Linguine update -- the not-so-blind goat

 Linguine at three weeks of age

Back in early May, a kid was born who appeared to be blind. We had to bottle-feed him, because lack of vision was not his only problem. With time, he grew stronger, and he appeared to have some vision. When we first moved him from his laundry basket in the house to a pen in the barn, he would lay down with no regard to where he was facing. Generally, goats always have their back to the wall, so they can see what's going on, but not Linguine. We'd often see him laying in the straw facing the wall.

It took him almost a month to start grabbing the bottle, even if we rubbed the nipple against his lips. When he was two months old, we'd take him out of his pen and go walking with him. He would follow along fine, as long as we were not more than a couple feet away from him. If he got interested in something and stopped to smell the roses, and we kept walking, he'd be screaming. When Katherine took him walking, she's loudly shuffle her feet in the gravel driveway, which seemed to help him keep up with her. We finally figured that he was incredibly near sighted and couldn't see beyond a few feet. But that was better than being completely blind. Still, what could I do with a goat that was less than perfect? I didn't feel that I could sell him, and I didn't want to give him to some stranger, who might then eat him or take him to a sale barn to make a few bucks.

In July, one of my blog readers purchased a buckling who needed a wethered companion, and when her children met Linguine, it was true love. Well, who wouldn't love a little goat that wants to stick to you like glue? Knowing the family, I felt comfortable giving him to them. And seeing how much the children loved him, I knew he'd have a good home.

I recently received an update from Linguine's new owner. She said that he's doing well, and she thinks his vision is continuing to improve, which is really great news!

To read the story of Linguine's first few days, click here.