Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats Blog - Triplets born - New baby pics

[Chatychick]

I have a goat that has 3 legs and she is doing fine and has had 3 different kiddings. Her is the front leg and she can run just like the rest of my goats. It is her front leg. I dont think I could put 1 down just because of a leg, now if it was a disease and about the quality of life then I could but not over a leg. Good luck

 

[helmstead]

Oh, man...poor little angel!

Don't give up on her! You've come so far already.

Two things come to mind. The first is to make her a little pen within your goat yard so she can socialize with her buddies safely and have some fresh air. Even just an ex pen for dogs might work well. The second is fashioning a home made walking splint from a halved PVC pipe. You'd have to heat the pipe to make the curve for the hock, then another curve to act as a shoe under her hoof. Then vet wrap it over her existing "cast". I've helped vets do it for dogs. You also have to use a stuffed sock over the top - where it meets the back of the buttock, to avoid pressure sores. The other thing you could do is simply insist upon a plaster cast.

Kudos to you for all you've already done.

 

[ruth]

Thanks to all for the well wishes. We are going to try everything we can to save the leg. If it doesn't heal on it's own, the next step is surgery to go in and repair it and possibly put a pin in. I won't amputate until we've tried everything else and putting her down would be the last option and only if something terrible happened before healing.

She is in Rex's kennel, which is quite large for her as you can see from photos but we've moved the kennel to be in the stalls in the stable so she can be with her friends without getting hurt. They play so rough I wouldn't want to chance having one butt her - they are more than twice her size. Now that she's out there with them she doesn't baaaa all day long like she was doing. I just feel so bad that the leg didn't heal and now we're starting over.

 

[ruth]

Well poor Bitsy is on her way right now to LSU Vet School for surgery on her leg. The plan is to put a plate in it but we won't really know till they have looked at her. We just got back from our local vet and the leg had not begun to heal at all. It's been since Aug. 7th so it was time to make a decision - surgery, amputation, or put her down.

The local vet said she could try doing a bone scrape and reset leg and hope it heals but that means starting all over. But that what would really be best would be to plate the leg which would be almost a sure thing and Bitsy could get back to playing again and get out of that kennel she's been in all this time. Problem is the vet had never operated on a goat before - said this is the country and farmers pay $35 for a goat and have a barbeque if it breaks it's leg. She hasn't even had anyone bring a goat in for any vet treatment before.

She made some phone calls. Turns out the LSU vet school was "Thrilled" to get a goat to operate on (translated thrilled to find someone stupid enough to pay several hundred dollars for a goat surgery). So they made us a "special deal" of $400 for everything including the $100 plate, the anesthia, surgery, a week stay at LSU with the finest of care, all meds and follow up care. Seems they have a vet who really wants to specialize in goats but there is a real shortage of people who will pay to have a goat operated on. Yeah, I have "sucker" written all over me. I thought if they are so "thrilled" make me a better offer like "FREE". That way they can use my little Bitsy as a teaching tool. My vet said "you must really love her or she must be really special". I told her that's not necessarily the case it's just that I can't do anything less for Bitsy because my conscience just wouldn't let me have her leg amputated or put her down because of $400.

So keep little Bitsy in your prayers. She has surgery in the morning which, as they explained, is risky because goats and anesthia don't go well together.

 

[Jenlyn9483]

Ruth, Im so happy that you have discovered nigerian dwarf goats as I have. I enjoy your post and I think your goats are adorable. I especially love the blond one and confetti is gorgeous. That itty bitty goat could not have landed in better hands. You were meant to have her and she was meant to have you. Best of luck with the surgury and keep us posted. I hope to be having some spring babies myself. Here is my baby Clara Belle, AKA Clara's It Girl.

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[helmstead]

Ruth - Hope she does well, and kudos to you, again, for going above and beyond. Please keep us posted!!

 

[ruth]

Thank you both for your kind words. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right this moment because by the end of the day I'm beat. With all the chickens and ducks and peacocks along with two bators full of eggs, chicks and ducks hatching every moment, pens of broody hens and ducks setting eggs and then throw in all the cats and dogs - well I'm tired. A trip to the local vet and the long drive to Baton Rouge and back and the thought of another $400.......well I'm glad tomorrow's another day. By the time this is done, she will be the $1,000 goat.

I know Bitsy is in good hands. She has her surgery in the morning so I'm praying it goes well and that they don't find too much damage especially since it's been 9 weeks since she broke it. I went with this option because I know she's ready to get well. Lately she is bolting out of that kennel if you even open the door a tiny bit to put food and water. Then she goes bronco-bucking all over stable stall and acts like a crazed lunatic - probably how she rebroke it. I know she's just going stir crazy and wants out of that kennel so this was the fastest way for that. If our vet had done the surgery just to roughen the bone and rewrap and hope for the best, it would have taken another 6 weeks minimum and still not sure it would have begun to heal. It's been explained to me that with the plate she will have a bandage for a week, all the while at LSU under their care, and then she is pretty much good to go back to normal.

 

[RedStickLA]

Hi Ruth...
I hope your day is going better today and that all went well with Bitsy's surgery!
Mitzi

 

[Henrietta23]

Hugs Ruth, I've been thinking of you all day! Hope Bitsy did just fine.

 

[sdshoars]

we cant wait to hear how bitsy did! i told my goats about her, and that they should say a little goaty prayer for her/