Once we found out about Chloe's heart defect, we vowed to give her the best life a goat could have. No one knew how long Chloe would live,or how this defect would impact her quality of life. After much discussion with the vet we decided to bring her back for annual EKG's and treat her with Lasix if she had any episodes of fluid build up. This was only a temporary relief and not a fix, but we wanted to do all we could to help her live as long and as comfortable as possible.
Chloe was spoiled rotten, she ran freely around our farm and was regularly found napping on our porch furniture. She also outperformed any expectations for her in the show ring. She earned Reserve Grand Champion three times over the course of 2018. The icing on the cake was during ADGA Nationals of 2018 she was in a class of 75 Senior yearling Nigerian Dwarf does, when we were pulled out of the line up for the top twenty I was over the moon. She ended up placing 17th in that record breaking class and I could not have been prouder of her. Chloe loved the limelight, the grooming, attention and really enjoyed showing. She truly was a spectacular girl.
Sadly, Chloe seemed to have a black cloud following her around. She suffered from a severe abscess from her CDT shot, ate something poisonous that caused her to throw up her cud and got a skin infection all in the course of a few months. Each time we took her to the vet thinking this may be the last thing she was able to overcome. but Chloe proved us all wrong and fought back.
My husband and I did notice that you could see her heart beating from outside her chest, which concerned us. The vets confirmed that we should only be concerned if there was fainting or the loss of conciseness, which we had not experienced yet. But, I did notice she would moan when she would lay down and would pant heavier than the other does when it was warm. To rectify this, she would come into the house and stay cool in the air conditioning. She was the best house goat and companion I could ask for. She would regularly lay on the couch with me, or lay on the mat by the door while I worked. She reminded me that every day is a gift and to stop and enjoy the small things like the warmth of the sun and the company of a loved one and that is a gift I will keep with me forever.
Sadly Chloe passed away in the fall of 2018. She is buried under her favorite tree in our backyard, where I visit her often. No other goat will ever fill her hooves. The only thing that makes sense to me is a saying that my husband told me, "The perfect goats don't need to stay on earth as long because they have already earned their wings and spot in heaven."
I truly hope Chloe is waiting for me at those pearly gates when my time comes. She was a goat of a lifetime and one that I will never forget.