First Night at the Ka (razy) Ranch

Got back from Port A a bit later than planned. Got there about 5 instead of 4 as I'd hoped.

DH and I went around and checked on Everyone.
Bella and Maxie - Boxer and Mastiff
Boo and Dusty - older Arab mare and mini
Chickens/Peacocks/Ducks/Turkey/ birds etc
Goats - Fainting and Pygmy

Everyone was fine.

Played with dogs for a bit and decided to go feed really quick before DH headed to our place to tend to our critters.
Dogs - what good dogs!

"Horses' - check......they are so well behaved
"BIRDS" - only get fed once a day...CHECK!

Goats -

Pygmy Goat

Fainting Goat

Oh my God. Goats EVERYWHERE! The attack you! Attack you when you try to feed. Them. now, the are SMALL goats ......Fainting and Pygmy.....See photos. So, they aren't knocking me DOWN.......but pointy hooves mid calf will make you step back a step or two.

SO....put down the food bowls....pour some food mixture into each....they start munching. OH, there are 2 spotted Donkey's too. They aren't tame...pretty skittish, really.

One goat (Fainting Goat) will not come out from behind the 'pen' that was built for having the babies. Most of the female goats are in-kid. (LOL - horses are in-foal....goats are in-kid).

Moving right along.....I stare at said goat behind pen......looks kinda.....worried maybe? If a goat can look worried that is!!

Finally, goat turns around and shows me....

Nasty, jelly like almost clear with a slight tint of yellow/green (hard to tell, it was almost 100% clear) 'string' hanging from her backside.

DANG IT!! H (ranch owner) isn't going to be here for this. She REALLY wanted babies on the ground before she left, and now this goat (Starsky, I believe) is going to have this baby the DAY she leaves. BUMMER.

Starsky isn't 100% tame. Are goats EVER really tame? Who knows!

SO....we 'corner her'. DH takes a heavy metal rake (the one with a solid end, not the flimsy end) and kind of 'holds her' (gently) in the corner so I can go in and grab her.

I put her in her 'baby cave'. Give her some hay, and some 'bedding' and fresh water and re-hung the water bucket up off the ground a bit so the KID doesn't decide to go for a swim.

NO pushing, no contractions that I could see, YET. So, Starsky is under the heat lamps to 'chill' LOL and relax. We hang out and watch a bit......slight contraction, with a bit of pushing, about 5 mins apart..... ok, cool.

DH needs to go, so our critters aren't holding their legs crossed to avoid making messes.

Couldn't find the "MULE", 4 wheel variety that is....so I jump on the 4-wheeler under the shed.

DH assists in getting it started, and I'm headed to the house!

Drive back in about an hour (7ish) and check......more pushing, much more strenuous pushing, heavier contractions, more contractions, about less than 4 mins apart.......

The sun is setting......I'm sure we'll have a baby by dark!
Drive back to the house.
Drive back to the barn about 8ish....
Much more pushing.....stressed out goat.....heavier contractions.....YIKES!
The vet's name and number is posted on the side of the feed can......

Now....let me backtrack a bit....my cell phone battery SUCKS! I mean, SUCKS! I can be on it for less than a 2 minute phone call and it will turn off.
LUCKILY, when H put up the heat lamps, she also put in a couple extra plug in ends! YEEHAW! I'd taken my cell charger out there, as I'd noticed the plug ins the first time I was out there :) Observant, huh? :)

SO....plug IN the phone before I call.
I start to DIAL and DH calls. WHAT!
"Whatcha need?"
"Hows the goat" - DH
"Not so good....she's pushing...no feet or nose yet....I'm calling the vet" - Me
"ok, I just talked to H and " - DH
Interrupt "Why did you call H? She's on VACATION! Once I knew something I was going to call her and let her know. No need to WORRY her!" - ME
"I know, but I wanted to let her know all was well and that she should have a baby tonight. She said to call her sister and her sister can have one of the vets call, she's very good friends with one of them." - DH
"I'm calling the vet who's information H left for me....I'll call you back, bye" - Me
Dial vet number......
"Hi, _________ answering service can I help you"
"Hi, this is _______________________ I'm calling on H's fainting goat. She's been in active labor for a while and I don't know much about goats...can you have Dr.W call me please?"
Dr.W called me back.
I relayed the information on the goat to him.

He said "ok, is sounds like she's having trouble and we need to see her. She may need a C-Section. Can you bring her in?"
A GOAT, bring her in? WHAT? NO WAY! I don't have the truck! I have my car! No room for a Goat. Well, ok, it's a hatchback. there is room....and we have carpet down in the back....ok...
"OK, I'm not 100% sure what H wants to do, let me call her QUICKLY and I'll call you right back"
Called H, got the ok to do WHATEVER needed...ok!
Called answering service back...... Tell Dr. W I'm going to bring in the goat. I will call when she's loaded and on my way.

HOW in the HECK to I get the goat from it's PEN to my Car?
It rained, so I can't drive my CAR through the pasture. If I had out 4x4 truck....SURE. But not the Mazda!!
OK, think.....think.....
It's a good...couple 100 yards from the goat pen to the closest place I can get the car in.....
H suggested a dog kennel that's in the barn.....
I checked it....too bit to fit in the back of my car....drat!
ok.....don't wanna pick her up and squish that baby in there.....
SO....right or wrong...the 'best' option I could see was to walk/pull/drag her to the car.

Haul butt on the 4-wheeler to the house.....park.....turn off....get the car!!
Haul butt in the car to the fence. park. throw open the hatch.....run to the goat pen.....
grab the goat..... bleating.....pull the goat (fainting goats faint...their legs lock up and they fall over). So, when she gets 'scared' her legs 'lock up'.

Just picture me.......pulling a small but very pregnant goat with unmoving legs a couple hundred yards, through 2 gates.

Then comes the task of GETTING her in the CAR! Hummm....now what?? Grabbed goat around the middle, behind both front legs and kinda swung the hind end up into the back of my car.
QUICK, slam the door before she runs away!
Hop in the car....drive cautiously but quickly down drive way......
STUPID automatic gate opener! Soooo slow.......dang it.....HURRY! Pull through, finally....stop...wait....press button, nada, press button, nada, press button, success! Gate closing! Wait till almost closed and take of. Called Vet's answering service on way out....letting them know I was on the way/
Now, the 'end' of the driveway is on a steep hill...so take off had to be slow and careful.
Once out on the highway however......look out!! I was NOT about to lose a goat! I was about 20 miles from the vets office....I left the Ranch at 8:30.....pulled INTO the parking lot at 8:45. There are many stops, turns, and twists between the Ranch and the Clinic..... :) Thank goodness the route was trooper/sheriff free!! I'm sure I looked very much like Cruella Deville from 101 Dalmatians while she was driving away!!

I kept looking back and as long as I could see horns....I knew she was still alive! :)

Dr. W met me at the door, and we walked to the back of the car.....he picked up the goat and set her down quickly, she wouldn't comply, so he picked her up and carried her to the exam room. I met vet number 2! So, I got 2 vets! Not a vet and an assistant...both vets were there waiting on Starsky.
Dr. W donned his exam gloves and went "hunting". Found feet, yay! Found nose...yay! All seemed well....but that was a BIG head on that kid, he said.
About 15 mins or so ( I wasn't looking at my watch) of trying to help her have it the natural way, with the other DR and myself keeping her on the table...and he said, I don't think this going happen naturally, H is ok with us doing a C-Section??

A C-SECTION? A C-Section on a goat? GET OUT!
"YES", I informed him, "she said do what ever you needed".
OK, then let me get somethings ready and we'll do that.

I stayed with Starskey while the Dr's got thing ready.

Dr. W came back in, and said everything was ready and I was welcome to come back and watch. AWESOME! One, it just sounded SOOOO neat, and 2...I had to make sure H's goats were ok!
Dr. W laid Starskey on an angled table.....2 pieces of metal table angled at about 90 degrees. it was like 'stuffing her into a taco shell' if you will.
He gave her a sedative.......and went to shaving her belly.
they put a cone on her face, which would provide 'meds' to keep her 'under' during the surgery. HOLLY COW! This was a better set up than some PEOPLE hospitals!
He then injected some lidocaine under the skin in a line from mid belly to just before her udders.
AND THEN......he draped a 'sheet' over her with a square cut out of it. The 'square' went over the area where he was to make the cut. Just like you see them do in the Dr. shows on tv! It was neat!

He made a cut in the first layer of skin....first layer? How many are there? This was the layer the hair was attached to....
Then he cut through the 2nd layer......much thinner layer
AND THEN......the 3rd fatty layer......and he was in!
WOW!
He felt around a bit.....made an incision in her uterus....and pulled out a black ball of ears and hair! What a cutie! SHE had 'salt and pepper' colored ears, and muzzle, a white 'star' on her forehead, and a white marking on her right leg.....i believe, other than that, she's black.

Dr. W than went about the difficult task of putting all the 'placenta and stuff' back inside the uterus while Dr. B went about taking care of the new KID in town!
WHY, i asked?
I was told that you put the placenta and such back inside the uterus so she could pass the 'after birth' naturally. As much as we've messed with her already it's best to let the rest happen as naturally as possible.
WOW, learn something new every day.

Dr. B kept a good eye on the kid, and assisted Dr. W too! Tag team effort!

There were some other 'things' that should be on the INSIDE of her body that were on the OUTSIDE of her body..... I asked...... "and everything else will just go back where it should?" as they moved her from laying on her side, to straight up in the air on her back.
Dr. W said 'YES'. He said amazingly, a goats body will just put itself back to where things should be.
I said "that's amazing. I've had much more experience with horses, and know that if you don't put things back together just right...you are in trouble".
Both vets were in agreement....horses are much more difficult than other animals.

Dr. W Sewed up the uterus......and the skin layers......cleaned up the incision area....and put momma goat down on a towel, while Dr. B grabbed the baby and laid her down next to her. Both of them were VERY groggy from the sedative.
I noticed how 'mellow' the kid was while Dr. W was finishing putting momma back together. Dr. B told me that it was from the sedative. She got some of what went into the mamma's body. WOW, I hadn't even THOUGHT of that! Amazing!!

"Nothing like the first conversation between momma and baby being a drunken one!"

What an evening! Momma and baby were put in the back, in a pen. Dr W. gave them some shots....assured me all was well...and I was out the door.

It's now 11pm.
WOW. What a night!!