Sunday, November 01, 2009
Gertie and Georgie are adapting well to Apifera and their new senior facility [also in resideance isOld Guinnias. These two ladies are real talkers, and enjoy hobbling out to the sun, where they usually lay down to eat. It is very hard for them to stand more than about 1 minute due to joint deformities casues by improper fot care.
I created this teeny little film to show the consequences of not taking care of a goat's feet. We adopted Georgie and Gertie this past month from New Moon Farm and Goat Rescue in Washington. This is the same wonderful place where we adopted our first senior rescue goat, Old Guinnias. These two senior ladies came from owners that neglected their feet and didn't trim them. This caused them too walk improperly which over time caused crippling effects. I am giving them daily massages and hope to see if an animal therapist might give me tips on getting Gertie to bend her front leg over time.
This is not uncommon. Sadly, many equines, sheep and goats are left in fields or wet barnyards without foot care. These creatures need their feet trimmed on a regular basis. We trim the sheep 2-3 times a year due to our rocky terrain. Our horse is trimmed by a farrier every 2 months. The donkeys are trimmed 3-4 times a year, and I am learning to d that.
If you see an animal with long curled toes, try to get it help, or call your vet to see if they can intervene. And if you plan on buying any animal, remember it is a commitment. It's heartbreaking to see so many 4H projects turn into rescue cases. Goats can live well past 15. Donkeys from 20-30 years, and horses often live past 20. You don't toss Granny away.
