Prayer Request

Today the weather is supposed to be icky and the schools are closed. Normally this would be a time of great rejoicing (as it was yesterday) but today I'm asking for prayer. I have an appointment with the vet at one o'clock up in Scottsville, KY. I am taking one of our bucks, Jarlath, and the two older does, Jill & Julie. I pray the weather and the roads are cooperative for me, and that the animals are, too! The good thing about it all, though, is that David can stay home with the kids and I won't have to put Samuel in the front seat, which is something I've had to do before when taking this many animals to the vet. (Both back seats will have to be removed.)

Jarlath needs to have his horns done again. They'll get burnt and sawed. He will be under sedation, but I still don't anticipate this being an easy task. He's a big guy to manhandle, and I will have to put him in a kennel in our van, get him from the van to the vet's barn, and after the procedure, back into the kennel in the van. I will have help at both ends, thankfully, as this is a task I'd really be stretching my abilities to do at this point in my pregnancy. Jarlath is normally pretty good about walking with me (better than Tripoli) but he also is more of a lover-boy and can try to be dominant at times (more than Tripoli) so I'm not quite sure what to expect, except perhaps sore arms and hoof prints on my clothes.

Jill & Julie will not have anything so difficult done. I plan to get them ultrasounded to see if they're pregnant, and how many babies. I know dairy goat folks really like to send blood samples off to a lab to check for pregnancy, but I'm not ready to stick anything in the jugular vein just yet and I like the idea of knowing how many babies to expect at kidding. It's also pretty cheap to ultrasound a goat, and I've become a fan of ultrasounds! :) Anyhow, this will be a bit stressful on them, and having to spend more time there for Jarlath and knowing how long his procedure will take and that he will likely make some unpleasant noises, even under sedation, I am concerned for how they will handle it. I don't want them getting too stressed out if they're bred!

So, now you know the concerns. Thanks for praying, and I'll update y'all as to how it turns out!