The Blizzard Took Its Toll

Sara lost a buck goat that she was renting to breed her milk goats during the recent blizzard.  Sara had become very attached to this little buck and since Sara is definitely the kid who is most into animals, she takes the brunt of the loss when one is lost.  We had a blizzard last week and the goats had gone into one of the huts that is in their pen to get out of the wind and snow.  The wind was blowing 40+mph and the temperature was in the single digits.  We could barely see 20yrds and the weather was brutal.  When Sara went out for late-afternoon chores she noticed that the buck didn't get up when she looked in on them.  She and George brought the buck into the house and started the process of drying him out.  He was a young Nubian buck goat.  Compared to Sara's mature Nubian female, the buck was more like a kid.  Its fur was soft and it was half the size of the female.  All this is to say that it was probably much more susceptible to the weather due to its age.  Sara and George used a hair dryer and towels to dry the buck which took quite a long time.  As a side note, if you've ever been around a buck goat you know that they smell ghastly.  This buck was no exception and as the wet hair was warmed and dried that ghastly smell filled the house.  By drying him out and keeping him warm in the house he really came around and by morning looked great, but he wouldn't get on his feet.  When Sara tried to get him to his feet his status totally collapsed.  It was like the act of moving him threw his body into shock and he expired within minutes.  It was another tough learning experience for George and Sara.  To add to the pain of the loss, Sara had to call the owner of the goat and explain what happened and discuss fulfilling the contract that was agreed to regarding the loss of the goat that she was renting.  Tears were shed but Sara did a great job, both dealing with the animal emergency and the responsibility that comes with informing someone of a broken contract.