Cocoa Transfer

So I remember growing up on a ranch there were some hard things about ranching. It was hard to do the chores everyday twice a day no matter how sick you were or busy or how cold it was outside. I was hard to see our animals get sick or hurt and I remember always worrying about them. But the hardest thing of ranching was when an animal that we really really loved got sick and we were not able to help them before they passed on. That always broke my heart, and they always have stayed with me. In many ways that is the biggest reason I have not got into ranching before this time in my life.

So on Sept. 7th, I was doing chores and tied up the baby goats to eat down some weeds. But Cocoa has always been my buddy and she was doing chores with me. Well she would run off for a little then come check back with me and continue this process for a few hours while I was working. I wasn't sure where she was going I just assumed she was over with the babies making sure they were ok. When it was time to put them away they had all ate way to much but they always seem to walk it off and their bellies go down by morning. When I went to walk Cocoa into her pen she laid down, I thought she just was having to much fun being out and insisted on her going back to the pen.  Tia went to feed her and milk her that night and came back in to say something was not right with Cocoa she had no milk and wasn't eating. I just thought well that's cuz she ate so much earlier today she will be fine. Well we woke up went to soccer games and came back to tend to Cocoa when I realized I had waited to long to help her and she was not in a good position. I rushed to google Bloating to find out what I could do, called the vet (they were all out), then called mom, dad and Kami to help me. They all came over and we did what we could but nothing worked and we lost our dear Cocoa. Yes, it broke my heart and I cried and cried and cried. When Tia got home she did the same. After a couple of good hours of crying Matia came in to talk to me about it and said "Mom I knew she was going to die this morning so I told her good bye and I know she left us so she could go be with Aunt Tonia." she told me it wasn't my fault and that it was just her time to go live on Tonia's farm.

I was never that grown up as a child in fact I still have so much to learn from my sweet Matia. So today we said goodbye to our sweetest dearest goat friend Cocoa with much sadness in our hearts. But we know our sweet Tonia will take good care of you until we are together again. Lesson learned bloating in goats is VERY serious and needs immediate attention. I didn't know this but goats cant belch to get their gasses out, now I do and I will never lose a goat to bloating again! Cocoa made her last transfer to Tonia's ranch in the Sky.