Well here I am, "the goat girl" as I am known particularly to the Fremantle community, jumping into the scary world of blogging. Not quite sure how this will turn out but keen to give it a go. I'm starting out with what is simply on my mind.
The difficulty in finding a goat vet
Finding a good "goat" vet is a bit of a catch 22 scenario. Everyone would love to have a good goat vet, but there just arent many around. Because the goat industry really is very small, vet students spend very little time on goats. So graduating vets dont have much experience and knowledge about goats. Here's where the problem lies. As goatkeepers, we dont want to take our goats to a vet who doesnt have experience with goats. So the vet will never gain any experience and we will never gain a "goat" vet. This in turn leads to the situation I hear of all too often, people try to vet their own animals because they dont trust their vet, their home remedies dont work, so after days of trying, they finally call a vet. The vet is presented with an animal on death's door, does his best, the animal dies, and the owner blames the vet. When in reality, if the vet had been called earlier, the animal would have been saved.
In my experience, the best vet is not necessarily one who has plenty of goat experience, but one that is willing to have a go, see the animal, research in books, on the internet and consult with other vets, and above all, LISTEN TO THE GOAT KEEPER. Establish a relationship with your vet in which you can both learn from each other whilst treating the goat.
Why would we choose to "vet" our own goats?
By vetting our own goats, I mean to treat the animal yourself with either conventional or herbal/holistic medicine, rather than take her to the vet. Goatkeepers often find themselves in this situation, either intentionally or accidentally, and its important to be able to do it correctly in order to achieve good results. You might live in a remote area, where the closest vet is 400km away, and your goat needs medical attention immediately. You might live closer to vets, but they "don't do goats" (an attitude all too common unfortunately). Your vet might agree to see your goat, but may have less knowledge than an experienced goat breeder. Or for financial reasons, you may wish to do as much of your own vetting as possible to save a costly call out fee (I have known vets to charge a $300 call out fee to a property 45 minutes from the clinic).
All too often I see new goat keepers on forums and social networking sites who have a sick goat, no access to a vet for one reason or another, and absolutely no idea how to treat the goat. They dont even have the basic supplies to treat the goat. As an experience goatkeeper it is frustrating to know how to help the animal but the owners are unable to follow your guidance, and heartbreaking knowing the goat is suffering and eventually dies due to lack of knowledge and resources.
So I am going to start with a series of short posts which contain my basic advice on how I do my own vetting on my goats, in relation to some of the most common problems that I am asked by new goatkeepers. It is important to have a well stocked medicine kit if you decide to do your own vetting, and this will include antibiotics and other prescription only medications, so you will need to have a discussion with an understanding vet at some point. I will post a list of what should be in your medicine kit shortly. The following posts are in no particular order, just as they come to my mind.
Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a veterinarian, I am simply a goatkeeper. The advice here should not take the place of advice from your veterinarian. This is simply what has worked for me and my goats. I cannot be held liable for the health and welfare of your goat. My advice here is intended as a suggestion and help, and should not replace the services of a veterinarian.
Above all, you need to recognise when a situation is beyond your capabilities, and at this point you need to decide quickly whether you will enlist the services of a vet or whether to humanely euthanize the goat. Under no circumstances should an animal be allowed to suffer while you attempt to "fix it" yourself without the correct knowledge and medications.
The difficulty in finding a goat vet
Finding a good "goat" vet is a bit of a catch 22 scenario. Everyone would love to have a good goat vet, but there just arent many around. Because the goat industry really is very small, vet students spend very little time on goats. So graduating vets dont have much experience and knowledge about goats. Here's where the problem lies. As goatkeepers, we dont want to take our goats to a vet who doesnt have experience with goats. So the vet will never gain any experience and we will never gain a "goat" vet. This in turn leads to the situation I hear of all too often, people try to vet their own animals because they dont trust their vet, their home remedies dont work, so after days of trying, they finally call a vet. The vet is presented with an animal on death's door, does his best, the animal dies, and the owner blames the vet. When in reality, if the vet had been called earlier, the animal would have been saved.
In my experience, the best vet is not necessarily one who has plenty of goat experience, but one that is willing to have a go, see the animal, research in books, on the internet and consult with other vets, and above all, LISTEN TO THE GOAT KEEPER. Establish a relationship with your vet in which you can both learn from each other whilst treating the goat.
Why would we choose to "vet" our own goats?
By vetting our own goats, I mean to treat the animal yourself with either conventional or herbal/holistic medicine, rather than take her to the vet. Goatkeepers often find themselves in this situation, either intentionally or accidentally, and its important to be able to do it correctly in order to achieve good results. You might live in a remote area, where the closest vet is 400km away, and your goat needs medical attention immediately. You might live closer to vets, but they "don't do goats" (an attitude all too common unfortunately). Your vet might agree to see your goat, but may have less knowledge than an experienced goat breeder. Or for financial reasons, you may wish to do as much of your own vetting as possible to save a costly call out fee (I have known vets to charge a $300 call out fee to a property 45 minutes from the clinic).
All too often I see new goat keepers on forums and social networking sites who have a sick goat, no access to a vet for one reason or another, and absolutely no idea how to treat the goat. They dont even have the basic supplies to treat the goat. As an experience goatkeeper it is frustrating to know how to help the animal but the owners are unable to follow your guidance, and heartbreaking knowing the goat is suffering and eventually dies due to lack of knowledge and resources.
So I am going to start with a series of short posts which contain my basic advice on how I do my own vetting on my goats, in relation to some of the most common problems that I am asked by new goatkeepers. It is important to have a well stocked medicine kit if you decide to do your own vetting, and this will include antibiotics and other prescription only medications, so you will need to have a discussion with an understanding vet at some point. I will post a list of what should be in your medicine kit shortly. The following posts are in no particular order, just as they come to my mind.
Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a veterinarian, I am simply a goatkeeper. The advice here should not take the place of advice from your veterinarian. This is simply what has worked for me and my goats. I cannot be held liable for the health and welfare of your goat. My advice here is intended as a suggestion and help, and should not replace the services of a veterinarian.
Above all, you need to recognise when a situation is beyond your capabilities, and at this point you need to decide quickly whether you will enlist the services of a vet or whether to humanely euthanize the goat. Under no circumstances should an animal be allowed to suffer while you attempt to "fix it" yourself without the correct knowledge and medications.