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I AM NOT REPEAT NOT A VETERINARIAN. IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY GET OFF THE COMPUTER AND CALL YOUR VET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There. Now that I've said that, let's talk a bit. The pictures you'll see on the page are here not for shock value but for educational purposes. Please do not copy them without my permission. As time goes on I'll update this page with information on hoof-trimming, disbudding, and other routine but neccessary medical procedures most goat owners perform themselves. If it's something only your vet should do, you'll see no pictures of it here, unless it was done by my vet. |
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USEFUL LINKS I have finally found a poisonous plants list I like....they show actual pictures of the plants and explain where the plants grow, what parts are poisonous, what they actually do to your animal and what to do about it. Here's the link : http://www.vth.colostate.edu/poisonous_plants/report/search.cfm This link gives excellent information on parasites found in the southeast : http://www.scsrpc.org/SCSRCP/Publications/parasitecontrol.htm This link takes you to, among other topics, a marvelous discussion on hoof trimming, complete with pictures! However, I wouldn't try tipping the goat onto it's fanny the way they do with the sheep shown here..... http://das.psu.edu/goats/health/ The Lonestar Nigerian Dwarf Goat Club has on it's website a wonderful list of goat related medicenes.This is some of the most valuable information you can get, because it explains not merely what to give, but what NOT to give and WHEN not to give it! http://freewebs.com/lonestargoatclub
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MY VETERINARIAN Dr. Pamela Lee Barlow Bowie Pet Clinic 100 N. Smythe St. Bowie, Texas 940-872-3400 Now that you know how to contact this wonderful doctor, please do so respectfully. Do not do what we goat owners are so prone to doing and call her saying "my goat's doing this, that, and the other thing; what's wrong with her?" No vet can diagnose anything over the phone and it's actually illegal for them to try to. If you have a problem, make an appointment and you will be very happy you did. Dr. Barlow is that rarest of pearls, an experianced goat vet. I love her and you will too!
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VITAL SIGNS Temperature : 102.5 Heart Rate : 70 - 80 beats per minute Respiration rate : 12 - 15 per minute Ruman movement : 1 - 1.5 per minute Onset of heat : can be as young as 3 months in Nigerians. Length of heat : about 12 - 48 hours, usually one day Length of heat cycle : 17 - 23 days Length of pregnancy : 150 days, give or take a few Age a buck is fertile : 8 weeks
FETAL DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR
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CABRITO'S DEHORNING Bitten by a spider when he was six days old, the resulting infection prevented me from disbudding him as a baby. By the time he was completely recovered from the bite, it was summer and Fly Time in Texas. You do not dehorn any animal during fly-time, because of the high risk of maggot infestation. I also had some doubts as to wether or not I wanted to subject him to this admittedly traumatic procedure. It can take several months to completely heal up from a dehorning, and so should not be undertaken lightly. But his irreplaceable genetics, obvious quality, and sweet dispostion , along with his willingness to use his horns on my other bucks, decided me and on October 26, 2007 he was dehorned surgically by my veterinarian, Dr. Pam Barlow. The following pictures were taken the next day, at home. THIS SPACE WILL BE UPDATED FROM TIME TO TIME, AS CABRITO HEALS, TO SHOW THE ENTIRE PROCESS.
October 27, 2007 Yep, looks pretty nasty.....or does it? This is actually a very neat job. After Cabrito was anesthetised, the horns were cut off at the base, and then a disbudding iron was used to cauterize the area. The reddish spot in the center of the horn on the left is actually a cottonball that was soaked in medicine and placed in the opening. The creamy colored material is more medicine.
This skull shows why dehorning a mature goat is such a serious undertaking. As you can see, the "roots" of the horns are actually part off the skull. Although you can't tell here, the horns are actually hollow and part of the goat's sinus cavity.
Another view of the skull. This image shows how the horn actually fits over the base or root. Obviously, in a living animal the gap is filled with tissue.
Not the best picture, but this is the base/interior of the severed horn.
November 2, 2007 Cabrito's head exactly one week after dehorning....looks kind of nasty at first glance but he's actually doing very well. The ointment is discolored now, due to dust, sun and admittedly a bit of blood oozing out from time to time. All of which are normal and to be expected after any surgery. His cottonball is still in place, and I haven't had to do anything whatsoever.
And here's another shot of his whole head.
This was taken Dec. 8, almost exactly 6 weeks later. As you can see, the side that was packed with the cottonball is healing a little slower that the one packed with ointment, but both openings are nearly closed. I am very pleased with how Cabrito is progressing!
Again, here's his whole head.
And he didn't lose any condition either!
Dr. Barlow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Here's a look at his whole head, instead of just the holes IN his head! In case you're wondering about the lump in his cheek, it's called a cud. He was already eating and acting normally.
Here he is on January 28, 3 months later....completely healed. Thank you,
