I had NO IDEA that the goats were in so much danger when I read that google search that Sam did. On Thursday morning after he discovered what had happened in the night he came in so worked up and told me all about it. I am getting so immune to the pre-pubescent drama that is going on right now in our household that I was hardly even listening! I think I nodded and said “mmmhmm. Really? Oh dear!” (In a very convincing way.) In the meantime I think I might have been planning out my day. However, I found out later that the goats were in real danger, they could have died! Thursday night when I found myself sticking a three foot tube down one goat’s throat to induce gas release I was kicking myself that I hadn’t listened that morning! Especially when that process induced rumen spew! A lot of green liquid that covered Grant (the one holding the goat), me (the one with the tube) and Sam (especially Sam because he was the one holding Caramel’s mouth open). Lizzie (the flashlight holder) escaped because she was far enough away. William wanted nothing to do with it and was over by the shed trying to get chicken yuck off his school shoes (the same shoes that Sam ran over the next day and chopped up with the lawn mower). I will now list all the things we did for the goats over the space of three days:
1) Several Google searches
2) At least six phone calls to people for ideas on how to help them (two ward members, two ranch vets, the breeder who sold us the goats, and a guy at the feed store.)
3) Five trips to two different feed stores, grocery store and walmart to get remedies.
4) Administered an anti bloat serum, mineral oil, and baking soda mix to each goat with syringes. (sadly Caramel swallowed two inches of the rubber tubing we attached to the end of the syringe).
5) The aforementioned tubing vomit incident.
6) Gave them a bowl full of baking soda to munch on during the day – which they wouldn’t touch.
7) Sam hand fed them fresh picked raspberries from the garden which is their favorite treat (or should I say second favorite- chicken feed being their first favorite) to try to give them some nutrients since they weren’t eating.
8) I drove them out of their pen to let them walk around thinking that an open invitation to all the tempting delights of our backyard would get them moving and movement helps relieve gas. They just stood there in the middle of the lawn dazed and depressed until even that was too hard and then they layed down. I had to carry Caramel (who is the one in the worst shape) back to the pen because he wouldn’t move! We were both trembling from the exertion by the time we got back to the pen.
9) Grant force fed them greek yogurt (probiotics) mixed with baking soda from a syringe.
10) Last ditch effort: Pepto-bismol (15 ml each) and that seemed to do the trick. I am happy to report that even with a near brush with a secondary infection of pneumonia the goats seem to be on the mend!
All throughout I wondered if this was all worth it. Animals are so much work, and expensive, and sometimes gross and stinky, often times inconvenient but oh so worth it! While we were out there on Thursday at 10 pm working as a team, in the dark getting drenched in green goo and pulling together for the same cause, learning great life lessons I realized that if I had the choice, I would do it all over again! (I could do without the chickens though.) Our children were learning about sacrifice, life, death, faith and fear, work, love, loss, and consequences (what happens when you take shortcuts and leave the lid to the chicken feed bucket loose). They also learned about prayer! (I can’t even count how many petitions were made to Heavenly Father for the recovery of Caramel, Chester and Friendy!)
On a lighter note: Lizzie had her Half Book Recital at 3pm on Saturday. Which means she has completed the first half of Suzuki Book One for Cello. Kayson Brown, her teacher, the Saxeys, Gramma Sheri and Leah and Trevor came to watch her play for about fifteen minutes of songs accompanied by Grant on the piano. She played twinkle variations and about six other songs. Then Grant and Lizzie played a lovely song they had been playing together for about six months. For the Suzuki songs it was wonderful to see the fruits of our labor. It has been over a year of hard work for both Lizzie and I as I have striven to practice with her every day. She is a lovely player who is finally getting the feel of the sound her cello can make and the beauty of the instrument. When she was learning “French Folk Song” the first song after all the Twinkle Variations about six months ago Kayson, who was trying to get her to feel the music asked her, “What is the most beautiful instrument in the world?” Lizzie quizzically guessed, “the harp?” to which Kayson indignantly replied, “NO! The cello is the most beautiful instrument in the world!” I think that Lizzie finally feels like the cello IS the most beautiful instrument in the world, and you can hear it in the way she is starting to play.
But far and away the best part of the whole recital was hearing Grant and Lizzie play their song together. I sat there in awe at the beauty of the process and reward of developing our talents. Here was Grant, the father, playing with Lizzie the daughter, pouring their hearts out into the music and exposing those hearts to the rest of us. Here was Grant who can bless our family and others because he had a mother who challenged him and sacrificed to help him develop his talent. And now the next generation is coming forth to develop theirs and I am a part of it! Wednesday after I had been in the car for 3 1/2 hours driving kids and waiting for kids during their lessons I suggested that we should quit everything. “Wouldn’t it be so great to just come home from school, do a little homework, a few chores and just be free for the rest of the evening?” I asked. I was met with great resistance and so we continue. Saturday’s recital was just the boost I needed to keep going.
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