Vet visit report, Elsa update, pregnant goats, and a moment for praising Hercules.
Today was CD&T and rabies-shot day. Everyone looks pretty good. Deworming should happen soon, but no big deal. Sancho is getting old, but doing fine. Loki and Jessie may not outlive him, but they are both fat enough to make it for a while longer. And for all her small size, Soma is doing just fine. She's got fat on her tummy and energy in her system.
Elsa is going to be as fine as possible. We caught the infestation more than in time - the vet was willing to say that we caught it "pretty early." And the medications are working. Elsa is on Bactrim for the next 5 weeks or until we run out of pills. (We can stop the aspirin. That was for treating any inflammation when the worms died.) She should complete the majority of her recovery over the next six weeks or so, and will be about as recovered as she will ever be just in time for breeding decisions in the fall (six months). Also, the vet confirmed that this whole onslaught of medication was all natal/lactation safe. If Elsa had been pregnant, it would still have been ok to give her all of this medication without worrying about abortion or natal defects. That's good to know if ever again. He also confirmed that goats are a dead-end host for meningeal worms. Elsa can't give it to anyone else. They have to get it from deer poop.
Emma is obviously pregnant. I didn't even ask. Taffy is pregnant, and the vet thinks he palpated twins. Dahlia might be pregnant, but if so it's a late single. Anna... is fat. Ginger, Madeline, and Fiona are slab-sided enough to be obviously kid-less. We just kind of poked and prodded; I didn't bother asking for any sonograms this year. I think I've got it down now, even if there are surprises. Side note: the vet likes Anna's flyaway ears. He says that they give her a sporty look.
Hercules's little weird knot on his neck hasn't changed. However, his poop looks funny. So the vet grabbed a sample to take to the lab. I don't talk a lot about the llama, but I have to stop here for some praise of his trainer and breeder. Herc is one of the most chillin' animals I've ever had on the farm. He lives with a bunch of knee-high attitudes with horns and doesn't mind. He doesn't mind me pushing him around or giving his butt a smack when I walk by. He almost never kicks until his patience is ended during shearing (which we do with him standing). This chill was definitely tested when the vet went digging for a stool sample. For the vet's trouble, he got... a rotated left ear and an evil eye. No stomping, no ear semaphore, no working up for a spit. Herc just stood there looking cross.
So the vet left with the majority of the bottle of Panacur and the poop sample.
Next stop - goat babies!
Elsa is going to be as fine as possible. We caught the infestation more than in time - the vet was willing to say that we caught it "pretty early." And the medications are working. Elsa is on Bactrim for the next 5 weeks or until we run out of pills. (We can stop the aspirin. That was for treating any inflammation when the worms died.) She should complete the majority of her recovery over the next six weeks or so, and will be about as recovered as she will ever be just in time for breeding decisions in the fall (six months). Also, the vet confirmed that this whole onslaught of medication was all natal/lactation safe. If Elsa had been pregnant, it would still have been ok to give her all of this medication without worrying about abortion or natal defects. That's good to know if ever again. He also confirmed that goats are a dead-end host for meningeal worms. Elsa can't give it to anyone else. They have to get it from deer poop.
Emma is obviously pregnant. I didn't even ask. Taffy is pregnant, and the vet thinks he palpated twins. Dahlia might be pregnant, but if so it's a late single. Anna... is fat. Ginger, Madeline, and Fiona are slab-sided enough to be obviously kid-less. We just kind of poked and prodded; I didn't bother asking for any sonograms this year. I think I've got it down now, even if there are surprises. Side note: the vet likes Anna's flyaway ears. He says that they give her a sporty look.
Hercules's little weird knot on his neck hasn't changed. However, his poop looks funny. So the vet grabbed a sample to take to the lab. I don't talk a lot about the llama, but I have to stop here for some praise of his trainer and breeder. Herc is one of the most chillin' animals I've ever had on the farm. He lives with a bunch of knee-high attitudes with horns and doesn't mind. He doesn't mind me pushing him around or giving his butt a smack when I walk by. He almost never kicks until his patience is ended during shearing (which we do with him standing). This chill was definitely tested when the vet went digging for a stool sample. For the vet's trouble, he got... a rotated left ear and an evil eye. No stomping, no ear semaphore, no working up for a spit. Herc just stood there looking cross.
So the vet left with the majority of the bottle of Panacur and the poop sample.
Next stop - goat babies!