First let me clarify that I am not a veterinarian. I do know from having animals that there are occasions when you can not get a hold of your vet and you need to make decisions regarding your animals based on knowledge, experience, and even the internet. I have a really good vet, but he’s entitled to time off every now and then. It seems like nights, weekends, and holidays are prime times for animals to get ill or injured. This is why it is important to educate yourself, talk with your vet ahead of time, and seek out reputable sources on the internet before you need to treat your animal. Be prepared! I recently read on an animal Facebook group about a person looking for help with a sick dog, and holy cow, the suggestions for possible treatments ran the gamut. There was one suggestion to give the dog nighttime Tylenol, that made me cringe. Sometimes we think that if it’s ok for people, it’s ok for animals. And that is just not true!
Read more about what pain-killers pets can haveKeeping Your Goats Warm
My very first goats were sibling Pygmy goats, Bonnie and Clyde. We lived in Arizona at the time, so I never really worried about keeping them warm during the winter. I think they actually enjoyed the coolness of a season that wasn’t hot! When my boys were young we moved to a rural town in central Utah where the winters were a little colder and included snow! Our neighbors showed dairy goats in 4-H and my oldest son enjoyed helping them bottle feed the kids, and get the goats ready for shows. That’s when our goat herd expansion began. Daisy, a Saanen yearling was first, followed by Spring and Jasmine, Nubian sisters who were bottle babies. Rose was two days old when we got her and then we got a buck to try our hand at breeding. And so the adventure continued. Now, the boys are grown, the goats are old, and the winters are still cold.
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