We euthanized our elderly Alpine goat Clara this morning. I bought her in 2000 from a pathetic yard where she was nursing a kid, was very skinny and had neglected feet. I brought her to the vet, got her parasites treated, her feet fixed up and her weight up. One month after I got her she was 105# and after a little time I got her up to 150#. I do not know how old she was when I got her but she was fully grown. I named her Clara Bow since I was reading a biography of Clara Bow at the time, I liked the name Clara and I lived near Bow.
She became the leader of the pack, in with a bunch of Pygmy and Nigerian Dwarf goats. She was bossy but never cruel and ruled the roost for many years. In 2004 she was breed with my Nigerian buck Cody and produced two gorgeous kids Orowheat and Honey Dew. She also produced lovely milk for me.
Then she started aging. She became thinner requiring sweaters in the winters. She lost her position in the pack. She became arthritic, particularly in her back legs. But she was still getting around and avidly eating.
This summer she was having difficulty with hay so she was on hay pellets as well as grain. When the weather started turning cool she was back in a pen and a sweater with Cally for company. I knew she was not going to make it through another winter. Finally this morning she couldn’t get up and was not interested in eating. I petted her neck for a while and then we put her down. It is hard to know when to end an animal’s life and maybe I waited too long with Clara, but I do believe she had a good long goat life here. But I will miss her still.
I am so sorry, Donna. Please realize that you gave Clara the best life she could have had during the time she and you shared your lives with each other. Sometimes, the kindest thing we can do for our friends is often the one that breaks our hearts in the process.
May fonder memories fill the void Clara left behind. I’ll bet she knew she fell into the cream when she came home with you.
Rest well, Clara. You did good.
Thanks Kathy. I hope she had a good life. It was a fairly easy one as not much was expected of her. It is hard to decide when enough is enough. My vet suggested going by appetite. If they still have a good appetite, they still have a will to live. So hopefully I chose the right time. I knew it had to be before it turned cold though. But you’re right Kathy, she did do good.
Oh, how sad.
I’m so glad you made the right decision for her, as hard as it was (and is such a decision).
She was lucky to have been a goat and not a person. Clara didn’t have to end up in an aged care home and suffering. She was one very lucky goat who lived a great life.
Peace, Clara. Live on in goat heaven.
Zak.
Thanks Zak. It is sad but she did have a long goat life and a relatively easy one at that. It is just such a hard decision to have to make. If she had been a person she might have received more treatment for her arthritis and pain. But she would may have had a more lingering death. I hope she was a lucky goat, and she is at peace and out of pain now.
So sorry, D. 🙁
Thanks J. It has been a sad week all around.
I’m sorry for your loss, Donna. She had a very good life with you. I’m glad you rescued her from that bad situation. She lived a long time after that.
Jackie
Thanks Jackie. I hope her life was better here. I certainly enjoyed having her.