Goat owner needs donations for mastectomy

[madness]

Hey folks, it's been a while since I've posted (had a baby 2 months ago so have been living in a black hole...). I just got an email from a woman who purchased 3 of our kids last year. One of the does - the one I thought had the most promise - has a gangrene udder! I don't know all the details (I've emailed back and am trying to find out) but she got a cut and it turned bad fast.

The owner has set up a "gofundme" page for the surgery that will cost *gasp* $2000!

Save Bertha Dee's Udder (1/2 Mastectomy) by Bobbi Winkleman - GoFundMe

They also have an online "yard sale" to help fund the surgery:

Virtual Farm & Studio Sale

I feel weird posting a request for money here (in fact...maybe it's not allowed? if not - sorry!). Besides donating what I can, I just don't know what else to do!

[Cannon_Farms]

how many different consults have you had? does the vet know the money isnt available? Personally I can understand the attachment but if shes gangreen I dont think I would be raising money, it would be either I had it or I would put her down. I am a business person however and no matter the attachment it often comes down to plain simple economics and I could do a great deal more than have a pet goat with that much money.
That being said if she is able to be on a payment plan and you can justify putting her and yourself through that (or the new owners) ill chip in 20 off my next paycheck which is a whopping 7 days away, right now Im robbing peter to pay paul just to feed my herd and dont have it to spare.

[PrettyPaisley]

There is a breeder up here who had this happen and she just let the infected udder fall off. Literally-she said she kept an eye on the doe and it didn't spread-now the doe only has one side and is fine. She said "that's how they do it in the moutains".

[Zilli]

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

There is a breeder up here who had this happen and she just let the infected udder fall off. Literally-she said she kept an eye on the doe and it didn't spread-now the doe only has one side and is fine. She said "that's how they do it in the moutains".

I have a nice Lamancha with half an udder.

Through some bad milking habits (not by me - her previous owner) she got a terrible case of mastitis. The girl pulled her through it with antibiotics and some other stuff and I guess it was pretty nasty. I never saw her at her worse because the girl described it - the smell, the udder itself, the poor doe going down to skin and bones - and I just couldn't bear to see her for myself, even though I stopped over there several times while this was happening.

So, she pulled her through it, with the doe losing half her udder, and she kept asking me if I wanted this doe and I kept telling her, "no," that I couldn't bring her here with any open wounds.

But, once everything was healed over, she decided to take her to the sale. Since I'm not much of a business person, and I felt so bad for everything this poor doe had been through and didn't want to see her end up at the sale barn, I bought her. Yup - I bought her for the price of what the girl had spent on meds trying to clear her up ($80.00).

When she came here, she was still very thin but is now fat and happy. She's really nice, well-bred and registered, and gets along great with everybody and is no problem at all to have around. So I'm not sorry I bought her - I figured she had been through enough.

I won't breed her, though. And while I'm not actively looking to re-home her, under the right circumstances, I would consider it - to a pet only home.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that perhaps, for a pet only goat, there are other alternatives to expensive surgery.

Anyway, today is payday, and after I get back from my full day of banking and grocery and feed store shopping, I'll probably chip in a few bucks. I love my animals and I know what it's like to want the best for them and for lack of money to be a problem.

[Cliff]

Originally Posted by Cannon_Farms

how many different consults have you had? does the vet know the money isnt available? Personally I can understand the attachment but if shes gangreen I dont think I would be raising money, it would be either I had it or I would put her down. I am a business person however and no matter the attachment it often comes down to plain simple economics and I could do a great deal more than have a pet goat with that much money.

I'm glad you said this. I couldn't figure out how to put it to not sound like a total jerk. Sometimes common sense needs to outweigh emotion. $2500 (after the 300 they've already paid for her care so far) is a lot of money to save a pet goat.

I would probably give her supportive care and let the udder slough off on it's own. Then I'd sell her as breeding her would forever be a pia as you'd most likely have to bottle feed kids.

[KrisD]

Personally I would euthanize her. Not trying to sound harsh but that is a LOT of money which they don't have, and I would NOT let her suffer in pain waiting for it to fall off. I look at it this way if I had gangrene how happy would I be suffering and waiting for it to fall off and what if it kills her and she was allowed to suffer. There ARE worse things then death.

[CaliannG]

I think they should check with another vet first.

$2,000.00 is a LOT of money for a simple mastectomy.

~goes off wandering~ Oh, she's at A&M! No WONDER it's so much! They charged my Mom $1,800 for her cat... that needed one night in an oxygen cage, some X-rays and antiobiotics/pain meds for a broken rib.

Tell your friend to check with ANY livestock vet in the area for their price. Heck, tell her to call MY vet, Kim, at Kurten Vet Clinic (979-589-2777), and I'll bet Kim would do it for less than $1,000. Heck, she might do it for less than $500.

Kim saved my doeling, who had literally gotten vivisected, at night, in an emergency surgery, and charged me $300 for it. I am talking surgery where all of her guts were in a stainless steel bowl being washed with antibiotics. My doeling is in *perfect* health today, with barely a bump where her innards were once hanging out.

[Cliff]

Originally Posted by Wind in Her Hair

not trying to be unkind or douse cold water on anyone - but beware of scams. They are everywhere- hard times- and I hate to see anyone get taken by a grifter.

I'm not getting the feeling this is a scam, the op sold the person the doe and there are current updated videos of the doe's udder. I think it's just an unrealistic person probably fairly new to farm animals and ruled by their emotions.

[Lazy J]

Euthanasia would be best in my opinion. For the $2,000 price tag to "save" this doe the owner could purchase does and have a nice herd.

I just viewed the website and need to revise my comments. The owner projects $2500 in vet costs in addition to the $300 already spent on this animal. For a projected $2,800 the owner could replace this doe many times over.

Were it me, I'd cut my losses and start over.

Jim

[southerngurl]

No way it should cost that much. Our local veterinarian quoted me much less. Can't remember the exact price now but I believe it was under $100. It is very risky and I agree I would let it run it's corse with antibiotics to hold off systemic infection. My doe lost half her udder and is fine now. I opted out of surgery because of the risks of putting a goat under.

Don't lose sight of the fact that not only is it a cost, but it's a risk to the goat. Probably more than just letting it do it's thing!

[Zilli]

Good news for Bertha and Bobbi!

We no longer need any donations!! Bertha was taken to A&M yesterday and it's decided she would come home without the surgery (it's not necessary now). She is healed enough that her udder will resolve itself on it's own and the dead part of her teat/bag will fall off just like a scab. No expensive surgery...she can heal on her own and will be fine. She is strong, no infection, and now will just require time to put the weight back on that she's lost. So please...no more donations... Refunds are being sent to those who gave,

http://www.gofundme.com/Bertha-Dees-Udder

She's refunding donations but I donated such a small amount that I'm going to tell her to just keep it. I'm sure, that even without the surgery, she's had a lot of costs and she can just put what I donated towards those costs.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Good resolution.