dead Pecial, and a confused Boudreaux.

I just wormed him Friday. David did the chores last night because I had to close at work. He said Pecial was being his normal docile self...ate his grain and chewed his cud. So he died sometime between 7 and 7, and I want to say that I didn't miss him by much because he was still somewhat warm and flexible. I took him to the vet and they said it would be about 5-7 days before they got the results back from the lab. I hope they talk to me and not David, because if he finds out the tests were expensive ( they haven't told us how much yet) he will be really upset.

Pecial was an older buck but not THAT old.... but he was really nice looking and I was looking forward to breeding him with Isabel to give her some width. I was excited about getting good traits and blue eyes, but I guess I will have to wait on the blue eyes some more.

My mentor, whom Pecial came from said, that she would give me another buck to replace Pecial. One I have had my eye on for a while, and has some good width, so would make a good mate for Isabel still. I am on my way to get him tomorrow. Boudreaux should be happy again tomorrow evening when I get back...for now he's screaming his head off. I can hear him in here...

If Oviedo doesn't grow out more in about a month I think I will keep him as a weather in case something like this ever happens again I'll have an insta-buddy.

I guess I picked a heck of a year to start with goats....seems like everyone has it rough.

I still don't know. They said they probably would not know the results until next Wednesday. They have to send his pieces to a lab. The $329 includes the disposal fee the copper test on his liver and the in-house fecal test plus the standard necropsy. I decided to go ahead and have them check his liver because he was a white goat and I didn't know how to tell via the hair if he was deficient however if Boudreaux is any indication Pecial could have also been deficient. When he first came his hair was really bleached, but its starting to look much better now that he has had access to the onyx minerals in addition to the sweetlix. I am going to give him some more time with it before i discontinue it and bulous him.

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Comments

Adrienne March 29, 2011 at 4:16pm

Pecial's results are in but now I have to wait to talk to the vet apparently
Adrienne March 25, 2011 at 2:48pm

I have called but they said they had not talked to the lab yet. It's been nearly two weeks! I guess they will call when they realize they are missing some money.
Elyse Nicholson March 22, 2011 at 1:19pm

Sorry to hear of your loss. :(
Jane Wagman March 22, 2011 at 12:49pm

So sorry for your loss
Adrienne March 16, 2011 at 10:14pm

His papers say tricolor... he was mostly white with just black and brown on the face and legs, I imagine that is how he looked when he was born since he looked that way last year when I saw him too. I hope they have something to tell me too! For that price he ought to get a shrine or something. If he hadn't died so suddenly I probably would not have bothered with the tests...Hopefully I don't have to do this again for a really long time. Three goats (2 babies) in as many months is plenty enough for a year...
Deborah Niemann-Boehle March 16, 2011 at 9:54pm

Do you know what Pecial looked like when he was born? Some gold goats will completely bleach out if they're copper deficient. I've had a couple that do that. I hope they have some answers for you!
Adrienne March 16, 2011 at 9:31pm

I still don't know. They said they probably would not know the results until next Wednesday. They have to send his pieces to a lab. The $329 includes the disposal fee the copper test on his liver and the in-house fecal test plus the standard necropsy. I decided to go ahead and have them check his liver because he was a white goat and I didn't know how to tell via the hair if he was deficient however if Boudreaux is any indication Pecial could have also been deficient. When he first came his hair was really bleached, but its starting to look much better now that he has had access to the onyx minerals in addition to the sweetlix. I am going to give him some more time with it before i discontinue it and bulous him.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle March 16, 2011 at 12:23pm

Wow! That's expensive! I hope they were able to give you some useful information at that price!
Adrienne March 16, 2011 at 8:16am

They just called to tell me that Pecial's tests were going to be $329...
Adrienne March 16, 2011 at 8:15am

That has happened to me too Melissa. Freaks me out every time.

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