In Loving Memory

I really can't believe I'm writing this. We lost a goat yesterday. Jack, our beloved buckling, is gone. He really deserves better words than I can give right now.

Friday he was completely fine. You can tell by the first picture in the previous post that he was coming toward me when I went to take a picture. The above photo was taken just minutes before that while we were hanging out in the woods.

Yesterday morning, I went out to feed and he was lethargic, wouldn't come to me, and had gooey snot. By the time we got home with liquid Benadryl and Vicks VapoRub, he was down and humming. He appeared to have acidosis. The Apple family was here to celebrate the birthdays of our youngest two children and wound up giving us comfort while they were already waiting on a late lunch on our behalf! It was a hectic time. The Butler family came out and gave Jack everything in their medicine cabinet. Banamine. LA200. Probios. Nutridrench. Baking Soda. David even went to get him beer (Jack, not David. Really, it was medicinal!) Jack appeared to be doing better. He was up, moving, going to the bathroom, drinking...

I went out to do an hourly temperature check and more nutridrench. He was panting. This is not normal. I called Paula and she set out to come. I went back out to Jack and he was yelling. Was this a good sign or bad? He hadn't talked to me all day. I went to him and he convulsed and went down. David carried him to a more comfortable spot in the barn. We tried giving him more baking soda, beer, and drench, but he couldn't take it. We stayed with him while he was unconcious and gave his last breaths. Paula arrived and confirmed his death. She consulted with us and helped us make further arrangements. We all cried together.

Monday we'll be taking him to the state necropsy lab to discover what the cause was. We suspect foaming pneumonia--which gives me a whole host of other questions. We hope it wasn't something toxic in the pen--a plant I may have to eradicate so as not to have a repeat scenario. Currently he is with some dear friends who have a large, empty, deep freezer.

Jack was such a good buckling. He's the sweetest goat I ever met, and Paula said he was the nicest she's ever met, too. It's all that bottle feeding she did with him in her living room, I think! Her family saved his life at birth, bottle fed him, and has a deep affection for him. I feel as though I've let them all down. Jack was the mother hen to Jill & Julie, and the one who was teaching them to love me. Shiphrah and Solomon don't really understand. Shiphrah is content that Jack is with God. Samuel is truely mourning and has shed many tears. David has been so strong for me. We all love and miss you, Jack.

An early morning nuzzle. I will miss these.