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So many virtual hugs! I had many goats I loved over the years, mostly rescues, and every loss is hard. Your boy definitely had the symptoms of major head trauma (head pressing, circling, stumbling, unresponsive, carrying the head unnaturally), so don't doubt that you did the right thing for him. One of the saddest things with goats is that once in a while they will hurt themselves like that butting heads. I lost one pretty much the same way years ago. :(

Prayers on the way for Tom, too. My very first goat was CAE positive, an Alpine cross doeling I bought from a guy because I overheard him say he was going to give her to his hunting dogs. I knew nothing about goats then, I was very much a horse and dog person, but she taught me a lot and made me a goat person, too. I had her for just over twelve years.

that's so hard--thanks for telling us. :(

I'm sorry! *hugs*

Thanks everyone :x We will be burying him today before too much snow falls. I appreciate all the kind words :)

Good luck on your next grand adventure over rainbow bridge Storm. Sorry for your loss hon it's always rough to lose a beloved animal.

((Hugs)) I'm so sorry for your loss :( I hope that Tom pulls through for you!

@WildlandAcres Thanks :) Unfortunately Tom passed about a week after Storm did. His health dropped rapidly and he couldn't even stand on his own. He passed in his sleep :(

I am so sorry for your losses. Hugs to you. Never easy losing our animal babies.

Thanks y'all. It was a rough fall here for me. I really truly appreciate all the good wishes :x I lost three goats and my absolute favorite rabbit (my best and most beautiful momma) all unexpectedly within the span of like 2 months or so :( It's really turned me off ever returning to breeding and showing. I may get back into rabbits at a time I'm more financially (and mentally) stable... And if i can convince my dad since i am still living in his house lol But instead if Mini Lops, I think I'm gonna get into Rex and Mini Rex for multi purpose (showing, pelt, and meat).

Here are some pictures of my dearly departed :) Sorry for the insanely long post but I'm feeling sentimental now!

This is Cinder. She was an accident (her father was also her uncle... what a great family tree :)) ) but in the 3 months i had her, she very quickly became my favorite goat i have ever had. I named her Cinder because my 2 year old niece wanted to name her Rapunzel or Cinderella lol So i thought Cinder fit her well. I am still, after 2 or so months, in shock that she's gone. I miss her happy little face. I miss coming outside to find that she escaped yet again... She was the best baby. Maybe it's because her momma didn't really care for her so i had to spend a ton of time with them her first week (even had to take her to work with me the day she was born to bottle feed her colostrum since i couldn't trust her momma to let her suckle). I was even planning on returning to showing at the Northwest Michigan Fair with her in open classes. But not anymore =(( This was when she was a couple weeks old. It's one of my two favorite pictures of her.


Storm was the first baby goat i ever had. He was my show goat Blizzard's first baby. He was kinda an accident lol I boarded her at my 4H leaders house and she bred, raised, and showed Nubians... Blizzard is a Pygmy. And back then she was really small. I wanted to breed Blizzard to a Pygmy Buck but 2 months before i took her to be bred, she had gotten out of her pen, into my 4H leader's LARGE Nubian buck's pen, they bred, and then she got back out of his pen and back into the doe pen without ANYBODY knowing! Until this confirmation disaster of a goat was born in the middle of the night without anybody knowing because we thought she still had 2 months... Storm was the ugliest baby :)) My leader and her daughter who i was friends with were horrified when they found out. They were so worried about Blizzard because Storm was a huge baby (he had to kneel in order to suckle, his legs were so long) and she kidded in the middle of the night, first time, with no help. Thankfully she did perfectly and there were no complications. :) Storm did NOT cut it as a show goat. He was too much a momma's boy. I tried once, he wouldn't move. The Judge even helped push him through the first obstacle and he promptly fell over and refused to get up until we brought his momma over 8-| So ended his career as a show goat :)) His momma redeemed me and we took third in her group. I had only just begun his draft goat training when he passed


This is Tom. I don't have much to say about him because i didn't own him for very long. But he was such a sweetheart. I bought him from a neighbor who was getting out of goats to use him as my next pack goat. I brought him home. When the time came for me to do my routine yearly blood testing before fair season, I got the results back and was devastated... Tom tested positive for CAE... Had i thought of it sooner, i would have immediately taken him back to the neighbor and asked for my money back (and tell her to contact everyone she sold a goat to) but it never crossed my mind until several months later and by then i didn't think it was worth it. I didn't have the heart or meant to put this sweet boy down so i just let him live his life with Storm as his buddy. He and Storm were best friends. Tom was learning to draft as well but i stopped when his weight dropped suddenly and he started having a hard time standing.


And lastly, to end this 5 mile long post, is Luna. Luna was my best girl. I bought her at a big show kinda spontaneously. When i first got her, she was young and had never been bred. I loved her for the first month... or less... She got mean. She attacked every hand that came near her. I had my friend (4h leader's daughter) bunny sit for me one time and Luna left scars on her hands. Withing months i had her posted for sale. I hated her so passionately. I had no room in my rabbitry for mean bunnies. After months with no takers, i decided to give her one chance. I bred her and my other doe. After she had her first litter, she was practically a new rabbit. She started off a bit protective of her babies but after that litter was weaned. Luna NEVER offered to attack or struggle when handled and she even turned out to be a spectacular show rabbit as well as mother :x She won me best of breed at fair and almost got me Best in Show but she was molting so we got an honorable mention (I almost cried because the judge looked at me and sighed saying "I wanna place her so bad but her coat just isn't there"). I miss her sassy but lovable spirit and how patient she was with my 2 year old niece. I am so happy i never sold her :x

@Haltanny I only ever had one doe that beat that stereotype lol She was the absolute sweetest thing even before she had babies :x Kinda wish i had never sold her

@Haltanny Girls? Hormonal? Sounds about right :))

Elsa passed away about 10 minutes ago. Vet didn't call back til about 2 minutes ago. I had some friends who are very well versed in goat care come out and help me with her but in the end she was just far too weak. We fought very hard. It was most likely pneumonia that took her. I wish we could have done more but she isn't suffering anymore at least