Mr. Franklin is driving me crazy.
No,not Ben Franklin....Mr. Franklin, the goat, our goat. One of our seven Pygoras.
Mr. Franklin has been having "issues" since January.
On New Year's Day, I went out to feed the gang and Frank was limping slightly on his right rear leg. OK..I'll watch it for a couple of days and see how he does.
Next day, no problem.
The day after...BIG problem. Frank could hardly walk.. Indeed he wobbles and yet his appetite is good. He can stand and lie down, but his hind end is "disconnected". He stands hunched up with his head pressed against the shed wall. He is miserable as am I.
Then begins the mysterious journey that all goat owners take at one time or other. It starts with eliminating all the possible causes...disease, no(although Ed suspects Lyme disease), poisoning, probably not, moldy hay or food reaction, not likely or he would be dead, injury, probably. Feel for broken bones, look for injured foot, no no. Then a dive into the goat owner's bag of tricks...probiotics,nutrition supplement, aspirin, electrolytes, benamine and watchful, watchful waiting. A kiss on the nose for Mr. Franklin at night, presuming he would not be with us the next morning...a kiss on the nose for Mr. Franklin in morning to celebrate his survival.
He has stopped coming to breakfast with the other goats and shuns all grain...but will eat a pretzel and apple and orange peels and hay.
Thus it continues..one day good, one day bad and Mr. Franklin looks so unhappy and he is losing weight because the other goats intimidate him and he is in pain, obviously and does not want to do anything but stick close to the hay bin.
April..shearing time and vet visit. Goody, the Vet will answer this mystery. Blood samples taken and the Vet pokes and peeks and says hmmmmmm. Blood tests come back...Frank is healthy. Hmmmmmm. And still he limps along. I am thinking dislocated hip at some point, from a fall or from being snagged by another's horns. Or maybe back injury.
Twice I have picked up the phone to call the Vet to euthanize Frank...only to see him rise up and take a brief stroll.
And then two days ago, Mr. Franklin trotted up to his breakfast bowl and waited expectantly for me to hand out some grain and sunflower seeds, just as if nothing ever happened. He was bright eyed and happy...a little unsteady on the fast turns, but he actually even joined the herd for a meadow snack excursion and cantered home with them! He is healed??!!!
Not! Yesterday he was immobilized again and had to spend the day "in bed". His buddy, Tillie spent the day with him and she nuzzled him now and then.
Today, he is up and walking, but limping and moving slowly. He was interested in breakfast, but had to have it brought to him and he is spending more time lying down than up and moving.
Did I mention that Mr. Franklin was driving me crazy?
