OUCH! It's an understatement - vastly understated!
As you all know, I'm working on fencing and have that firearm deer season deadline looming. Saturday afternoon while working on the fence at a tree, I got something in my eye. The longer it was in there, the worse it HURT. It didn't get better after coming in and flushing it. I also tried some red out eye drops and that was a MISTAKE. They burnt so badly that I just wanted to scream. Being a big girl, I didn't but I think I heard a couple squeaks.
I don't want to see the ER bill! Not to mention, I hate spending hours at the hospital. It's such a waste of time and they move so so slowly.
Hours later I came home with eye drops (antibiotic), a bandaged eye, and no idea if it was a wood bit or metal. Not sure didn't tell me anything. They did say I had a bit of a puncture and a tear.
Today it's finally not so painful, easier to read, bandage off and still red. It's also still sensitive to bright light and outdoor lighting. I'm also minus the bandage today. It's a good thing too because the goats didn't appreciate it and wanted to reach it with hopes of pulling it off.
I wear glasses so it still amazes me I got something in my eye. I wear eye protection when we are splitting wood. They are worn for cutting wood too. I just never thought of needing them for fencing!
Showing posts with label injury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label injury. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Another Injury
Well, there was a short lull but it's over.
Grace, palomino mare tangled with the fence. I have to suspect that she kicked out from the huge, NASTY "bomber flys" as she wrapped both hind legs in the fence and ripped out the fence and pulled a fence post (tposts) out! With her hind legs "hobbled" she must have had to hop to get up here from the back fence line. She was also a bloody mess from the flies being able to get her. I thought she had abraded skin off in patches at first look but went to work on cutting the wire up and peeling each wrap off her hind legs. I was very leary doing so as I could tell she hurt and her legs were starting to swell. You never know if they will try to kick free as they feel restraints being removed or if they'll think a leg is free enough to kick a biting fly. I was trying to kill the flies on her underside and hind legs as I was cutting and periodically stopped to kill one if she was trying to bite at one she couldn't reach. My hands ended up a very bloody mess as the flys were engorged on her blood. Soooo nasty!
The good news is Grace stood like a trooper. She remembered her old training to not move a foot if I'm working under her! She never moved a foot the whole time and even when I was needing to switch sides due to the direction of the wire. She was just a peach to stand so well while hurting.
Once the wires were all removed, I could only get her to move a hind foot. She was afraid to move and probably from the pain. I finally got Summer and moved her alongside Grace to try to walk them both. Grace took a couple small, halting steps and then froze up again. So I ended up moving Summer and calling Grace to come. She did, hesitantly and very cautiously like she was trying to step free of the wire.
After moving from that spot and about 20' away, we stood a couple minutes while I continued killing flies on them. After she thought about it a few minutes, we made our way to the stock tank so she could get a drink. While there, we cleaned her up, hosed her down, and cooled her off. She wasn't thrilled with the hosing on her legs, but we got it done. She doesn't need stitches, but she is cut up some and quite sore.
While out working on the fence this morning and early afternoon, I saw her running for the barn a few times to get away from the flies. So once the cuts heal I expect her to be fine.
She still has all the bare scrapes from the neighbors' fireworks last month. She's a mess!
The fence is fixed but still needs more work. These sunny, very humid, 90+ degree days with 105 HI aren't conducive to fence work! The pop bottle of ice thawed fairly quickly but sure felt good in my pocket and getting me wet!
I hope for another lull, but a LONGER one, please!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Emergency First Aid Applied!
My goats did GREAT for a long time with NO vet bills, nothing major that I couldn't handle, etc. Now this year seems to be my "BAD luck year"! Why? Geez, I need to end this stroke-of-BAD-luck and get back on the even keel of homesteading! When will it end? It won't be soon enough! I'm seriously and closely looking at my management!
Yesterday we went for a picnic/BBQ at hubby's best friend's as he's (the friend) going back in for more surgery Tuesday. It's major (kidney and bladder) and he's having some trouble dealing with it. (Prayers for Gaylord would be appreciated!)
When we got home I saw my little buddy/buckling, Wrapper, outside of the barn and 3-legged. I immediately drove out to see what was up. It's not good. He's got a broken hind leg that was flopping. The good news is the bones didn't penetrate the skin so there's no major infection risk. Wrapper is a ND so not very big. Finding splint materials for a little guy isn't easy. Once I was looking I realized that not only is size a consideration, but so is WEIGHT for a little guy when I want the leg imobilized and the muscles to not have to go into major weight-lifting mode. I want the leg to be "quiet", still and rest.
The good news about leg breaks with goats is that they seem to heal better from them then a lot of species and these youngsters tend to heal quickly. Also, I UNFORTUNATELY, have too much experience with goats with breaks and bad injuries to their legs! That experience gives me confidence that this may heal well and his life be spared, but it also leaves me with some cringing internally after LadyBug, his momma, was so badly injured last year and ended up losing part of her hind leg.
Why is it also the same hind leg? Is it a right-handed vs left-handed type of thing? So I'll have to tuck that aside until I'm talking to a vet (which may be REAL SOON)!
Am I going to be destined to be the crippled goat ranch?
Anyway, Wrapper is here in the house and seems to actually be enjoying it! He is my velcro buddy outside and likes nothing better to be in my lap and helping me with milking, trotting along with me as I do chores, etc. It's a part of him that reminds me immensely of Nipper, his sire, who I lost late Winter/early Spring. Unfortunately, Wrapper is also a jumper/climber like Nipper was. They have/had the same view in life! A gate is simply a way to keep their girls confined so they know just where they are and can return to them to make sure things are fine! I suspect that Wrapper decided it was time to find me as I was half an hour late showing up to the barn with his supper bottle of milk. I have a chain link gate in the door of the barn to help keep escapes in, roaming dogs and such out, etc. I suspect the climbing of the gate wasn't successful this time. I'd been telling Wrapper I was going to dip his feet in cement to keep him grounded. Now it's too late!
Hubby helped hold Wrapper while I splinted him up and did a closer exam of his little body and all legs. I gave him a shot of bananmine and thiamine before going after splinting materials so it could kick in and make him more comfy during the procedure, if possible. He was also grinding his teeth which is a sign of significant pain in a goat and should be dealt with. He's now splinted and has a pretty blue vet wrap bandage. He also appears to have a broken rib but is not showing any signs of shock or anything indicating it punctured anything. It's just a good-sized, hard lump on his side, low and close to the belly/chest area that is painful to the touch and uncomfortable to lay on. I'm watching that very closely and his behaviors. Wrapper was a very good boy in laying on his side, being held down and getting splinted.
The game-plan is to give a daily banamine and thiamine shot for today and go from there for pain. He's staying in the house so I can monitor him, keep him relatively quiet and still, and avoid jostling from the other goats which could cause increased damage. Then tomorrow morning (or sooner if he shows any problems) I'll carefully unwrap some of the bandaging so I can check the status and then I'll call the vet and get him in if needed. I've seen steady progress so far so it's telling me I'm on the right track. He's even chewing his cud at the moment and laying quietly beside me, contented. I know from too much experience (unfortunately gained) that the vets (and human docs) do the same (but have xray machines in some cases) do the same as casting is done after the swelling is down. Wrapper did have swelling so we are at the splint and imobilize point and in a 2-day wait-n-see situation with this particular break. This game-plan is also a moment-by-moment type plan that allows for immediate change if there is need or I feel out-of-my-abilities.
A medical background and 40 YEARS adult, homesteading experience with a former vet who use to encourage me to do-it-myself mentoring has proven a tremendous education. Then there is all the human experience that I have unfortunately garnered from my severe accident in 1993 and hubby's issues. Then there are the raising 3 daughters on a farm and with horses too!
So, I do feel in control at this point in time and hope & pray it stays that way! Wrapper, my precious little buddy who I ADORE, is stable, and I have the vet's phone number, emergency call # and pager #.
Prayers for a successful healing are greatly appreciated!
Yesterday we went for a picnic/BBQ at hubby's best friend's as he's (the friend) going back in for more surgery Tuesday. It's major (kidney and bladder) and he's having some trouble dealing with it. (Prayers for Gaylord would be appreciated!)
When we got home I saw my little buddy/buckling, Wrapper, outside of the barn and 3-legged. I immediately drove out to see what was up. It's not good. He's got a broken hind leg that was flopping. The good news is the bones didn't penetrate the skin so there's no major infection risk. Wrapper is a ND so not very big. Finding splint materials for a little guy isn't easy. Once I was looking I realized that not only is size a consideration, but so is WEIGHT for a little guy when I want the leg imobilized and the muscles to not have to go into major weight-lifting mode. I want the leg to be "quiet", still and rest.
The good news about leg breaks with goats is that they seem to heal better from them then a lot of species and these youngsters tend to heal quickly. Also, I UNFORTUNATELY, have too much experience with goats with breaks and bad injuries to their legs! That experience gives me confidence that this may heal well and his life be spared, but it also leaves me with some cringing internally after LadyBug, his momma, was so badly injured last year and ended up losing part of her hind leg.
Why is it also the same hind leg? Is it a right-handed vs left-handed type of thing? So I'll have to tuck that aside until I'm talking to a vet (which may be REAL SOON)!
Am I going to be destined to be the crippled goat ranch?
Anyway, Wrapper is here in the house and seems to actually be enjoying it! He is my velcro buddy outside and likes nothing better to be in my lap and helping me with milking, trotting along with me as I do chores, etc. It's a part of him that reminds me immensely of Nipper, his sire, who I lost late Winter/early Spring. Unfortunately, Wrapper is also a jumper/climber like Nipper was. They have/had the same view in life! A gate is simply a way to keep their girls confined so they know just where they are and can return to them to make sure things are fine! I suspect that Wrapper decided it was time to find me as I was half an hour late showing up to the barn with his supper bottle of milk. I have a chain link gate in the door of the barn to help keep escapes in, roaming dogs and such out, etc. I suspect the climbing of the gate wasn't successful this time. I'd been telling Wrapper I was going to dip his feet in cement to keep him grounded. Now it's too late!
Hubby helped hold Wrapper while I splinted him up and did a closer exam of his little body and all legs. I gave him a shot of bananmine and thiamine before going after splinting materials so it could kick in and make him more comfy during the procedure, if possible. He was also grinding his teeth which is a sign of significant pain in a goat and should be dealt with. He's now splinted and has a pretty blue vet wrap bandage. He also appears to have a broken rib but is not showing any signs of shock or anything indicating it punctured anything. It's just a good-sized, hard lump on his side, low and close to the belly/chest area that is painful to the touch and uncomfortable to lay on. I'm watching that very closely and his behaviors. Wrapper was a very good boy in laying on his side, being held down and getting splinted.
The game-plan is to give a daily banamine and thiamine shot for today and go from there for pain. He's staying in the house so I can monitor him, keep him relatively quiet and still, and avoid jostling from the other goats which could cause increased damage. Then tomorrow morning (or sooner if he shows any problems) I'll carefully unwrap some of the bandaging so I can check the status and then I'll call the vet and get him in if needed. I've seen steady progress so far so it's telling me I'm on the right track. He's even chewing his cud at the moment and laying quietly beside me, contented. I know from too much experience (unfortunately gained) that the vets (and human docs) do the same (but have xray machines in some cases) do the same as casting is done after the swelling is down. Wrapper did have swelling so we are at the splint and imobilize point and in a 2-day wait-n-see situation with this particular break. This game-plan is also a moment-by-moment type plan that allows for immediate change if there is need or I feel out-of-my-abilities.
A medical background and 40 YEARS adult, homesteading experience with a former vet who use to encourage me to do-it-myself mentoring has proven a tremendous education. Then there is all the human experience that I have unfortunately garnered from my severe accident in 1993 and hubby's issues. Then there are the raising 3 daughters on a farm and with horses too!
So, I do feel in control at this point in time and hope & pray it stays that way! Wrapper, my precious little buddy who I ADORE, is stable, and I have the vet's phone number, emergency call # and pager #.
Prayers for a successful healing are greatly appreciated!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Lady Bug Kidded!
The last few weeks have been rough ones as far as things go for Lady Bug. We have some not-so-nice neighbors who are city-minded and do-as-I-please-regardless types. They built their house and now a "play barn" next to our barn which has always housed livestock. The 26th of June they had a wedding reception in their barn for a son and after dark set of illegal fireworks NEXT TO MY BARN! There was a major goat stampede and escape. Lady, late-term pregnant, managed to end up wedged down between 2 50-gallon feed barrels and the wall and was injured. She has a break in her leg and a broken tail, possible back injuries, and a lot of soft tissue injuries so is 3-legged lame. She was extremely (severely) swollen from the ribs back when I found her Sunday morning and you could no longer distinguish her udder. I really thought I was losing the pregnancy and possibly Lady Bug, it was that bad.
After a couple LONG discussions with an experienced goat vet, I was given instructions. He really felt she needed kept under 24/7 watch due to the pregnancy and some time for swelling to subside. So I went with his game plan as it made lots of sense. He was available if I had questions, etc. Just call and he'd give the info to the next vet on call so they could pass along what was going on and actions taken.
Lady became a house goat and she's more than happy to serve the position! She was only a couple days old when we got her and she started here in the house and has always enjoyed coming in for a visit and felt she belonged inside! So she's quite content to have her home back. I was worried about her being stressed from separation from the herd but she shows no concern over that. She just wants to be with me and I'm to stay in her sight. Treats are expected and she LOVES fruit flavored cheap pop tarts! She also took right to using papers at the door for piddles and a lot of berry "downloads".
On the 2nd, following Friday, Lady Bug was stable enough to transport to the vet and she needed to be seen as far as my gut feeling was directing. The decisions amongst the vets was they prefered tonot stress her at all so the kids had ample time to develop their lungs and important last-minute pregnancy development such as suck reflex, etc. She did get a magnetic treatment for the soft tissue of her leg/thigh and he felt she had a broken tail and pastern.
Lady had moved to the house and now needed watched so she could have assistance kidding due to the muscle damage and her lameness. Her pain level did go down except in the one leg. There was concern over her being able to push the kids out and concern over the kids.
Yesterday I had a doctors appointment and shortly after we got home Lady kidded successfully. She was able to push the first out fine and then she and Candi, mini Aussie, immediately went to work cleaning up the black doeling. What a cutie she is with white marks on both sides, a spot on her withers and a star on her forehead. She also has frosted ears, muzzle and tail with a white tip on her tail. Her sides have random frosted hairs that are most concentrated on her shoulders.
After a couple LONG discussions with an experienced goat vet, I was given instructions. He really felt she needed kept under 24/7 watch due to the pregnancy and some time for swelling to subside. So I went with his game plan as it made lots of sense. He was available if I had questions, etc. Just call and he'd give the info to the next vet on call so they could pass along what was going on and actions taken.
Lady became a house goat and she's more than happy to serve the position! She was only a couple days old when we got her and she started here in the house and has always enjoyed coming in for a visit and felt she belonged inside! So she's quite content to have her home back. I was worried about her being stressed from separation from the herd but she shows no concern over that. She just wants to be with me and I'm to stay in her sight. Treats are expected and she LOVES fruit flavored cheap pop tarts! She also took right to using papers at the door for piddles and a lot of berry "downloads".
On the 2nd, following Friday, Lady Bug was stable enough to transport to the vet and she needed to be seen as far as my gut feeling was directing. The decisions amongst the vets was they prefered tonot stress her at all so the kids had ample time to develop their lungs and important last-minute pregnancy development such as suck reflex, etc. She did get a magnetic treatment for the soft tissue of her leg/thigh and he felt she had a broken tail and pastern.
Lady had moved to the house and now needed watched so she could have assistance kidding due to the muscle damage and her lameness. Her pain level did go down except in the one leg. There was concern over her being able to push the kids out and concern over the kids.
Yesterday I had a doctors appointment and shortly after we got home Lady kidded successfully. She was able to push the first out fine and then she and Candi, mini Aussie, immediately went to work cleaning up the black doeling. What a cutie she is with white marks on both sides, a spot on her withers and a star on her forehead. She also has frosted ears, muzzle and tail with a white tip on her tail. Her sides have random frosted hairs that are most concentrated on her shoulders.
The 2nd doeling is a buckskin which means she's tan on the back half of her body and black to the front. She also has a star and tan eye bars and a few frosted hairs on her ears and muzzle. She's much smaller than the firstborn. I have concerns over her as she's not doing near as well. Her sack was full of greenish-yellowish fluid with some dark specks. This isn't normal and isn't good! She's at high risk of pneumonia and becoming septic. I took her right to the bathroom and bathed her off well as I suspect it's body waste in the sack. At this point she's progressing much slower than the first born. I'm giving her colostrum frequently and monitoring her closely. She's had a large drop of corn syrup to help get her sugar level up as she was doing a bit of trembling. She's very tiny and light weight. In the photo, she's laying by Lady's udder and Lady is looking at her.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed the tiny doeling can make it. I'm also glad Lady has kidded so the hormonal change can revert back to non pregnant so we can further determine if she needs more medical care or what the next goal will be for her. I keep wanting her to get better faster, but reality is that breaks take time to heal.
I also had to make a decision as to whether to splint Lady's tail straight down. She can no longer lift it but can flag it hanging down. My thoughts were that being it's broken and not going to be completely functional that it might just be better if it's slightly to the side. Then she can pee and poop without hitting her tail. Then IF she's to be rebred that process might be easier for her. As it is, the hairs partially fall over just enough to do some protecting of the perineal area.
So, we have a healing and yet lame doe who is a wonderful momma to her twin doelings who are CUTE CUTE CUTE! And I'll be continuing to cut a jungle and bring Lady browse to eat. She prefers the maple and grape leaves over the "salad". I'm surprised how much a Nigerian Dwarf can consume in a day's time!
Everyone needs a house goat, don't they?!
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