# Just a Thank You (warning: long read)



## odonada (Jul 25, 2013)

I just want to say 'thank you' to all your contributors, the newbies and the veterans, the panicked posts and the calm replies. 

I have lurked around here for a few years, didn't register until i got the app for my phone. Never occurred to me i'd start a thread (let alone have anything to contribute). 

What brings me to this post is this: A week ago my 3-year-old Nubian had triplets. it was her first pregnancy (freshening? is that the word? i'd have to look it up on the forums) and, while i'd had babies here (and at UCD and a local vet for emergency C-sections, a whole 'nother story) i was still excited and stayed up to help. 

Good thing, too, because the births weren't without difficulty and she needed assistance. Momma had been in labor for almost an hour (i have read that it shouldn't be allowed to go on longer than an hour without assistance). She had been hunching her back from time to time and i didn't know what that was all about but wondered if she were trying to push the baby back in to her uterus as it got closer to the cervix, that maybe it was new and scary and she didn't know what to do. 

i lubed my hand and reached inside, felt a baby's head (bag had broke) but no feet. i hoped that because my hand had broken the cervical barrier she would be more apt to allow the birth to take place. 

She did, the first little head popped out. No front feet in sight. Lube up again, reach in, feel around and find a foot, bring it out. Same thing on the other side, baby slid out easy after that. Momma was very interested, helped me clean the baby for a while and was back in labor again relatively soon. 

another bag had broken and i waited through 45 minutes of labor with nothing to show for it and decided to go back inside and 'see' what was going on. i felt another bag (??) and gently guided it nearer the birth canal, removed my hand and waited. Another water break and baby number 2 showed up and momma showed a little interest, by now the labor pains had taken their toll, she was tired and, no doubt, a little traumatized. 

we've had three waters break and only two babies show, i'm beginning to wonder if i misinterpreted something somewhere as i'm toweling off #2, making sure there's no mucous covering her face when #3 slides out, no bag (i was right! the second break must have been this one's!) and backwards. I hand off #2 to my sweetie who continues to dry her and introduces her to her mother and assess what's going on with #3. #3 is not moving, cord wrapped tightly around the neck and the placenta is still firmly affixed to momma's uterus. 

uh-oh. okay, what first? i give a perfunctory clearing of the mucous around baby's mouth and nose, unwrap the cord and try to stimulate baby while kicking myself for not having dental floss outside where i need it. I get the baby to move a little and, seeing it's not just twitching, i run in the house, grab the floss and run back outside. This little one is by far the largest of the three and i have high hopes for her. 

The cord is tied off in two places, the cut it made in the middle and the thorough cleaning is started. By now momma is too tired to even chew cud. 

The runt was born first, 10 minutes to midnight. The second born at 00:27 and the third at 00:30.

What does this all have to do with the title of this thread? I wouldn't have known what to do without all your guidance to the panicked newbie, the confounded veteran, and the wise old-timers and their sage advice.

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. Number 2 and number 3 are with momma, she eventually rejected the runt. The runt is in a crate on the livingroom floor, asleep someone wakes her up or she's hungry or decides she wants to play with her sisters again. We have colostrum and first through 4th day milk in bags in the non frost-free freezer. We milk some off Momma every day. 

Doodle-boo, or Boodle-doo or Boody-boo (they all count as her name) is doing fine. we went from her lapping milk from a 3 cc syringe to taking a nipple on a regular baby bottle. She is growing and happy and healthy.

THANK YOU for sharing your knowledge, experience, strength and hope with others (and, indirectly, myself) so freely. I don't know that i could have done it without these threads in these forums. 

THANK YOU for the encouragement and the empathy and the sympathy, even though it wasn't directed at me. 

We are all (my, my sweetie and the animals, now numbering 18 goats) so very thankful to find such warm and caring people who give freely of the things they have learned. 

God Bless you all.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Odonada welcome & kudos to you for doing lots of reading & having the fortitude to do what had to be done!


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

This is a great place , and great people 
We hope you stick around and share some pictures soon !
I think you handled everything wonderfully ! I wish I am that calm if and when I am blessed with triplets one day


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

God bless you too. 

We are all glad, to be here for you and others in time of need, for guidance or just someone to talk too.


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## TrinityRanch (Mar 26, 2013)

What a great story! I know that by sharing your experience, you may have now helped someone else who needed a bit of guidance. This is, and I hope always will be, a fun learning place for anyone of any level of goat knowledge.

And welcome to the forums! :wave: Good to have you on here!!


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## Toytoy (Jul 23, 2013)

Thank you for sharing. I am glad you had a happy ending.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

This is a great place with a lot of caring people  Glad it helped you as it has me as well! Thanks for sharing your story


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Aw man, what a crazy first birth. Kudos to you for a job well done, and welcome to The Goat Spot.


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## odonada (Jul 25, 2013)

This is a pic of the girls, just before it got dark tonight. It actually shows them in their birth order, 1, 2, and 3. I remove momma to a tethered spot with fresh water and hay, some grain or treats and give her a break while the sisters play together, several times a day. 

Am looking forward to re-introducing her to the herd with the babies in tow, but that will be a while, i'm sure. 

The runt may be runt-y or she may have more of her father's 'mini-ness' to her, i haven't decided yet. their father is a mini alpine. His coloring is the buckskin, like the middle kid. Another doe (a mini-nubian) that i bought with the buck was pregnant when she came. She threw a buck that looks very much like number 3 there. mostly black. Momma's colorings are like my runt, white with color on her head. 

Uh-oh, baby's crying. time for a potty then bed. 

Sweet dreams, ya'll.


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

Oh my! What CUTE babies and what a CRAZY birth story!! God bless you for saving the third ones life, she and her sisters are beautiful. I wish you good luck on your goatie adventures, and I, and I am sure a lot of the members here, hope you stick around!  :fireworks:

:welcome:


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## apples (Jun 12, 2013)

Wow what an experience. Thanks for sharing. They are sooooo cute


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Oh they are adorable ! I just love the middle one , really pretty 
Thanks for sharing them with us ! We love pictures here ,so please post more as they grow


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Adorable babies, wonderful story!!!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

They are so cute


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## animalfamily (Nov 23, 2012)

Wow, what an experience, And I just LOVE happy endings!!
The litlle ones are absolutely adorable !!
By the way, welcome to the forum. I couldn't agrree with you more, this is a wonderful place with wonderful people. By far one of the most compassionate groups on the net!!
Good luck with and enjoy your precious little ones
Hope to see ya 'round the place !!!!!


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## odonada (Jul 25, 2013)

Just a quick update. This is where we are with Toozie (#2, the buckskin).

















Lesson learned: if you can't watch the babies, remember to remove them from the yard where everyone else is. Just because it's been a couple of hours with no problems doesn't mean it will stay that way.


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

Aww, poor baby!  What's the plan for Toozie?


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## odonada (Jul 25, 2013)

We are on our way to the vet's office for a surgical repair. Possibly a pin in conjunction with an external apparatus so as not to compromise her growth plates. The external apparatus is to keep the bones from spinning around on the pin. 

Her youth is our friend and enemy. She may heal from this and she may not. I guess the worst that can happen if the surgery doesn't work is that she has a bum leg. Amputation is an option, but that's waaaaaay far away. 

Pray to the goat gods, please.


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## apples (Jun 12, 2013)

My prays are there for u both. I feel her pain. Let me show you









All my girls & boys send there love


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

Loved the story! Well done! All the babies are such cuties, mommas fine, the story has a happy ending and beginning for the kids. That's all anyone can ask for


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

Oh, just saw the second page! Poor baby! Hope all will be well :hug:


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## odonada (Jul 25, 2013)

Thank you both. The surgery was a success, sort of. When the vet finished she wasn't happy with the bone ends, she thought she'd like them closer together. When she took the. Baby back to the x-ray, the baby crashed. Compressions and artificial respirations were used to supplement her own heartbeat and breathing. 

They brought her back and she seemed fine by the time I picked her up. She was still pretty tired and was relatively quiet and still until I put her down to pee on some grass. She shoved her nose down and began to eat. She was pretty aggressive about it, too. And by the time I got her settled down again one end of the pin seemed like it was coming away from her skin.

I texted the veterinarian nurse with a picture, she forwarded it to the vet. We are now on our way *back* to the vet's for possibly another surgery.

How in the world did you hurt your arm? You know you can't milk a goat with that thing and feeding's gonna take a lot longer... and who's gonna do the laundry? (Laugh)

I hope you feel better soon. Thank you for your kind, encouraging words.

Lori


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Oh wow, hope everything gets better for you and your precious goat.

When it rains it pours.


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## apples (Jun 12, 2013)

odonada said:


> Thank you both. The surgery was a success, sort of. When the vet finished she wasn't happy with the bone ends, she thought she'd like them closer together. When she took the. Baby back to the x-ray, the baby crashed. Compressions and artificial respirations were used to supplement her own heartbeat and breathing.
> 
> They brought her back and she seemed fine by the time I picked her up. She was still pretty tired and was relatively quiet and still until I put her down to pee on some grass. She shoved her nose down and began to eat. She was pretty aggressive about it, too. And by the time I got her settled down again one end of the pin seemed like it was coming away from her skin.
> 
> ...


Hi Lori
Thank you it has to get better fast my 9 does are all due in 3 wks & last year all kidded within 24hrs. Its wear tear on the hand & forearm fr picking up bales of hay & always using a pitch fork to pick things.
Hand reconstructed replacing the tendons taken fr the forearm.
Now how is your girl i hope all went well on your return to surgery. What stage are you at with her at the moment. I hope i hope i hope its all good i have eveything crossed for you <3<3<3
Regards Jacki


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## odonada (Jul 25, 2013)

apples said:


> Hi Lori
> Thank you it has to get better fast my 9 does are all due in 3 wks & last year all kidded within 24hrs. Its wear tear on the hand & forearm fr picking up bales of hay & always using a pitch fork to pick things.
> Hand reconstructed replacing the tendons taken fr the forearm.
> Now how is your girl i hope all went well on your return to surgery. What stage are you at with her at the moment. I hope i hope i hope its all good i have eveything crossed for you <3<3<3
> Regards Jacki


OMG! Dang!

DANG! I hope your new is "better, stronger, faster" (sorry, a testament to my age).

Okay, latest news on Toozie: pins are out, leg still broken, re-pinning is not an option. She still has good perfusion, and the nerves are intact, i so want to save the leg; however, we may have to amputate.

One of my girlfriends wanted me to put her down, but she's an otherwise healthy animal and it's not a life threatening issue (unlike a broken leg in a larger animal - and even then i'm not so sure...). I won't breed her, the bucks are locked away from the rest of the herd so there shouldn't be any accidents.

The vet will be back on Tuesday, the stitches won't come out (from the first surgery) for a couple of weeks minus a couple of days. we are brainstorming about ways to save the leg without further compromising it. They are still soft and we've drilled 4 holes into what's left - the femur is exceptionally compromised now.

she's crated for the two weeks until the sutures come out. she's reluctant (but not unwilling) to take the bottle, but the milk has to be within 24 hours old. She's bored out of her mind and she misses her sisters and mother. But we have to keep her as still as possible.

i will forward the pictures of the new x-rays as soon as i get them on CD from the vet.

seems to me if they can rebuild your hand and make it work, they should be able to make my baby's leg better.

Hoping for happy healthy babies for you (and a working hand, you have a LOT of work ahead of you).

Again, thank you all for your kind words and encouragement.

Lori


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