Help we have pet goats, have had them for years but still have very little clues as to what makes them tick. I'm hoping to find someone with knowledge like in that James Garner Sally Field movie, the title escapes me, where she wants to be a horse trainer, he goes to the auction with her and explains what's wrong with the prospects she's thinking of buying.

We have a pretty old in goat years female. This past late winter she had pregnancy toxemia, ended up delivering two stillborn baby goats. At first I thought she would give up, she refused feed and water for days, stayed sitting in the barn, in a private maternity stall, with no interest in anything. After a solid month of that she got up one day and went back on her own power to the common freestall goat area but had a lot of trouble, I mean I would find her down on her side in a mud puddle etc. returned to just sitting even though she could walk. So I took her back to her own private stall, feed water, bedding anything a goat could want. Well she pitched a fit, kicking the stall, hollering till the neighbors I'm sure thought she was being murdered or something. Didn't want to be isolated, couldn't get along without it. When spring arrived they all go out to eat green pasture instead of in the barn with hay. She again insisted on going too but same problem getting around. Now it's summer and pretty hot, 90's or !00's and she seems to be fine, I'm thinking it was an arthritis like problem that got better in dry hot climate? Will it come back again in the fall? How to handle her when she insists on getting her own way like this?

How to Care for Baby Goats | eHow.com (http://www.ehow.com/how_2060192_care-baby-goats.html) - 75k

I have no idea how to care for goats, but it sounds like she was depressed. I am going to move this to Other pets, as it really isn't a dog question.

You do understand, the goat in question is old, and when I said the baby goats were stillborn, that means they were dead on arrival? Also this site picks the category, not me. Depression sounds right, so I need a goat psychologist? Oh no sounds expensive.

I understand what you are saying, but my knowledge is in dogs. I understand the category issue. I was just moving it to the right one, in hopes that you would find the answers you were looking for.

Why are you letting an older goat breed?

No, not intentional, she is over 12 and has had exactly one baby born in all that time, as a one year old. This was entirely unexpected, and she won't be rebred after this. Basically I have a cantankerous teenager in a goat's body, someone who won't listen to a word I say.

The movie is Murphy's Romance.

Was the goat given a clean bill of health by your vet after giving birth?

Does the vet think it is arthritis? If he/she does, then he/she may be able to suggest a joint care suppliment for her.

It could be that pregnancy at her age took more out of her body than was good for it. Add to that a natural instinct to care for her kids but there are none probably caused her to get the goat equivalent of depressed. Not eating and drinking for days probably compounded the damage pregnancy did to her body. I wouldn't be surprised if it took her months to shake off the toxemia and to get back on her feet.

Basically i have a cantankerous teenager in a goat's body, someone who won't listen to a word I say.

I didn't know they could be any other way. :)

Were there any other changes in her environment during that period? Goats can become very attached to people or other animals.

You are right, I never thought about it that way, but I guess goats have a "pecking order" which explains her anxiety about being separated from the flock, she would lose her social standing. Also another goat that was her full sister died I'm assuming of old age around the time she got depressed! Wow it helps a lot to get other people's opinions. But is this real, I mean I was always told to ascribe human emotions to animals was anthropomorphism and frowned on by professionals. Has that changed since I was at school in the 80's?

I don't know about professionals and I don't think they feel quite the same way humans do.

However, I think they do find what makes them comfortable and helps fill their needs. When that item is missing or their environment under goes a major a change, it does affect them.

Hi George,

Your goat may be fine by now, your question was posted a while ago.

Cantankerous teenagers need love. Can you spend time with her? Just sitting with her could help get her over this bump in her life.

Well unlike cats and dogs, goats eat poison ivy and multiflora rose and canada thistle etc then produce meat and milk.