Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

My troubled goat

If it isn't one thing, it's something else with Brownie, our Nubian wether. As you know, Brownie is always trying to be the best, the strongest, the boldest and the most obnoxious goat at Three Dog Farm. He is the one that we spend the most money on at the vet. He's the one that gets into my vegetable garden....and he's the one goat who always has to have the last word.... He's the goat with an attitude.
Tomorrow we have to take him back to the vet AGAIN. His right horn is moving in the wrong direction and is growing into his eye. Yes, of all the directions this horn could have grown, it's heading right for his eye. These photos were taken a week ago and the horn is even closer today than the photos show.

This morning the prospector has gone over to the goat farm to borrow a trailer. Tomorrow we will drive down to Elk Grove to the large animal vet. They will sedate Brownie, cut the horn back and bandage it. We went through this procedure last year with his other horn. It went smoothly and Brownie thought he was on a great adventure. He was really good and pranced around like the "show pony" that he thinks he is.
He wasn't suppose to have horns. We had the horns of all four goats removed when they were babies. Without horns they don't hurt each other and they don't get caught in the fence. Brownie's horns kept growing back and by the third time we decided to let them grow. BIG MISTAKE. We have had nothing but trouble. I would guess because they were removed three times (and started growing over again) that they began growing in odd directions. That's the problem. They couldn't just grow back and look majestic like a proud mountain goat..... Oh no! They have to grow all cattiwompus and back into the side of his face. Good grief!
So tomorrow we will take him down to the vet and spend some more money on him because  regardless of the attitude we get from him, we love him and this is just what you do when you love your animals. You pull out the old credit card and bite the bullet.

This is what Bart thinks of Brownie's dilemma.  He said, and I quote,....." Brownie is always grandstanding. He wanted those horns so that he could act like he was king of the hill around here. Serves him right. I never have anything wrong with me and I'm stronger. I would like to go for a ride too sometime. Pspitt!! "

It's OK Bart. We love you too.

7 comments:

  1. Well...some kids are just trouble...but we love them anyway!!
    Good luck Brownie!

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  2. Wishing Brownie good luck at the vets. Thanks for you visit to my blog. My grass is also brown. No rain and the temperature in the 90's. Have a blessed evening. Madeline

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  3. Hmmm... I was just thinking this morning about an old friend of mine who used to put horn weights on her bulls, so the horns grew 'down' & were then less of a danger to people - and the other cows.
    Maybe that's an option for you, if those pesky things keep growin' back??
    Well... I don't mean an option for YOU - I mean Brownie. LOL!

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  4. Poor Brownie (and you). Maybe we should introduce him to my diabetic cat, Rusty. He loves to entertain us by swatting the dog, climbing the apple tree every morning, keeping the other cat in line, taking long naps in the dog house and waking us up by lifting and letting the metal drop-pulls on the dresser fall so they clang. (On second thought he might be a bad influence on your goat) He is hyper-sensitive to his (twice daily) in$ulin injection$ and has to see the vet twice monthly to check his level$. He must feel really lousy at times but he never lets on. We love him and have little problem handing over the credit card to the wonderful doctor who cares for him! Good luck tomorrow!

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  5. Last night I dreamed I won the lottery and went straight out and bought six goats. I called them Blackie and Brownie and Fawny and Tawny.... Then I woke up and said to myself surely there are better things to spend your winnings on. I replied out loud, "No, there'e not!" and went back to sleep. I wonder if the Brownie came from your blog? And I firmly believe that would be the best way to spend my winnings. Assuming it should ever happen, of course.

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  6. There's always one in the gang like Brownie...our guy Leaf just strained his foot on a 'rear up and butt' manouver and we were dreading ANOTHER trip to the vet. Luckily after a day it is better...good luck with 'Maria'.

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  7. I watched an australian SPCA show. An semi ferral cattle was growing his horn into his head. The vets had to cut the horn off. Otherwise, they explained that he horn will grow into his head and puncture his brains.

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