Umbilicus tennisballum

Anemone, the fawn and black obie-alpine doeling, shows a swelling in the belly button about two months after her birth. It goes from being the size of a large marble when first discovered to the size of half a tennis ball in the next 24 hours. Wow! Scary!

Our first thought, after we calm our fears and do a phone call with the vet, is that it is a small hernia. One idea we have about its cause: she has herniated, perhaps, because of how unskillful she is at avoiding the bigger goats, who sometimes ram her when she stands next to a building, effectively rending a heart-wrenching screech from her, sound not being the only thing to escape under the pressure. Following up on these interrelated ideas, we separate her with her sister and mother, and spend some time and money trying to construct a truss that a goat may not shed in 15 minutes.

Aside from this bump on her belly, Anemone seems fine. She continues to be interested in eating whenever her mother and sister eat, she frolics and plays with her sister, she is alert and friendly. Furthermore, it So, I haven't seen a need to dropped everything to get a vet to look at it.

Then, about a week later, it starts to emit pus. White pus, smelling of extremely strong cud breath, what the vet has called "ruminant pus", an aroma that is highly attractive--to flies. Lucky for Anemone the pus does not ooze, but squirts only when bumped or squeezed by curious farmers, so the flies aren't all over her. The presence of pus changes the situation significantly. Definitely an infection, though probably not one of the scary ones--pus from a CL abcess is typically odorless--it means I am no longer comfortable letting this try to resolve itself.

We finally get her to the veterinary clinic today. The results are only a little surprising. Vet confirms it is not a hernia, that it is an infection. After looking at the shaved, cleaned abscess, doctor opines that the inflammation likely resulted from an umbilicus which has been infected from the week of her birth and which has only finally flared up in the last two weeks. [Note to self: Need to revisit our kidding procedures. Since the war on methamphetamine labs has made iodine solution impossible to come by, our substitution of betadine wash probably did not do the job. Anna the vet's assistant suggests chlorhexadine solution might be a better substitute, though not certain I communicated the use clearly.]

Final bill: Just under $150.

Qty	Description	Cost
1	Veterinary Exam, lg animal	49.50
1	Abcsess/Prep/Lance	27.50
1	Chlorhexaderm Sol Dvm (8oz)	11.40
1	Naxcel 1gm Disp	58.00
4	Syringe 3cc	1.00
4	Needle 20x1	.80
	subtotal	148.20

Sunset on the Waiting Period

After Tom and Huckleberry's welcome comic relief, their mother finally set the sun on the anticipation of her new progeny. All the signs of labor started in earnest yesterday evening. We were too tired to stay up with her, leaving her at midnight with contractions going at intervals of about 2 or 3 minutes. "We'll get a few hours sleep, then come check on ya girl." As daybreak shone its luster on the valley and wall clock's delicate hands pointed toward time to shower for a 9am presentation, our Oberhasli blossom began the earnest push, and we happily tabled any other morning plans.

Foxglove, as perhaps not mentioned before in this forum, was crossed last Fall with a handsome American Alpine. Strong-boned and tight-shouldered, a lovely, kind temperament, and impressive family history for milk production. They got on famously, and their offspring have been anticipated fondly both by hiker and by milker. A buckling of that parentage should grow into a nice strong packer; or with the combined milk-production capability of the two lines, a doeling would be a great addition to the dairy project.

The wait is finally over! Our herd is now increased by two new obie-alpine females, each born weighing 10 pounds dry (big girls!), with withers at about 15 inches, and a long straight back. The dairy side of the house is ecstatic.

Huckleberry's Helmet

It's kiddin' time around the farm, and all hands are so focused on the kids we have and the ones to come, that sometimes the grown goats must feel a bit left out. Older kids lose laptime to younger. Milkers may get fewer pats and scritches. And the working wethers start to wonder if we'll ever get on the trail again!

To combat the boredom, and perhaps to get a bit of attention from the distracted staff, hi-jinx may ensue. Zixi finds more and better opportunities to say "I love you" by pressing against you as she passes by. ("Oh, why are you falling down in the straw?" her eyes innocently ask.) Tom, always the king of the spinning leap, capers higher and with more flourish and dances wildly around the spools on the field. Huckleberry, not to be outdone, makes creative use of ... an empty water bucket!?

Here we go again???

You'd think we would learn. Gestation periods are not precise. For a normal goat gestation, they don't just say "150 days". They add a very important qualifier: "plus or minus 5 days." So, rather than marking a day on the calendar as "Foxglove's Due Date" with several exclamation points and fooling ourselves that we can rely on that, shouldn't we really mark the 11 day period surrounding that date with question marks?

Compared to most goat lovers I read, we're novices. And it shows, every time we come around to kidding season. We try to plan--outings, seminars, special projects--around the so-called "due date" but invariably find ourselves surprised, often scrambling to exchange or donate theatre tickets, hiking trips, personal visits.

Case in point: Our Foxglove. A general rule we have accepted is that a doe's second freshening is easier and often shorter than her first. Foxglove went 154 days in her first... so what do we do? First we worry that "earlier" could be a week less than 150 days! After fretting about our plans to be out of town that weekend, and drawing up detailed notes for our goat sitters, we realize our error, and decide that things really should be okay until at least day 144.

When day 145 arrives, she shows no sign of impending delivery, and her behavior in our daily contact with her almost makes us forget she is with kid. Until day 150. Then she starts in with the signs. Laying down, getting up. Pawing the ground. Stargazing. Tail stretching to the sky. Extra friendliness. Chatting. Uh oh... better hurry and clean out that kidding stall! Scramble, scramble, scramble! Why did we forget? Well, this is it. Call everyone... here goes...

Umm... what?

Enjoying her new quarters, all signs of labor stop. For days. Day 151 passes, then 152.

"She is not pregnant at all is she?"
"Nope. Just fat. Very, very fat."
"And that udder? Looks like it is really bagging up."
"Fat."

Murphy's Answer to Countdown

Oh what a night! Yuli's first freshening, and the family's first kidding in a while...

Amazing how much people (myself among the best) can draw from a natural process a never-ending series of escalating worries.

How odd that we our open minds beset
With phantoms of our own imagining.
To take a process natural as can be,
And beef about the bridges yet to come
Which very well may never come to pass,
And stew in worry over this or that
One hundred thousand ways to skin a cat.
The anguish can attack, annoy, depress,
Afflict us with the grumpies or yet worse,
Make us to run away from what is good.
Yet lacking fears to torment our small minds,
We'd miss the sequel: O! Such sweet relief!

~Daddy Goat

So, where to start? How about with schedules. Yuliana, like many of our animal cousins, has mastered a bit of freedom from calendars. The perfect 150 day gestation would have been Saturday, which would also have fit in with other lovely plans we have made for the following week, showing off the babies and mom in a variety of educational activities. Sunday, Day 151, gave no signs of impending delivery. Monday, Day 152, and the week begins to take hold of our minds... Heck, we probably would even forget she was gestating, except that we have her separated. Tuesday, Day 153... sigh.... A watched doe never kids.

Let's see, what would Murphy do? I know. Let's plan to go to a concert 30 minutes travel away!

Bingo!

"I'm at the concert, where are you?"

"Just checking on the goats. Oh! Yuli is showing mucous! Hmm... I don't think we're joining you, but you go ahead...."

And to annoy the concert masters, but to my delight, text message updates between numbers.

"What's happening?"

"Having contractions... Everything seems fine. Mama coming with supplies soon. I comforting Yuli. She pawing and talking much."

"She eating hay betwn cntrctns. Mor fluids cming out."

"Yuli not eating. We cold & hngry. Concert over?"

"Done. Shall I stop for food on the way home?"

"No, friendly neighbor made us quesadilla's and tea. Get something for yourself."

Almost to the store: "Oh! she's pushing!" Oops! Don't want to miss the birth entirely... Abort food run and go!

Several hours later... after much pushing and pulling, coaxing, fussing--all seeming totally beside the point after the fact--and much licking of everyone and almost everything by the should-already-have-been-a-mother-by-now, out comes a big beautiful white with black baby. Happily identified as a very large doeling at first... but later discovered to be a beautiful boy, 10 pounds 2 ounces. (That explains the delay! Poor Yuli!) Followed hard after by a black with brown brother weighing in at just under 7 pounds.



The new mom knows her stuff! Cleaning up each kid and the kidding area with her unstoppable tongue.

Kidding countdown - 5, 4, 3...

May 10 - Day 145 - 5 days to Yuli's perfect 150: Got the appropriate sized link to attach the stock panel to the barn doorway. Kidding pen all set and awaiting signs from the prospective mother that she is in need of isolation. Any time now! (Hee, hee. Whee! Kids!!!!)

May 11 - Day 146 - 4 days to Yuli's perfect 150: We moved Yuli into the barn, bringing along her mother for company. They don't like being away from the rest of the herd. Even Yuli, who has suffered of late from T-bone attacks from the boys and their mother, seems to be calling to the others. I guess I can't blame them. For a bit of security, she's had to give up quite a bit of freedom. A large enclosure, with protection, but not so much space to roam, and though they have plenty of grass hay, I know they will miss the fresh grass that has started to grow in the last weeks.

May 12 - Day 147 - 3 days to Yuli's perfect 150: Jail break! Did those clever girls figure out how to open a spring-loaded utility clip, or did we fail to connect it properly? Well, whatever the case, Yuli and Zixi pushed through the lower part of our makeshift stock-panel gate and roamed free... and where did they head? To the heritage orchard, with baby apple trees that they pruned during their Fall escape from this same barn? No, thank goodness. They appear to have made a bee line (or rather a goat line) to the rest of the herd. "Hey guys, we're back, let us in!" When that didn't work, they found some lush new grass growing in the field just outside, and had a hay day! Gotta love 'em.

You might say that I'm a great grandfather!

Foxglove's First Freshening!

On Friday, April 4, my daughter's youngest kid gave birth to two healthy kids! At 8pm, the first arrived, weighing in at 10.5 pounds. My wife assisted in the delivery. Two hours later, his brother was born at the same weight, breech, with assistance from my daughter. I "helped" at the head, giving encouragement and snapping the occasional photo.

The boys are as adorable as their mother! Saturday morning, their names were Gerry and Harry. By evening, their names had changed to You're-a-Cute-Tomato and Yrrebelkcuh. We'll shorten the first to "Tom", and since the latter arrived breech, we'll pronounce his name "Huckleberry".

Foxglove, their mother, had a bit of trouble delivering such hefty boys, but happily joined us for short walk the next day, snacking from the fresh greens growing around the community gardens. Both mom and the young bucks are healthy and happy in their temporary private quarters at the 4-H Ranch.

Now, what are we going to do with these bouncing Oberhasli boys? The 4-H Dairy Goat Project does not allow bucks, even wethered bucks, to stay with the does. But if we can start that project for pack goats we've been talking about, we have some justification to continue to house these beauties at the ranch. Still weighing our options...

In the meantime, we're looking forward to a day soon when the boys are weaned and Foxglove adds fresh goat milk to the family whole food supplies!

Originally published Monday, April 7, 2008 on SPARKPEOPLE.com