Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Not so Good Friday

Friday my sweet neighbor texted me that her goat Wilma had discharge. If you didn't read Wilma's story here is the link. Wilma was at day 152 of pregnancy. The hubs was picking up my little one and her friend and I picked up my oldest from school. My middle daughter had cheer tryouts until 10pm so she was still at school. We all got to the house around 2pm and decided to go next door and check on Wilma. After watching her for a few minutes I could tell she was in labor. It was everything you read about the goo, the contractions, the nesting, and it was awesome to see it instead of read about it. After about an hour things were progressing and she was going into active labor. I ran home to get my kidding bag and by the time I got back Wilma's owner had called the vet. New plan, we were taking her to the vet just in case she needed help delivering. My husband picked her up and put her in the back of a Toyota Four Runner and off we went. The only vets around here that treat livestock are 30 minutes away. So here I am driving a SUV that's not mine, trying not to hit bumps or swerve too much because Wilma wouldn't lay down for the first half of the trip. It was nerve racking and the gas light was on, so we had to stop and get gas on the way LOL!
We make it to the vet. Neither one of us has used this vet and they were recommended to me by several people that have goats. The vet gets her out of the car and onto a stanchion where the assistant holds her by her horns. I cringe just thinking about how Wilma felt. They examined her for a long time (too long if you ask me). The hooves were out after a bit but the head was turned back, they worked on that forever (too long). After maybe 30 minutes they decide to do a c-section but the vet that was working on her had to go on a farm call so the other vet who was busy was going to do the surgery. They take poor Wilma with hooves hanging out and put her into the nastiest stall to wait (too long) She was in the poo and pee encrusted stall for almost 20 minutes until the vet was done looking at a calf and had prepped the room. They got her in and on the table. My oldest daughter and I went to the restroom and peeked in the room and saw the baby on the ground and heard them say there was only one. After 30 minutes they said she had one boy and they were both fine but things could change you never know what could happen. We pulled the car around they brought out the baby. It was limp, lifeless and barely alive. We rubbed it's chest and pulled mucous out of it's mouth while they loaded up Wilma. I finally told my neighbor the baby wasn't right she took it and couldn't get it to respond and asked the vet to look at it once again. He said it was gone :( He was the same color as his mother and looked like a Nubian like it's daddy, he was a doll.
I'm not too happy with that particular vet. In my opinion they left the baby inside the mother too long with it's sack broken. For poor Wilma and her owner to go through the c-section and come home with only a scar is a tragedy. I cried the minute we got into the car to leave but quit, since her owner, the 12yr old granddaughter and my 16 yr. old were being so strong. When we got home I ran to my house got the hubs to help unload Wilma took my little ones friend home, grabbed some subs from Subway for my family, did my chores, went back to check on Wilma, came home and finally got my cry out. It was a very long and very sad day :( The only good thing to come from this is a new friendship with my sweet neighbor. She is one tough lady.

17 comments:

  1. Oh, I am so sorry!!!! If there were hooves, the stupid vet just needed to pull them with a contraction! Heavens, I don't have ANY training and I was able to stick a hand in Trixie and pull out kids. The first kid I pulled out backward by a hind leg and a hip!

    Once you have legs, it's so easy to go in and straighten a head or whatever you need. Wait for contraction, push legs back in, straighten head, pull with next contraction, done. I am so angry at this vet. A C-Section? Are you kidding me (no pun intended). Was the kid huge? That's the only thing I can think of that would cause any trouble.

    Poor Wilma. I just want to cry too.

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    1. Yes, the kid was too big for her. I didn't want her to breed with my buck in the first place. She's a small fainting goat and Bub is a Nubian. When Wilma was in heat Bub wasn't very old so he looked small. If she was pregnant with twins, I think she could have delivered naturally, but it was just one big boy. The vet should have put her directly on the table for a c-section. The baby would have had a better chance of living. But it was 5:30 on a Friday, I guess they wanted to go home, so they handed us a dead baby :( Don't you think they left the baby in too long with the bag broke? I know that little guy took his first breath inside his moms belly, it was sad. My daughter wants to be a farm vet now. She says she knows what NOT to do from this experience!

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  2. I'm so sorry you had to go through this. And sad for poor Wilma, too. I think I would hesitate using that vet office again for several reasons.

    When we had our small dairy goat herd up here in isolated northern Minnesota, we didn't have a vet within 130 miles that would look at a goat under any circumstances so I know how difficult and unsettling it can be without a vet's help nearby to rely upon. I've always believed it's detrimental to move a goat when she's in labor although sometimes I know it's necessary. The extra trauma she suffered by being transported and then in strange, uncomfortable surroundings could have had a bad effect on her labor and the kid. Please know I'm not blaming you or your neighbor in the least because you did what you thought was best. Kristin's comment (above) contained a lot of good common sense. Here's hoping Wilma has a successful recovery. Again, so sorry you had this sad, bad experience.

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    1. I wanted to leave her in the barn too.
      The vet did say that there was no way she could have delivered that baby on her own it was just too big. My neighbor has had Wilma for over eight years and her well being was her first priority. We both think she would have died too if she tried to deliver on her own. Luckily Wilma rode pretty well in the car. My goats would have broke out the window and been running down the highway LOL!!!

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  3. I am so sorry about this. I would probably avoid that vet as well, if at all possible.

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    1. Thanks DFW! We could have went North 30 min to one vet or South 30 minutes to another. We went the wrong direction :(

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  4. How sad...I know its very traumatic...the first goat we ever bought was pregnant and we too took it to the vet after over an hour of hard labor(in a buick regal sedan)...I was totally ignorant on what to do way back when...the kid was dead when the vet pulled it, same scenario, head bent backwards...

    I agree with both ladies that the vet was a not a good vet and waited way to long to get the kid out...I also agree with Kristen..they should have pulled and or took the kid right away...maybe it would have survived...some vets just really don't care...I hope wilma is doing ok...

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    1. They did try to pull him out. They had things tied around his legs. They weren't going with her contractions though and it was hurting Wilma. I think they piddled around too long in there and I agree with you 110% they just didn't care!

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  5. Sweet Kelly,

    I'm so very sorry this happened to Wilma.

    Is there any other vet in the area that you can place on your emergency list for future use?

    I hope Wilma can have another little one later on?

    Sending hugs to you and your neighbor.

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    1. I don't think Wilma's mommy will let her out to play again. We are trying to find a baby for her. I'm not sure if she will adopt it or not. She might since she's so old.

      There were two vets that deal with goats. One North of us and one South. We went North and should have went South :/

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  6. I am so sorry. It can be tough to find a vet who is good at all of the aspects of being a farm vet. I hope Wilma has a quick and uneventful recovery.

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    1. Thanks Jane ☺ Wilma seems to be doing okay. I still worry about her. I hear her bleating alot more than normal. Her owner has to work 12+ hour days Monday thru Wednesday so she might just be lonely. I'm hoping she recovers and is back to normal soon.

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  7. Kelly...I am so sorry about your birthing experience. I have been very busy and not reading any blogs of late. How is your doe? I just know everything is going to be much better next time.

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    1. Thank you Mamma Bear, it was an experience. I knew that breeding them would end up bad. I just hoped she didn't get pregnant, but when she did I was kinda excited for her. I wish she would have had twins in there, it would have been better.
      My doe is fine. I'm just about sick of staring at her LOL! I remembered the other night that around December I thought she was going to birth from the way her backside looked. Looking back now her udder wasn't formed and her teats were really small (I'm learning a little bit here) so I'm thinking she was in heat. Which puts her due date closer to May. Now I'm just trying to figure out when exactly I noticed the puffy vulva LOL!

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  8. thats terrible! Once you got to the vet, she should have been made the first priority.... That makes me sad. the poor mommy goat, to carry her baby for all those days and go through all that. And they say Animals don't feel emotions, but you know she is. I am sorry.

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