For multiple nights or long extended trips (a week or more) what do you pack in for your goats?
Whats in your goats first aid kit? What other things do you bring?
"Goat First Aid:The Trail Guide" by Alice Beberness and Carolyn Eddy. It has recommendation for treating goat emergencies and the supplies needed. Most supplies can be found at the farm store or drug store. You can often get light weight individual travel size things like diaper rash ointment for saddle sores and small bottle of sterile eye wash. Many items are transferable to humans and dogs. Field euthanasia is reviewed in this book also as it an important part of being prepared.
In addition to what the book calls for I also like to carry a small package of some type of blood stop powder. The book may have been written before products like Quick Clot were available.
Yes it's a good book, I have it in my kit along with most of its suggestions. Travel sized stuff is perfect for our kit. I keep the human and goat kits separate for now, but do you bring injectable drugs? I have injectable benadryl, epinephrine, and banamine.
What about anything not first aid related?
We plan to do the Pacific Crest Trail in a few years with goats, most likely just a state/year and I don't know if I will bring goats through the CA section. Anyways I'm trying to see what experienced people have added or taken out of their first aid kits, and what else they frequently bring on there back country trips, collapsible buckets? etc..
Initially when I was new I carried some antidotes for poisoning. In 10 years I never used it and stopped carrying it. Goats seem to figure out what to eat and things that are theoretically not good for them get eaten with no problem. I have an old goat with me so I do carry Bantamine. A Primatine Mist inhaler can be used for epinephrine when it is needed in an allergic reaction in humans and goats. 10 squirts under the tongue is suppose to work like and injection. I've never tried it. I've only used injectable Benadryl in a vein at the hospital. Not sure I would try that on the trail.
Carrying pre-dosed syringes is lightweight and if someone has an anaphylactic reaction it's the only thing I have on hand that will save them out there. Interesting, in the years I worked at a veterinary hospital we never used injectable Benadryl IV, only SQ. I too haven't had any problems yet, well one goat ate a couple bites of foxglove and survived.
Get this: My vet's office has the front landscaping covered in Japanese Yew. I've complained. Its still there. I had a really nicely smashed knuckle from yanking some out of Vickie's mouth once.
I have a couple med kits that stay in the goat packs. They can be used for human, dog or goat. I have a rolled-up splint, vet wrap, gauze and whatnot. I love Leukotape which can be used for holding cuts together, splints, and its way better than moleskin for feet. I have some sutures, scalpels, neosporin, burn ointment, blood clotter, Alieve, Aspirin, and whatnot.
Next year I'm going to build a folding goat-rescue cart. The plan is to use a 20" bicycle wheel with a design something like a long wheelbarrow. A goat would have to be strapped to it, and I'll make a harness to go over my shoulders so I don't have to carry the weight in my hands. Something to take along and leave in the truck just in case. I really could have used something like that when Chewy the dog smashed his paw when a rock got knocked loose by a goat. Had to carry his heavy ass about a mile using an upside-down pack saddle. I'm in shape and it killed me. Goats are way heavier.
Wow, that's ridiculous. Around here its Rhododendron, its everywhere, the property I live on with my goats is landscaped with it and luckily there is a 6-7 foot fence separating my goats from it.
The goat rescue cart is a great idea! One of the vets that works on my animals volunteers for WASART (Washington State Animal Response Team) used something like that for a St. Bernard that couldn't hike down the mountain.
Thanks for sharing!
This was my first year goat packing, prior to that my experience was backcountry horse trips where we did not have a separate pack horse. And my own back for many years
So I've tried to translate my experience with lightweight packing to the goats. Warning-I sometimes have crazy ideas lol! The longest trip with my 2 goats this year was 3 days.
Some of the gear:
*Bucket collapsible: for goats- Cuben dog food/water dish by Bearpaw (works great, does hold water overnight)
(*Bucket collapsible: for horses: Stansport Utility Bucket Yellow)
*Highline & lead for goats: 1/4" Amsteel AS-78 (bit slippery with some stretch but it works)
*Premade continuous loop (for Prusik) in 7/64" Amsteel for highline from buttinasling.com
*Tree Savers for goat highline: Jacks R Better 60"
*Goat Muzzles: northwestpackgoats.com (my goats have a thing for bark in camp-need for LNT)
*Bug Spray
*Goat food/treats
*Scale, digital lightweight
*Sopris Rookie saddle without the extra flat pads
Goat First Aid Kit:
Toxiban Powder 1 large dose
Vet Wrap
Super Clot
(11-15-2017, 05:23 AM)Kat Wrote: [ -> ]This was my first year goat packing, prior to that my experience was backcountry horse trips where we did not have a separate pack horse. And my own back for many years So I've tried to translate my experience with lightweight packing to the goats. Warning-I sometimes have crazy ideas lol! The longest trip with my 2 goats this year was 3 days.
Some of the gear:
*Bucket collapsible: for goats- Cuben dog food/water dish by Bearpaw (works great, does hold water overnight)
(*Bucket collapsible: for horses: Stansport Utility Bucket Yellow)
*Highline & lead for goats: 1/4" Amsteel AS-78 (bit slippery with some stretch but it works)
*Premade continuous loop (for Prusik) in 7/64" Amsteel for highline from buttinasling.com
*Tree Savers for goat highline: Jacks R Better 60"
*Goat Muzzles: northwestpackgoats.com (my goats have a thing for bark in camp-need for LNT)
*Bug Spray
*Goat food/treats
*Scale, digital lightweight
*Sopris Rookie saddle without the extra flat pads
Goat First Aid Kit:
Toxiban Powder 1 large dose
Vet Wrap
Super Clot
Personally I don't see any crazy idea's here.. My list is very similar, collapsible bucket, we use a low line and bring in stakes, we fly spray before we go out.
It all makes sense to me!
Thank you for sharing.
It's mosquitoes here (WA) that are the big problem early in the summer. Haven't found anything that lasts effectively on the animals more than 24 hrs, have gone back to Ultrashield which is what I was using on the horses. I carry 100% Deet for myself + a headnet & wear long sleeves/pants.
re: crazy - well I was probably thinking more of what I didn't write about, like packing a 1.5 oz garbage bag instead of an 8 oz jacket
I also have an idea I am accumulating parts for, modifying the goat saddlebags for more airflow...
re: PCT - have a couple of friends who have hiked the whole thing, plus on Wed night was talking with a friend who completed most of the WA section this summer - he did an impressive amount of detailed trip planning. He also said while his mind was still in his 20's - his body most definitely was not lol! Every ounce does count.
Good luck with your trip planning.