The Skinny on Worms...

The goat books all tell you how crucial it is to have your goat babies tested for intestinal parasites, a potentially deadly yet unfortunately very common problem with kids (the 4-legged kind, I mean). What the books don't tell you is how to find a vet who that will do this. I spent an hour on the phone, cajoling every nearby small animal vet (well, they are fairly small...) to run a stool sample for me, no success. One agreed, but only if I brought the goat along. No thanks...(Anyone who has ever transported a goat in their personal vehicle would understand.) I finally found a large animal practice some 45 minutes away, but they only treat "meat animals." In desperation, I had to say we are raising the boys to eat.  This is not technically a lie, as there are some days I am tempted...Emily and I actually attempted to run the fecal test ourselves with a yard-sale "My First Microscope," but all the squiggles looked the same and Emily almost threw up...

So, after half a day in the car with a jar of freshly-collected goat poop - the results. Our goaties have a mild case of coccidia (dangerous only to goats) and need a 5-day course of medicine. Turns out the smallest bottle available is the 100-goat "Small Herd" size (not to be confused with the "Large Herd / Owner Must Be a Lunatic" size). As I am maxing out my credit card, the sympathetic clerk says, "Well, at least if you get more goats, you'll have plenty of this on hand." Oh yeah, let me go get 98 more goats just so I can break even on the dewormer!!