Let me start by saying I love animals. I love animals even more when they belong to someone else. I have not personally had a pet for 10 or more years, and I prefer it this way. Though that sounds heartless, it’s easier than dealing with the situation I am currently going thru.
My mother spoils my children. In July 2019, when my daughter was turning 9, she ask for a Pygmy goat. (We know NOTHING about Pygmy goats). I said no, she doesn’t need a goat. However, my mother bought it anyway. The Pygmy stays at my mothers house in a decent sized pin/pasture area (approx. 5 car lengths x 7 car lengths). He has a nicer house than I do, and my daughter used her own money to buy Billy the Goat a picnic table and a slide for him to “play” on.
I cannot describe how much she loves Billy. She babies him beyond belief. He’s a year and a half old now and he’s slightly aggressive, but she doesn’t care. He hand feeds him, talks to him as if he were a human, etc.
One time Billy became very ill. He had a blockage preventing him from urinating and he was in a great deal of pain. It took an hour for the after-hours vet to come, but she never left his side. It was 11:00pm and she had been awake since 6:00am for school, but she didn’t care. She told me “Mommies don’t leave their babies.” When he pooped that night, she wiped his butt WITH THE SHIRT SHE WAS WEARING. Totally disgusting, but it didn’t matter to her. She loves him unconditionally.
Fast forward to last Friday, Dec 18. Billy was found laying down in his pasture, softly crying. I immediately called the vet to let them know Billy was en route to them and provided details on his condition. The day before this, he was acting perfectly fine. Now he was at death’s door.
Billy has been in the hospital ever since. Today is day 3. He has had micro-seizures and has been consistently lethargic and cannot stand or hold his head up. According to the vet, Billy had a parasite. This parasite absorbed all of his nutrients and left Billy was nothing. He has been slowly starving to death and we had no idea. Due to the cold, his fur has been growing longer & thicker—and we completely missed all of the signs. His body cannot sustain his glucose levels on its own. As of today (Sunday), Billy is on a constant IV that is putting sugar into his little body. He only weighs 22 pounds and cares nothing about food.
Billy has always been hand-fed “treats” (apples, celery, bell peppers, lettuce, bananas, etc) daily bc this is the only way he will take his daily medicine to prevent future blockages. Though he has coastal hay, he’s spoiled and prefers the treats. When the vet said Billy refused to eat hay, we assumed it was because he missed his daily treats. They’ve offered him every treat, but he still won’t eat. They were able to convince him to eat small amounts of Nutrigrain bars, but now he has no interest in those.
When I spoke to the vet this morning, he presented me with two options. Though Billy has a long road to recovery, he should be showing SOME signs of getting better. Sadly, he is not. Billy stood up with assistance yesterday and walked for a few moments, but quickly lay back down. He has not stood since. He said we can continue his daily supportive care, but there is no guarantee he will survive. He will need to stay in the hospital for an extended period, receiving round-the-clock care.. which will end up costing a LOT of money. I am not a wealthy person. Our other option is to euthanize him. According the the vet, Billy is miserable. The vet used the words “very uncomfortable” but I’m not stupid. Billy is suffering.
I am overwhelmed with guilt. I wish I had known what signs to look for. We completely missed it. Over the last month, my daughter has been unable to go see Billy because my mother and stepfather were Covid positive. Due to their sickness, they were not able to notice any signs, either. I’m crying as I type this. I’m so mad at myself.
Now, here we are. It’s the week of Christmas. My daughter spent the ENTIRE DAY yesterday raking his ENTIRE pasture herself to make sure it was clean & safe when he returns home. She cleaned all of the nasty hay out of his house, removed all “old” hay from his feeder, washed the house & feeder, and helped prepare celery and new Timothy grass in 1-cup bags so we could monitor his food intake. She helped install a heat lamp, and she helped hang a tarp around his house so the cool wind won’t blow in at night while he is trying to sleep. She has blisters on her hand and received 4 splinters yesterday. She has worked so, so hard for this goat.
What am I supposed to do? I don’t want Billy to suffer anymore. I can’t afford a $1,000+ bill. But my little girl loves him more than anything. It’s the week of Christmas. The vet wants me to make a decision by this afternoon. I am praying Billy miraculously starts eating in his own, though I know that probably won’t happen.
The thought of making this animal suffer makes me want to vomit. I hate it, and I want his pain to end. No living creature should ever have to suffer, but I feel like this is all because of me. It’s my fault his dying and hurting.
I don’t know how to tell my daughter. I’ve been honest with her this far, but it’s possible I was slightly too optimistic. I know we will get through it, but the decision to let her goat suffer or euthanize him is solely on me. And, quite frankly, I don’t know what the heck to do. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. It’s 10:00am and the vet is going to call me back sometime after lunch..
Thank you in advance.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/kgvgm9/how_do_i_tell_my_10_year_old/
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