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A Special Doe
Blue Moon Acres Sarah
This little doe has a special place in our hearts. She graced us with her presence for only 29 days, but made such a profound mark on Robin and I. Sarah, named after her grandmother and a friend's daughter, who's birthday was shared by both. Born on March 6, 2004, this beautiful black doe with blue eyes, frosted ears, a white cap, and that irrepressible "Got Milk?" line below her lower lip.
When she first arrived, her ability to stand and nurse was impaired. She presented herself as a floppy kid, but something else was wrong. We spent that first long night getting her to take colostrum, and finding she could only stand for a few seconds before panting and collapsing. Was she injured during birthing? Did we pull a bit too hard? She didn't like being picked up around the ribs. And so it was with Sarah, we had a bottle baby to take care of.
She lived in our bedroom next to the bed, and in the next few weeks would sleep between our pillows, slowly improving. After the first few days, we had determined she had a heart condition, and could hear the telltale swish on every beat of her rapidly beating heart.
This little doe, as she grew slowly, she developed such a personality. Her fascination with my moustache and her licking my lower lip made her all that more lovable. Robin, spending countless hours with her and not being able to leave her sight without her calling out, made the attachment that more special. But, the rough nights, and the lack of being able to be like the other goats made us all too aware of the inevitable. We decided we would give her our best care as long as that may be. Maybe she would grow out of it, if we were all lucky. A lot of prayers were said in that respect in our household at this time.
During her first week here, we had someone interested in purchasing some babies. He made the trip and stayed overnight. His attraction to Sarah was immediate, and he wanted to take her home. He offered to purchase her, but we stood firm on saying she was being retained. How could we sell this lovable thing? And of course, we weren't totally sure of her health.
She continued to improve, slowly, but would still get tired quickly. She could never run for long distances, nor had the stamina of the other kids. But, she slowly improved and we were resigned to the fact that we had a bottle baby on our hands. She had the run of the house and our lives. Robin was joined at the hip with Sarah.
Then it began. Sarah wasn't eating, she would grind her teeth, which was sure sign of discomfort. We called and spoke to many of our other goat friends, all suggesting we try different things and Sarah would improve for a day or two, but not do well again. So it went to that final night, when Sarah was miserable. The decision had been made previously that we would not let her suffer. We waited until the next morning, trying throughout the night to get her to eat, but she refused. In the morning, she was very weak, and lost control of bodily function, wetting the bed. We pulled ourselves together as best we could and took the trip to the vet to humanely put Sarah to rest.
She crossed over the "Rainbow Bridge" that Monday morning, and will be sorely missed. She was 29 days old, but gave us a lifetime of memories.
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