I heard from a friend who just had a vet disbud her young kids (less than two weeks old). She told me the vet sedated the kids for this. I'd never heard of it. Sure, it would make the procedure easier on both vet and goat, but I was a bit uneasy with this kind of drug on a young animal. What do you think?

-- Lynn (moonspinner@bluefrognet.net), March 17, 2002

Answers

For people like me, who make more fuss at disbudding time then the kids getting disbudded,I think the kids would be better off if I was Tranquiized or Sedated before I did the disbudding.Disbudding only takes minutes and then the kid is back to jumping on rocks and skipping down the trail with it's buddies.If sedated,it would make the whole procedure last hours , the time for the tranquilizer to wear off and the next day hangover to disappear.

-- SM Steve (unreal@msn.com), March 17, 2002.

Lynn,I take my kids to the vet and he does tranQulize them, its like a twilight (not out all the way)they still hear you and respond.It only took an hour to hour and half for them to come out and when they did I had bottles ready in hand they never knew. Thanks Pam

-- pam (pams65@hotmail.com), March 17, 2002.

Yesterday we disbudded 3 kids between 4 days old and 16 days old. We shaved their heads, disbudded and gave tetanus shots to all 3 and we were done and back in the house within a half hour. All kids were doing fine and bouncing off the walls immediately following.

It wasn't this easy in the beginning. The whole time I would say, 'this hurts me more than it hurts you'. Now, I give them a kiss, say I'm sorry, and know that I did what had to be done for their own safety and the future safety of the remaining herd. How soon they forget.

I'm hardly the person to question the vet, but I've learned to do most things myself. As long as the kids are alright, I wouldn't worry too much. Maybe your friend could find a local breeder to do it for her instead of paying a vet?

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@yahoo.com), March 17, 2002.

Speaking of vets and disbudding, I took my little nigerian in when he was eight days old. It looked like the vet did a thorough job but now he's nearly five weeks and I see horns coming in - will have to have the buds reburned. I plan to do this myself eventually, but want to see it done a few more times before I try.

-- Lynn (moonspinner@bluefrognet.net), March 17, 2002.

Disbudding is a quick and easy procedure, one for which the kids immediatly forgive, and as mentioned above, will also be immediately back to bouncing. I agree with the assessment that tranquilizing would only prolong the process. But then, I was unhappy with the results of that twilight stuff when my child had it for a tooth pull. The next time, we declined it.

-- mary (mlg@mlg.com), March 17, 2002.

I could see giving a few shots of lidocaine or the like around the base of the horn bud. But the very first time you loose a goat because of anesthetic, or aspiration of the stomach contents into the lung, or a decrease in blood pressure or or or....it is certainly not worth it. Take your babies to an experienced goat keeper and go sit in the truck and listen to the radio. Anesthetic is dangerous! Anesthetic in the hands of vets who do not know anything about goats can be deadly! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 17, 2002.

Vicki, I agree with you. I've heard from too many experts that goats in general don't take too well to anesthetic. I know for a fact that vet students (at least at Michigan State)when learning to dehorn adult goats have to do the messy procedure without drugs because it's just too risky. But again, we're talking medical procedures here and like in humans there are different options and different opinions. I suppose if you've done something one way with no problems you're in favor of it. If you've tried something even once with bad results you're down on it. Still, with any drug isn't it best to err on the side of caution? Especially when a drug isn't essential?

-- Lynn (moonspinner@bluefrognet.net), March 18, 2002.