Disbudding with sedation

My vet doesn't like to hear them holler so if he does the disbudding, he knocks them out and does it. When we only had one or two does I just took them to him, I hate disbudding (who doesn't!). Now that we have more we just do it, minus sedation, too risky, even the vet said he almost lost one once. The entire disbudding is over in a matter of seconds.

As a side note when trying to get a script from a vet without having a relationship. This is the reason to find a good vet and get to know them, have them out to do a call, call them and ask questions, when you need a script they will probably have no problems filling it since they will know that you know what you are going to do with it. Keep in mind that when they give you a drug (and almost all drugs are off label for goats) that they risk their license if you do something wrong with it. I am really surprised that they have a vet that doesn't mind giving them that kind of medicine.

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The one dairy actually ended up telling me who her vet was, and I was surprised it is our famr vet. He is right down the road from us, but he is quite a distance from her location, but so few vets do farm visits here, I suppose that is why.
We have a good relationship with him, and I am sure he would write scripts for us, as he has for her, but again, I don't think we will go that route after hearing all this. I think it sounds too risky.

I could have sworn my vet said to give banamine 30 minutes before disbudding and that I then read that online. Can't find it now. When our vet re-did ours after a botched job (if you get someone to show you for the first time, make sure they know what they are doing too! ), she did put them under, but it was a much bigger procedure.

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Call your local 4H office. We have a goat "clinic" where the 4H kids do demonstrations on how to do this type of thing. We have also had seniors go to people's farms to teach. It is great to add to their records.

That's a great idea! Thanks!

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as an aside... none of the drugs are approved for use in food producing animals (which goats are considered, whether they are pets or otherwise)

I was in the same predicament last spring.here on the forum no-one sedates. But all the vets I could fine wanted to sedate them or just didn't disbudd. The vet I found that would disbud wanted $40 a kid. He was an hour away, and I would have had to wait for a phone call to come pick them up. W/ 3 of my own kids I couldn't do that. I asked that he not use sedation. He quickly bashed me and told me how cruel I was to even think of such a thing.
So I made the appt. w/ him thinking he was going to sedat. When I got to him, he made me wait in the parking lot for over ann hour. mind you w/ my 3 children and 2 goats in the car. And when all his customers were gone, he came out to the parking lot, and did them for me with no sedation. He was like I can't believe your making me do this, this is so cruel!! I was thanking him and tickled pink!!! Yes, it was bad my kids stared crying, but thats a fact of goat raising. This spring I found a 4her's dad that may give a swing at it. I hope he does.
Oh, and that vet still charged me the same as if he sedated....I guess that was for his suffering!

My first time the vet sedated but I could hear them crying so he didn't wait for the drug to take effect and I had to watch them to make sure they came out of it.
Another vet used novicaine which made the goat scream. He also was really rough... I thought for sure he was cooking her brain.
First vet was surprised when I said not to sedate, just do because of them taking so long to wake up last time. He did.

I do it myself now. It really upsets my husband but he helps me. He asked if I was already doing it. I said no, I'm just shaving it's head. It was screaming with the head shaving.

It's not as bad as it seems... one two three four five six seven eight done

When we disbud, the kids do holler and scream. I will hold them and take them to their prospective mothers. By then all they can think about is nursing. All in all, I think it bugs the mothers more than the kids. My does keep sniffing their kids heads and licking them for a day or two afterwards. I guess the burnt smell bothers them.

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