Bad Goat or Bad Goat Owner?

We had our vet, Dr. Clarke, out to the farm today to do our annual check ups and vaccinations.  Here is the run down:

Dr. Clarke diagnosed Beemster the rooster as suffering from Bumblefoot.  This is a staphylococcus infection not unlike impetigo.  The vet recommended disinfecting with iodine and treating with a topical antibiotic cream.  Luckily I have some ointment left over from Liam's bout of impetigo which will be the perfect treatment.  The vet warned that the prognosis for birds with Bumblefoot is not great;  Beemster may still end up in the soup pot.  :(

Charlotte's many lumps and bumps on her chest and back are still of minimal concern, however, the vet also noticed that her eyesight is starting to go.  She is developing cloudy eyes, which for an 11 year old schnauzer is not unexpected.

Emily is in good health despite being somewhat deficient in the niceness department.  She has developed a skin tag near her top canine tooth that is unusual.  Dr. Clarke said that there is a chance it might be malignant so we will keep an eye on it and it might be necessary to remove the tooth and adjacent tag at some point in the future.

Charlie the donkey is fat.  This is not news.  As the vet put it "donkeys are always fat".  He suggested that we saddle her with a heavy pack and make her climb a mountain.  Helpful.

The sheep, Abbott and Molly, are in perfect health.  Meanwhile, Violet who suffered from a bout of diarrhea last week got blood taken so the lab could run some tests to rule out illnesses like Johne's disease.

The goats, Granby, Martha and Mellie, are all healthy and received their vaccinations.  The vet agreed that Granby, like Emily, is somewhat deficient in the personality department.

As I considered Granby's lack of politeness, I came across a helpful article on goat aggression that suggested that it is possible for owners of aggressive goats to curb their bad behaviour by teaching their goats who is dominant.  As it turns out, I have done a rather bad job of this thus far.  The article suggested that I use a spray bottle filled with water to deter undesirable goat behaviour like horning.  Basically I need to teach Granby who is boss.  And so it begins, my new quest to turn Granby into a respectful goat - at least until I sell him on Kijiji.

No more treats for you guys until I see some better behaviour!