Baby Goat

Found a baby goat... sorta.

I wanted a color change Del Sol bag that they were supposed to be handing out at the beach. I offered the guy in my physio class that lives up the road (Michael) to carpool with me (he got a coupon for a free bag too). He walks to my house and knock on my door to tell me there is a little white baby goat running around bleating. I say super.

We drive past the road where the goat was because I was told we needed to be at the beach at 6pm and it's getting late (sunset is at 6pm sharp). So I need to mention that this guy is from NYC and had not touched a pig or a cow... until he met me. I tell him the goat is fine, let's go. He guilts me into turning around, so we look at the goat. It's a baby goat alright. Still lively, let's leave it! I'm sure someone owns it and it's nanny goat is around the corner somewhere.

We go to beach. No color change bags. We stay for a while to make sure there are really no bags. We leave. I drop him off at his apt then pass by the goat on the way back to mine. I feel really bad for the goat since it's now like 10pm. The goat was starting to fade and cease to be alert so I scooped him up and walked over to the locals that cook on Friday nights.

"Is this you're goat?" I say, "No." they reply. Then I ask, "Know who he belongs to?" They say "No, but if you don't take him home he'll get eaten by dogs tonight." Way to make me feel bad! So I took him home.

I can't believe Salty didn't eat him! He tried to nurse off her too! He would not drink from a bottle, but only weighed 5kg or 11lbs. I ran a Mod McMasters on the goat feces and saw ~3100 epg coccidia and ~2250 epg Strongyloides papillosus (Threadworm). My parasit prof differentiated the Strongyloides L1 in egg from a developing Strongyle L1 in egg based on egg size and shell thickness. (You should have seen the little worm wiggling in the egg!!!) Even more exciting, goat had a pure Strongyloides infection with coccidial protozoa. Usually there are Strongyloides and Strongyles so a pure infection in a kid on the island is new information. Ah, at least I'm learning something.

I had Michael deworm the goat the 0.9mg ivermectin IM since he guilted me into keeping it in the first place. This was the first shot he'd ever given to an animal and I think they both squirmed! The goat started eating grass and forbs, which is good cuz it got him out of my bath tub. He looked healthy so I let him go with some other goats and he's roaming the hills somewhere. I had him for about a week.

Funny, Michael said his mother wouldn't even let them have a parakeet in the house (it was kept in their NY garage). He was utterly shocked that I didn't think twice about bringing a pooping, wormy, baby goat into my apt... and feeding it grass/hay inside too. I think when I grow up, the barn might as well be attached to the house so I can keep an eye on everything.