Anyone following Emerson's cone saga will recall that we removed his cone two days ago to see whether he could now be trusted not to bite giant sores around his tail - here's your answer. After just one evening unrestricted, he was again bent around like a pretzel, his nether regions raw and bleeding once more. The cone returned. In order to protect the sensitive skin on the back of his neck, Emily and I improvised this fashionable "collar" from the sleeve of an old sweatshirt. (Isn't he so handsome?!) It also gives me something to hang onto when we attempt to smear antibiotic cream on his buttocks twice a day. (This may sound soothing and innocuous, but his frantic reaction would only be justified if we were rubbing acid on his bare skin. I could show you bruises...) Today we are also planning a new treatment for the itching, a rub-in powder supposedly guaranteed to rid goats of biting pests, but also so toxic to humans we will don full hazmat gear to avoid accidental skin contact or inhalation.
After we wrestled Emerson back into the cone, I leaned against the fence to catch my breath. I didn't want anyone to see me crying, but sometimes the frustration overwhelms me. Each new day brings another goat nightmare. I think of giving them away, but with their seemingly-incurable and contagious skin ailment, who would take them? We can't even eat them, since by waiting until they reached three months old before neutering them, we ensured that their meat would have an unpleasant gamey and "testosterone-infused" taste (or so all the books warn). The only upside to goat care right now is that their pen has a delectably fragrant aroma, since my husband recently cleaned out the garage...
Last fall when I harvested my garden-grown spices, I filled several glass jars with fresh basil and oregano, then stowed the additional dried plants in grocery bags on a top shelf in the garage, restocking my jars as needed. Apparently my husband discovered my "spices stash" the other day and decided to feed all my dried plants to the goats. After all, he reasoned, he does not store automotive tools in the kitchen, so why was I keeping foodstuffs in his garage? (This is the same garage so full of old motors, rusted-out snowmobiles and decrepit car parts that there is not even enough space for my vehicle, not even during a blizzard. Yes, that's what shovels are for...) I was rather concerned about the effect of so much basil on the goats' digestive systems, but they seemed to love the taste...
And this led to a horrible, dreadful, nasty idea...I know that recipe is in here somewhere...aha! Page 307 - Basil Goat Curry! I'm sure I could grow some fresh thyme and coriander - maybe if we fed them enough herbs we could eat them after all!
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