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October, 22, 2001
Jess ran to the barn to check her Nanny. I watched through the window.
"God, please be seeing You're way clear to letting that goat be alive. . . "
I counted the seconds that she was in the barn. I got up to two full minutes before Jess came out, dog in tow.
"Good boy, Rexie!"
Rex is a great dog. He's Aussie Shepherd, Border Collie and Greyhound. He's her prize dog. She went to State with him and brought home 11th place. In county, she took second in Agility, fourth in Obedience and 6th in Conformation and Showmanship. She'll do even better with Rex next year.
I turned away from the window and half-heartedly went through the mail.
The screen door slams with the arrival of Jessica.
"Mom, my Nanny's alive and she looks great!"
"Is she up?"
"No, but I saw her bend her back legs."
"O.K., you get ready for school. I'll go down and give her a shot and see how much she's moving."
After I got to the barn I decided Jess was a lousy judge of what "good" looked like. The goat looked awful. There was no movement in her back legs at all. The only thing that looked good to me was that her jaw hadn't locked yet.
I gave her a shot and went back to the house. Another vet call was in order. At least, today was Monday. I won't be bothering anyone at home.
"Vet Services, this is John."
"Hey, John, Jackie Moranty. How are you?"
"I'm good. Do we still have a goat?"
"Yeah, but I'm a little worried about her not eating. It's her third day without any food. I have some milk replacer for goats. Can I give her that?"
Yeah, you could, but there's something better. I'll get some Nutri-Drench out and make you up a little bottle for her."
"O.K., John, I'll be in after I go to work. Be about noon. Thanks."
"No problem. If anyone can save her, you can."
"I wish I had your confidence."
That day, my client was an artist. He used to ranch up in Montana. Real nice guy.
"I'm sorry I'm running behind. I'm doctoring a goat at home, and she's not doing real good."
"That's O.K. I sure understand doctoring stock. What's wrong with her?"
"Tetnus."
"They don't live through that, do they?"
"Not usually, but I think that I'm gaining."
He looked at me, "Not by my estimation, hon. You look exhausted."
Well, I was exhausted at that point, but there was nothing that could be done for it. I stepped out of the room and let him get undressed.
He gave me a shout when he was ready and I came back in.
I began the massage and he said, "I had a cow got Tetnus once. She died the next day."
"If this one makes it through today, it will be her third."
"Is she getting any better?"
"It's hard telling, she goes up and down."
"Don't they vaccinate goats for that?"
Here we go, "She was vaccinated."
"Hmm, the vet say what he thought?"
"Thinks it's a new strain. If she don't make it, I'm going to have her autopsied."
"I'd almost be tempted to knock her off to find out before it ran the herd."
I hate it when they say stuff like that. Since he's a client, I have to be diplomatic. I'm not got at being diplomatic.
"Well, I've got some invested in her now. I'll just wait and see how she comes."
"I don't know, you need to find out what the deal is."
"Yeah, I'll have to see."
Now, I'm no more going to bump this goat than I'm going to rimrock my mare. I figured I'd find out either way. They could run blood tests or something to find out what was going on.
When I was finished with the massage, I went to the vet's to get the stuff John had for me.
I stepped into the office and sank into a chair.
Echo came in from the back room, "Hey, Jackie. How's the horse?"
"Horse is fine. I guess she's ready to go back to work."
"How's the goat?"
"Still with us. I'm here for some stuff to fill her belly."
John came in, "Let me make up some Nutri-Drench."
"O.K., is that a new one? I use something else for cattle."
"This is more for goats and sheep."
"O.K."
"It's not real expensive and I'm just going to give you this. If you need more, come in for it."
"Thanks, John. I'll let you know how it goes."
I walked out with the drench and drove home.
When I got there, I grabbed the stomach tube and the drench and went to the barn.
"Lord, can you help me, here? I need to do something to make her better."
The little goat was thrashing and kicking hat her belly.
"Well, here goes," I thought.
I set up the tube and tried to part her jaws to get it down her. Not a prayer. Her jaws had locked.
"O.K., little goat. I'll do something for you, let me go back to the house a minute."
I brought the tube back in and set it in the tub. If this was Tetnus, I didn't need it on the tube that I'd be using on another animal. I'd wash it later. I needed to get something in this goat.
I got a 60cc syringe. I loaded it with drench and headed for the barn again.
I propped Nanny up on her belly, her head kept flipping over on her back. This couldn't be good.
I propped her body against my leg while I kneeled beside her, then put my shoulder into her neck and held her head in my hand. It wsan't comfortable for either one of us, but it kept her from aspirating. Anything she couldn't swallow would run out of her mouth.
She managed to swallow most of it, and what she couldn't get down ended up on me.
I sat with her awhile.
"Well, Lord, I ain't fool enough to believe that she hasn't been in Your hands all this time, so I'm leaving it up to You."
The goat started kicking at her belly again.
"I know, sweetie. I wish there was more I could do for you."
She looked up at me. I could see her will to live.
"Don't worry, little Nanny goat, I'm not giving up until you do."
I covered her in a blanket and put a towel under her head. Then I headed back to the house.
"DO SOMETHING!" My mind screamed.
I dug out the oven cleaner and sprayed a healthy dose on the inside of the oven, then I did the dishes and started a load of laundry.
"O.K., I have to wait two hours for the oven, the dishes are done and the laundry's washing. Now, what?"
That's when I started writing this story.
I got about half way through the first chapter when the phone rang. It was my friend, Chuck, from Missouri.
"Hey, darlin'. I missed the morning farm report. How's the goat?"
"Her jaw's locked. Just when I think I'm going to win, I lose a little more."
"It's a tough fight. Don't give up."
"I promised I wouldn't."
"You wouldn't anyway, whether you promised or not."
"Yeah, I wouldn't. I know."
"What are you doing now?"
"Cleaning the oven and doing laundry."
"Wow, two-fers, must be looking bad."
"Yeah, you know things are getting bad when I break out the Easy-Off. I usually just break out a fire extinguisher and call it good."
We chatted awhile, then I said, "Well, I guess I'd better go check on her."
"O.K., let me know how she's doing."
She was about the same. I sat with her awhile, got her up on her brisket some, then left her be.
After I got the oven clenaed, I was exhausted. I sat on the coucn and finished the first chapter. Jess came home from school, and I had fallen asleep.
"Mom, how's my goat? Why does the house stink?'
"Your goat is hanging in there, and I was cleaning the oven."
"How bad is she?"
"What do you mean?"
"If you're cleaning the oven, she must not be doing good at all."
"Her jaw is locked, Jess. She could go either way, and it's probably going to be today or tonight."
I have never thought of myself as a creature of habit, but that day, everyone knew that cleaning the oven was not a good sign.
"When are you gonna make dinner? I'm starving."
"Pretty soon. I need to rest a minute."
"What are we having?"
"Roast chicken and potatos."
She stared at me.
"What are you gawking at?"
"My goat is going to die."
"Well, her chances aren't real good. Why?"
"You're cooking."
I got the chicken and potatos in the roaster and put it in the oven. That meant I had a couple of hours to drench the goat again and give her a shot, so much for resting a minute. When kids are starving, you feed them. If you don't, you run the risk of them chewing off your arm.
"Dinner's on, and I'm going down to take care of Nanny. I want you to feed everyone else and get the horse's in off the pasture for the night."
O.K., mom. Would you go to the barn first? I don't want to be the one to find my Nanny dead."
"I don't, either," I thought. I kept that to myself.
I loaded syringes with drench and penicillian and headed for the barn. THe sun was going down on another day.
That goat really looked bad when I got there. She was kicking at her stomach, as much as she could for being as stiff as she was, and her head was really at a funny angle over her back. I almost didn't give her the shot or the drench - - almost.
My old dog, Pooh, had been following me to the barn faithfully. She's a Golden Retriever/Golden Lab mix. A really good dog. She's spoiled me for all other dogs that come after her. She's almost ten and looks like she's been through a war. Battle scars from ranch life are all over her, but she has held on to her good dog attitude through it all.
I wish that she hadn't been spayed when I got her, she would have made a phenominal mom. She mothers everything. Right now, she was lying outside the pen, whining. She wanted desperately to help the goat.
"Hush, Pooh. you're a good dog and everyone knows it, but I have to hear."
The goat's breathing was ragged and her heart beat was not as strong as it was earlier, her jaws were locked, but her eyes were still determined.
"You, Miss Nanny Goat, are one tough critter."
She complained when I sat her up and her stomach rolled. She gagged and kicked.
"Sorry, girl."
I started to drench her. Jess was bringing the other goats in. One of the little doe goats got in my pocket and dug out the syringe that had the penicillian.
"Comet, knock it off!"
Bottle babies! The drive me nuts!
The drench went down the nanny goat a little easier this time. Not so much ended up on me.
I took the syringe out of my pocket and gave her a shot.
"Bahhh!"
Her jaw had unlocked! Maybe I was gaining on this after all.
I said the "Our Father" over her and covered her with a blanket.
Pooh started whining, again.
"It's all right, old gal."
I seriously thought about putting the dog in with the goat, but thought better of it. After all, Pooh's a dog, and bred to hunt. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea.
I went to bed feeling pretty good. Surely tomorrow would tell the tale.
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