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Friday, November 5, 2021

Millie 2.0 and final

Made it through the night again. Ate a little and drank beet juice the first hour. Got weaker as the day went on until she lipped up food, but it just dribbled out.... Did the humane thing. I'll miss her a lot.

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Millie 1.0

Still with us. I can't get much water in her, only a drop or two at a time, then she starts spitting it out. She's eating a little. I check her every hour and feed her by hand. She'll eat a mouthful or two, then stops to chew, and she's done until the next hourly check. I have to hold her head up to eat out of my hand because she's laying on her side without enough energy to even lift her head. It's not looking too good, but she's still fighting...

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Millie

I don't know how old my nanny goat Millie was when I bought her in 2019. She had just weaned twins when I got her and HATED anyone touching her udders for milking. I had to build a stantion with restraints. Once she'd gotten used to it, she'd jump right up and let me put the leg ties and neck clamp on, and I'd get almost a quart a day from her. Bought a billy goat to breed her. 100 bucks and the rankest animal I've ever owned. And worse, the damn thing loved attention and always tried rubbing up on me. Couldn't get within 10 feet of him without a clothespin. Once Millie gave birth to triplets, I sold Stinky for the same $100 I originally paid for him. Incidentally, the guy that bough him (as a gift for his girlfriend who "always wanted a goat") picked him up with another guy in a two door sporty little car and put Stinky in the back seat. For a TWO HOUR drive home. The bed of the TRUCK I picked him up in smelled for two weeks, and he was only in THAT for 20 minutes! The first born of her triplets, born in March, died about two months ago. Went out to feed them, and he was laying out barely breathing. Got progressively worse and breathing shallower with each breath, so I eventually had to put him our of his misery. I'm guessing he ate something that poisoned him, but I've watched goats eat hemlock and go back for seconds... And two days ago, Millie was out in the middle of the field, entire rear covered in diarrhea, and couldn't stand up. I got her on her feet, gave her diarrhea meds, and she seemed better. Yesterday, same thing. Obviously weaker too. Today I couldn't get her on her feet. I put her in the barn and covered her. Got some antibiotics in her. She's covered and I'm checking her hourly. But she's stopped taking water, so I'm not too hopeful at this point. I know she was sold because she was getting old in the first place, but if I lose her both myself and Rose will miss her terribly. She is the only goat I ever had who went on walks with us. And would bleat terribly if we walked by without taking her with. I know these things happen. But that don't make it hurt less. I'll let y'all know if anything changes...