AMANA: THE BLIND NUBIAN
WEEK 1
I received Amana when she was around 5 months of age and around July 20, 2008. At the time she
came to live here I didn't have a lot of background on her. I called my vet the following Monday to see
if there might be anything that could be done for this little girl. With goats often Thiamine is used in
conjunction with other treatments when a goat becomes ill and loses their sight. The Thiamine helps
in treatment of a vitamin B deficiency, often brought on by the illness, and apparently a vitamin B
deficiency can lead to blindness. Generally in order for the goat to regain their sight they must be
treated with Thiamine right away. Anyway my vet prescribed a weeks worth of Thiamine injections as
they couldn't hurt her and maybe if the sight was lost not long ago she'd get it back. I also have been
giving her some Vitamin A supplements.
She came without a registered name so after some thought I decided on "Amana" as it means "trust"
in Latin and she will most likely forever have to trust her human and goat friends to guide her in the
right directions her entire life. I received Amana with two other goats, including a mini-nubian
doeling who is her little buddy. I named the mini-nubian Amica, as this means "friend".
I will also note that in terms of the degree of her blindness I believe she is almost, if not totally, blind.
I had hopes initially that she could see shadows as she was good at following me to some degree when
close by etc. However, after testing her via waving my hands etc nearby and all she would walk/run
right past me. It appears it is only the sound that she is following...of my footsteps etc. She tilts her
head and such a lot trying to listen for sounds she recognizes. When I move my hand toward her eyes
there is no blink etc.
I will also so say that this little girl will remain here forever now. I have no intention of ever selling
her and she will be loved and adored. She will probably always remain with our Nigerian goats as our
Nubians are generally in a pasture that is enclosed by a hot-wire fence and for the obvious reason I
couldn't put her out there with them. The Nigerians pen is set up with plastic coated wire fencing that
is safe for her to walk into etc. Whether she is ever bred will depend a lot upon her and if I feel she
could handle it and if she would be willing to be bred but that is later down the road. If I feel she
shouldn't be bred due to her circumstances then she will simply remain as pet. She is a very loving
doe though and loves to snuggle etc and I have a feeling she would be an adoring mother who would
love babies and to experience motherhood but again it will all depend on her and time.
Ok. So back to the story and her progress. After a few days I was able to track down the breeder but
then learned that Amana lost her sight at two weeks of age. She was born healthy and happy, with her
sight, but then she became ill, had a fever, was bloated, lost her vision, and appeared lethargic. The
owners thought she had Enterotoxemia (overeating disease) and she was treated with Penicillin and
Clostridium Perfringens Type C & D anti-toxin. Although she soon regained her health her eyesight
did not return. Thiamine was not given in conjunction with her treatment at that time. At that point
my hopes of her possibly regaining her sight dwindled as she'd lost her sight so long ago...though I
continued with her Thiamine injections until they were gone. I researched Enterotoxemia and loss of
vision does not seem to really be associated with it so it may have been that she actually had goat polio
at the time of the illness. Either way her loss of sight is not genetic nor would the illness have been
contagious in anyway. I will note too that this little girl seems to have no neurological issues as a
result of her previous illness so the illness itself was treated quickly. It is just unfortunate the poor
girl was left blind in the end.
(If you would like to read up more on these two illness please just go to yahoo.com and type the illness's
name as there are a LOT of sites out there with info on both. I linked each of the above words/illness to a
link if you would just like to see one page describing the illness in depth.)
So then I began researching "blind goats" in hopes of learning all I could in order to help her in
adjusting to her new home and all the other issues she may have to confront regarding being blind. I
found very little on the Internet and so decided to just create a page on my site in regards to things
that helped/worked and those that didn't along the way. My own learning process with this so to speak.
Her first week here I kept her with her mini-nubian female friend, Amica, all day each day. I also put
some bells on Amica's collar so her location was more obvious to Amana. In the evenings I put them
in a smaller kidding stall in the garage where food, minerals, water, hay, etc was all close and readily
available and they could relax. During the day, and when I was home, I put her in our pen with our
Nigerian Dwarf goats. The first day was a little hard. The Nigerians really like to push/butt the new
goats. It's always in essence like a hazing the goats do with the newbies to establish pecking order.
With Amana though they quickly caught on something was "off" and didn't act as rough with her.
One or two butts and they stopped as their was no response other than her cries of confusion. It was
VERY hard to watch but I knew it was a ritual they would have to go through before accepting her and
I'd periodically go in and love on her and she'd relax. If I were to interrupt it they would only repeat it
the next time she was alone with them so better to get it over all at once.
By the end of the first day the worst was over. I returned her and her friend to their stall in the
garage. When I put them back in the Nigerians pen the next day they seemed to avoid her but no
longer harass her.
Whenever she is in the Nigerians pen currently I periodically go out and lead her to the water trough
to make sure she isn't thirsty and throw her own pile of hay. I am hoping eventually she'll find her
way to the hay feeder on her own. She seems to know where the water is when near it now, but our
pen is big and in a "U" shape around the garage/pole barn so it will take some time before she knows
the pen well I imagine.
Toward the end of this week she has found her own way into the indoor run into the garage and
periodically goes in there and sleeps with her buddy.
----------- WEEK 2 ------------
It is now week two and last night was her first night in the Nigerian pen all night. I went out twice and
both times she and Amica was sleeping together inside along with the other goats so they seem to
have accepted them into the herd now. I am also relieved she can find her own way into the garage. I
will though have to watch on the first real rain as I'm not sure how quickly she can find it in a panic
(as goats are often panicked to get out of the rain).
Amana is now easily getting in and out of the shelter and when the herd goes in she is right with
them. She is doing really well overall and much better then I expected. I have only one Nigerian that
doesn't seem to understand she is blind and still periodically gives her a hard time which I am hoping
will soon subside. She still doesn't seem to know how to get around the entire pen so I have to
periodically make sure she is getting water and hay.
WEEK 3
Amana can now find her way fully around the entire pen. She sometimes gets left for a moment when
the herd goes behind the barn to get to the other side of the pen but it usually takes her less than two
minutes to find her way to them. She now eats at the hay feeder with the others and is doing excellent.
I often take her out of the pen and to our driveway with is LONG and wide and sandy. She seems to
have figured out this area is clear of objects. She must recognize it by the sand. When in the driveway
she runs and plays and leaps and twists like all babies should be able to. It's such a joy to watch. I can
walk or jog and she keeps right up and isn't stressed by it. As long as she hears my footsteps she
happily follows along and romps and plays while doing so.
THE PRESENT
Amana is currently now fully settled in. She does wonderfully in the herd. I honestly never thought a
blind goat would function so normally. With most visitors who are checking out the goats I have to
point out that she is blind. She knows her pen well and gets around great. She is 95% of the time just
as quick at heading along with the herd to whatever area they are going and when she's eating and
doesn't realize they left she is able to quickly and easily find them now. I love looking out on sunny
days and seeing her happily basking in the sun with her buddies. I wasn't sure how this experience
would go when she first arrived. I pictured a nubian that would always be frantically crying due to
feeling lost, and constantly bumping into things, and often stressed. It is the complete opposite. She
gets along in life as well as the others, seems quite content and happy, and rarely ever bumps into
things. Her daily routine is the same as the other goats and she never seems unhappy or stressed. I'll
post new pictures of her in the spring when she is a young adult. :)
JANUARY 17, 2009
Amana is doing wonderfully though I am heartbroken this week as her best friend Amica died
suddenly. This last week we have had extreme weather conditions with NEGATIVE 23 degree lows and
if we are lucky zero degree highs. This lasted about a week. During this aweful weather I've been
feeding the goats indoors and all trying to help them get through it. Amica was eating fine the other
night and her usual self. No sniffles or signs of illness and no shivering. The next day when I came
home from work I thought it really odd to see Amana come out of the kids house. The kid's house is a
small playhouse for the baby goats. Being blind it is hard for her to get in and out of and the other
goats were all no where to be seen which is also odd as Amana always stays with the herd. She herd
my truck and came running out of the kids house bahhing . I went to the house let the dogs out and
went down to the barn. As I opened the door I saw Amica laying there in the straw with the others all
around. She had been dead for some time that day. She was the sweetest doe and I am going to really
miss her. I can't help but think that Amana was upset and knew and this was why she was alone in
the kids house (which is quite some distance away from the main barn entrance).
So with great sadness I said good-bye to Amica and have been trying to spend extra time with Amana
now until she builds a strong bond with one of the other goats. Whenever Amana was in distress
before Amica would come running to comfort her friend and as soon as she was there Amana would
relax.
Amana is growing doing well. When people come over now and ask which is the blind one I have to
point her out.
FEBRUARY 25, 2009
Amana is doing very well. I am noticing that her eyes in essence continue to lose their glossy
brightness and have told this is normal with blind animals. She is happy though and gets about with no
issues. She just absolutely LOVES attention and will stand ever so still while you rub on her and give
her kisses.....
Below Pic taken late February 09. She is doing great! :)
WEEK 1
I received Amana when she was around 5 months of age and around July 20, 2008. At the time she
came to live here I didn't have a lot of background on her. I called my vet the following Monday to see
if there might be anything that could be done for this little girl. With goats often Thiamine is used in
conjunction with other treatments when a goat becomes ill and loses their sight. The Thiamine helps
in treatment of a vitamin B deficiency, often brought on by the illness, and apparently a vitamin B
deficiency can lead to blindness. Generally in order for the goat to regain their sight they must be
treated with Thiamine right away. Anyway my vet prescribed a weeks worth of Thiamine injections as
they couldn't hurt her and maybe if the sight was lost not long ago she'd get it back. I also have been
giving her some Vitamin A supplements.
She came without a registered name so after some thought I decided on "Amana" as it means "trust"
in Latin and she will most likely forever have to trust her human and goat friends to guide her in the
right directions her entire life. I received Amana with two other goats, including a mini-nubian
doeling who is her little buddy. I named the mini-nubian Amica, as this means "friend".
I will also note that in terms of the degree of her blindness I believe she is almost, if not totally, blind.
I had hopes initially that she could see shadows as she was good at following me to some degree when
close by etc. However, after testing her via waving my hands etc nearby and all she would walk/run
right past me. It appears it is only the sound that she is following...of my footsteps etc. She tilts her
head and such a lot trying to listen for sounds she recognizes. When I move my hand toward her eyes
there is no blink etc.
I will also so say that this little girl will remain here forever now. I have no intention of ever selling
her and she will be loved and adored. She will probably always remain with our Nigerian goats as our
Nubians are generally in a pasture that is enclosed by a hot-wire fence and for the obvious reason I
couldn't put her out there with them. The Nigerians pen is set up with plastic coated wire fencing that
is safe for her to walk into etc. Whether she is ever bred will depend a lot upon her and if I feel she
could handle it and if she would be willing to be bred but that is later down the road. If I feel she
shouldn't be bred due to her circumstances then she will simply remain as pet. She is a very loving
doe though and loves to snuggle etc and I have a feeling she would be an adoring mother who would
love babies and to experience motherhood but again it will all depend on her and time.
Ok. So back to the story and her progress. After a few days I was able to track down the breeder but
then learned that Amana lost her sight at two weeks of age. She was born healthy and happy, with her
sight, but then she became ill, had a fever, was bloated, lost her vision, and appeared lethargic. The
owners thought she had Enterotoxemia (overeating disease) and she was treated with Penicillin and
Clostridium Perfringens Type C & D anti-toxin. Although she soon regained her health her eyesight
did not return. Thiamine was not given in conjunction with her treatment at that time. At that point
my hopes of her possibly regaining her sight dwindled as she'd lost her sight so long ago...though I
continued with her Thiamine injections until they were gone. I researched Enterotoxemia and loss of
vision does not seem to really be associated with it so it may have been that she actually had goat polio
at the time of the illness. Either way her loss of sight is not genetic nor would the illness have been
contagious in anyway. I will note too that this little girl seems to have no neurological issues as a
result of her previous illness so the illness itself was treated quickly. It is just unfortunate the poor
girl was left blind in the end.
(If you would like to read up more on these two illness please just go to yahoo.com and type the illness's
name as there are a LOT of sites out there with info on both. I linked each of the above words/illness to a
link if you would just like to see one page describing the illness in depth.)
So then I began researching "blind goats" in hopes of learning all I could in order to help her in
adjusting to her new home and all the other issues she may have to confront regarding being blind. I
found very little on the Internet and so decided to just create a page on my site in regards to things
that helped/worked and those that didn't along the way. My own learning process with this so to speak.
Her first week here I kept her with her mini-nubian female friend, Amica, all day each day. I also put
some bells on Amica's collar so her location was more obvious to Amana. In the evenings I put them
in a smaller kidding stall in the garage where food, minerals, water, hay, etc was all close and readily
available and they could relax. During the day, and when I was home, I put her in our pen with our
Nigerian Dwarf goats. The first day was a little hard. The Nigerians really like to push/butt the new
goats. It's always in essence like a hazing the goats do with the newbies to establish pecking order.
With Amana though they quickly caught on something was "off" and didn't act as rough with her.
One or two butts and they stopped as their was no response other than her cries of confusion. It was
VERY hard to watch but I knew it was a ritual they would have to go through before accepting her and
I'd periodically go in and love on her and she'd relax. If I were to interrupt it they would only repeat it
the next time she was alone with them so better to get it over all at once.
By the end of the first day the worst was over. I returned her and her friend to their stall in the
garage. When I put them back in the Nigerians pen the next day they seemed to avoid her but no
longer harass her.
Whenever she is in the Nigerians pen currently I periodically go out and lead her to the water trough
to make sure she isn't thirsty and throw her own pile of hay. I am hoping eventually she'll find her
way to the hay feeder on her own. She seems to know where the water is when near it now, but our
pen is big and in a "U" shape around the garage/pole barn so it will take some time before she knows
the pen well I imagine.
Toward the end of this week she has found her own way into the indoor run into the garage and
periodically goes in there and sleeps with her buddy.
----------- WEEK 2 ------------
It is now week two and last night was her first night in the Nigerian pen all night. I went out twice and
both times she and Amica was sleeping together inside along with the other goats so they seem to
have accepted them into the herd now. I am also relieved she can find her own way into the garage. I
will though have to watch on the first real rain as I'm not sure how quickly she can find it in a panic
(as goats are often panicked to get out of the rain).
Amana is now easily getting in and out of the shelter and when the herd goes in she is right with
them. She is doing really well overall and much better then I expected. I have only one Nigerian that
doesn't seem to understand she is blind and still periodically gives her a hard time which I am hoping
will soon subside. She still doesn't seem to know how to get around the entire pen so I have to
periodically make sure she is getting water and hay.
WEEK 3
Amana can now find her way fully around the entire pen. She sometimes gets left for a moment when
the herd goes behind the barn to get to the other side of the pen but it usually takes her less than two
minutes to find her way to them. She now eats at the hay feeder with the others and is doing excellent.
I often take her out of the pen and to our driveway with is LONG and wide and sandy. She seems to
have figured out this area is clear of objects. She must recognize it by the sand. When in the driveway
she runs and plays and leaps and twists like all babies should be able to. It's such a joy to watch. I can
walk or jog and she keeps right up and isn't stressed by it. As long as she hears my footsteps she
happily follows along and romps and plays while doing so.
THE PRESENT
Amana is currently now fully settled in. She does wonderfully in the herd. I honestly never thought a
blind goat would function so normally. With most visitors who are checking out the goats I have to
point out that she is blind. She knows her pen well and gets around great. She is 95% of the time just
as quick at heading along with the herd to whatever area they are going and when she's eating and
doesn't realize they left she is able to quickly and easily find them now. I love looking out on sunny
days and seeing her happily basking in the sun with her buddies. I wasn't sure how this experience
would go when she first arrived. I pictured a nubian that would always be frantically crying due to
feeling lost, and constantly bumping into things, and often stressed. It is the complete opposite. She
gets along in life as well as the others, seems quite content and happy, and rarely ever bumps into
things. Her daily routine is the same as the other goats and she never seems unhappy or stressed. I'll
post new pictures of her in the spring when she is a young adult. :)
JANUARY 17, 2009
Amana is doing wonderfully though I am heartbroken this week as her best friend Amica died
suddenly. This last week we have had extreme weather conditions with NEGATIVE 23 degree lows and
if we are lucky zero degree highs. This lasted about a week. During this aweful weather I've been
feeding the goats indoors and all trying to help them get through it. Amica was eating fine the other
night and her usual self. No sniffles or signs of illness and no shivering. The next day when I came
home from work I thought it really odd to see Amana come out of the kids house. The kid's house is a
small playhouse for the baby goats. Being blind it is hard for her to get in and out of and the other
goats were all no where to be seen which is also odd as Amana always stays with the herd. She herd
my truck and came running out of the kids house bahhing . I went to the house let the dogs out and
went down to the barn. As I opened the door I saw Amica laying there in the straw with the others all
around. She had been dead for some time that day. She was the sweetest doe and I am going to really
miss her. I can't help but think that Amana was upset and knew and this was why she was alone in
the kids house (which is quite some distance away from the main barn entrance).
So with great sadness I said good-bye to Amica and have been trying to spend extra time with Amana
now until she builds a strong bond with one of the other goats. Whenever Amana was in distress
before Amica would come running to comfort her friend and as soon as she was there Amana would
relax.
Amana is growing doing well. When people come over now and ask which is the blind one I have to
point her out.
FEBRUARY 25, 2009
Amana is doing very well. I am noticing that her eyes in essence continue to lose their glossy
brightness and have told this is normal with blind animals. She is happy though and gets about with no
issues. She just absolutely LOVES attention and will stand ever so still while you rub on her and give
her kisses.....
Below Pic taken late February 09. She is doing great! :)
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HILLTOP HAVENS AMANA REGISTERED PUREBRED NUBIAN DOELING ADGA#: N1460267 DOB: 02-13-2008 2011 L.A. SCORE: +VVV 85 This little doeling is simply a doll. Her name, Amana, means "trust" in Latin and this little girl puts all of her trust in her goat buddies and people to get by. Sadly, Amana was born with eyesight but is now blind. She resides with my nigerians for her own safety and because the fencing is appropriate for her blindness. Don't feel to bad though...she is quite happy here and gets around just fine. She is a love and one of my favorite goats. SEE HER STORY BELOW |
AMANA'S 2nd FRESHING UDDER
