Goodbye Ralph

We have lost another one of our Painted Creek pets. Ralph came to live with us 3 years ago, along with his brother Rowdy. The people that had them, didn't want them anymore. So my OH and I took them in. They were very shy and did not like human contact. But when an animal lives here on this farm, they eventually realize that humans are good and we were able to tame them. Ralph actually became my OH's favorite goat. He was always the first one at the gate for a greeting.



Late last week, we noticed Ralph wasn't coming out to eat like everyone else. Goats love food, and they would be the first ones to the hay piles. He just stayed in the barn. We knew something wasn't quite right with him. He did eventually start to nibble on hay we put in the barn, but he still wouldn't come out. We thought he might have bloat. So we called a vet out. The vet came out Monday afternoon. His temperature was really low for a goat, the vet felt around his stomache, then felt his bladder. The vet said that Ralph's bladder was full, which means he hadn't gone pee in awhile. He said Ralph also had stones in his bladder. He said that there isn't much you can do with goats when they get these stones. They are very difficult to treat, and if you start the treatment process and they pull through, than they require a lifetime of special care. We were given two options. One option was to take Ralph to the vet clinic and have a catheter put in so he could relieve himself, which required special medicine to be given every day for two weeks, than once the treatment was done, there were no gaurantees that Ralph would recover, and that he would need to be on a special diet forever, that most likely would not prevent this from happening again. Option two was to euthanize him. The vet said that goats just don't do well with this kind of thing, and he gave Ralph a 50/50 chance of recovery. I felt like since the odds were not very good, that we should euthanize him and set him free of his misery and pain.



My OH wanted to give him a chance, so he told the vet he'd hook up the trailer and take him to the clinic. My OH took him and once they got him inside the clinic, my OH asked the vet to explain to him again what the treatment would be. Finally my OH came to the decision that he would not do the catheter and was going to have him euthanized. The vet said we could try one more thing, give him a pain shot, and a few hours later, give him another one. This might help him relax and be able to go to the bathroom. So my OH brought Ralph back home. We put him in the dog kennel where he just layed there. We went back out 4 hours later to give him another shot. He did not look good. Today he wasn't any better and he had liquid coming out of his mouth. We think his bladder could have opened up, like the vet said it could, and that is how it came out. My OH called the vet to have him come back and have him euthanized. My OH had to dig a hole and bury him. I am sure that was a very difficult thing for him to do.



Ralph's life might have started out a little rough, but at least we know we gave him a kind, loving home. One where he could just be a goat, hang out with his buddies and to not fear the human touch.



Ralph loved to climb up on the stumps in the pasture. When he shed out his winter coat, he looked like he was molting.



Ralph prefered to eat by himself, but occasionally he would share with a horse. He also had the funniest hair on his butt. It was really long and wavy.



You will be missed Ralph! RIP buddy!