(7/2018) As anyone who owns animals knows, when you go on vacation you have to find someone to take care of your pets while you are gone. Finding a caretaker for dogs and cats can be relatively easy . There are multiple boarding facilities that watch dogs and cats. Also, as they are the most popular pets, frequently neighbors or family friends also feel comfortable taking care of your dog or cat while you travel. Finding someone to take care of horses and farm animals can be more of a challenge. Some horse farms will provide temporary, vacation, boarding for horses. Most are not set up for temporary boarders. While, I have helped a client find a horse boarding barn that would board her pet pig while she was away, the majority of people with farm animals hire a pet sitter to live at the house or at least stop in a few times a day to feed and check on the animals.

Most of my clients are very good about calling the clinic and letting us know that they will be going out of town and giving us the name of their pet sitter so that in the event of an emergency we know that person may authorize vet care. I, as well as each of the other veterinarians, always appreciate knowing this ahead of time. Many clients also give their pet sitter a written permission so they can authorize veterinary care. This avoids the problem of a veterinarian being reluctant to provide care because they cannot contact the owner.

Recently one of my clients called. She was watching her neighbors' goats for them while they were visiting family. Mrs. Brown is a middle aged woman who has never owned goats. Her neighbor had reassured her that watching the goats was just like taking care of dogs but easier since they lived outside and wouldn't need to be let out several times a day. He showed Mrs Brown how to give hay, grain, and water to the goats and told her to check on them once per day but that everything should be easy. Mrs Brown was aware that two of the goats were pregnant but they supposedly wouldn't be due to have the babies until her neighbors returned. She felt comfortable after receiving the 10 minute tutorial about goat care.

While Mrs. Brown was feeding the goats one evening she noticed something coming out of one of the pregnant goats. She called the clinic and told me that it didn't look like the goat was having a baby but that something was wrong.

When I got to the farm, it didn't take me long to realize that the goat was having a baby but unfortunately the kid had already died and the goat wasn't delivering normally. Mrs Brown told me that she would try to help me but that she knew nothing about goats and didn't even know how to hold and restrain the goat for me to do an exam. Suddenly, that 10 minute tutorial from the owner about goat care didn't seem like it was enough. Luckily the goat was a very sweet goat who was frequently handled by the owner, and she didn't require much restraint. I had Mrs Brown stand and scratch the goat's head. That was all that was needed for the goat to hold still. I could feel that the baby goat was dead inside. Unfortunately, the baby had been dead for a little while and was slightly swollen and bloated. The front legs were also flexed down which was the likely reason why the baby goat had gotten stuck inside and failed to deliver normally.

When assisting with the delivery, the first thing I do is try and move the baby around inside the uterus to the correct position. Since the baby was bloated, there was a little less room for manipulation. I got the baby positioned correctly without too much effort. However as the baby goat had been dead for awhile, the tissues were already starting to decompose. This is not uncommon when a baby dies before being delivered. I ended up pulling the baby out in pieces. I looked up at Mrs Brown as I was pulling out pieces of the baby and noticed she was turning a little green. I asked her if she was ok and she said the smell was making her nauseous. Having done several of these, I hadn't really noticed the smell. As the goat was lying there cooperatively, I told Mrs Brown that if she wanted to step outside of the barn and get fresh air, I could finish this without her. She was delighted and immediately left the barn. It didn't take me long to finish. I then gave the mother goat some antibiotics and pain medication. She immediately got to her feet and walked over to the hay and started eating. I was pleased to see that at least the mother goat was handling the ordeal much better than her caretaker. Mrs Brown reassured me that she was fine and would continue to monitor the goat until the owners came home. She also told me that this was probably the last time she would volunteer to watch her neighbor's goats while they went out of town.

When choosing a pet sitter, ideally you want one that has some knowledge about the type of pet they are watching. Mrs. Brown was not experienced with goats, but is knowledgeable enough about animals that she recognized that the goat was seriously ill. While in this case, the goat was so well handled, friendly and nice, that Mrs. Brown was able to handle her well enough to realize there was a problem. Also, I didn't need anyone to hold the goat. Unfortunately, that isn't always the case. Some animals get scared or are not well handled and trained. Then, having an owner or handler that can assist the vet is essential. Training your animals well, and getting a good pet sitter, are important. Then, you can vacation without worries, and return from vacation and likely find your animals are safe and sound.