(4/2018) While I know there are several veterinarians that don't like working on goats, I actually enjoy them. Goats tend to be a bit mischievous. While they can be difficult at times, overall I find them pleasant and entertaining. Some of my clients have production goats and raise them for meat or dairy. However, most of the goats that I work on belong to clients who also have horses. They usually acquired the goats to clean up weeds on the fence rows or because they thought they were cute. They usually only catch the goats for veterinary care a couple times per year; either for me to vaccinate them or to get their feet trimmed. While the goats are cared for daily, most of their human interaction is to be fed. This means that when someone tries to confine them, the goats know it means they are scheduled for something unpleasant such as shots or having their hooves trimmed.

One of my horse client barns has two goats named Merlot and Tequila. Tequila is a super friendly goat that always wants his head scratched. Merlot is not as friendly. While he isn't mean, he doesn't want to be touched so he always tries to run away from people. Luckily Merlot is a fainting goat so when he runs he is only able to take a few steps before his muscles lock up and he can be caught.

Fainting goats or myotonic goats are goats with a hereditary genetic disorder. This disorder is of the chloride channels of the skeletal muscles. It leads to reduced conductance of chloride ions in the muscle fibers. This results in increased excitability of the skeletal muscles which in essence makes the goats muscles temporarily lock up. These goats are called fainting goats because the muscles tend to lock up after the goat is startled (by a loud noise, etc), causing the goat to go rigid and fall over. One of the reasons that this goat is so popular as a pet is because this goat is easier to keep confined. They tend not to jump out of enclosures. They are also easier to catch as they can't run away without their muscles locking up.

The first time I worked on Tequila and Merlot was when I was at the farm to take care of the horses. The owner asked me if I knew of any goat vets, as they had just gotten two new goats. While the goats had received their vaccines, they needed to be castrated and she said that at least one of them needed to be dehorned because he was running up and butting/rubbing her with his horns. The owner was surprised when I told her that I could do those things for her. Our clinic refers out major goat surgeries to a university vet hospital, but we regularly perform minor procedures on goats and sheep. While I didn't have time to do the surgeries that day, we set up an appointment for me to come back and do the procedures later.

Goats are usually castrated and dehorned (disbudded) when they are young. These goats were fully mature goats with large horns and testicles so the process was a little more involved. Tequila was to go first because he came right up to us and was easiest to catch. He was anesthetized and given local numbing agents, and I dehorned and castrated him uneventfully. His owners were pleased with the results of the procedures. Even after being dehorned he still enjoys rubbing his head on people but at least the horns are gone so it is no longer hurts the owner.

It was Merlot's turn next. He was in the far side of the paddock and was already giving me a wary look. I was anticipating a rodeo and having to run about in the mud just to catch him. Luckily as the owner walked up to him, he ran two steps and his muscles locked up and he fell over. She was then able to pick him up and bring him in the barn where he was castrated and dehorned also.

Every year I go out to the farm and give the goats their annual clostridium difficile, tetanus, and rabies vaccines. Tequila always walks right up to me and as long as the owner scratches his head, we don't even need to put a rope around him to give him his shots. Merlot always sees me and starts to run, but his muscles lock up, making him easy to catch for his vaccinations.

While I recognize that the fainting goats are a result of a genetic disorder, it is actually a genetic disorder that tends to make my job easier. This disorder also makes it easier for the owner as they don't have the constant battle of trying to keep their goats confined and out of the garden or off the hood of the car as it tries to eat the windshield wipers. The main thing I caution owners about with the fainting goats is the need to protect them from predators since they can't run away. They'd be an easy target for a coyote.

One of the fun parts of working in a mixed animal practice is encountering unique and quirky animals. Goats definitely add to the fun of my work week.