Sapphire Moon Farm

04/24/2026

Unfortunately, I lost my little Moose last night. Cori & I are devastated.
Moose fought so hard to live for 10 days, and kept doing a rollercoaster of good days & bad days. She actually seemed to be doing better yesterday (breathing was pretty darn good) but she had some belly pain over the last 24 hours. I was able to keep her comfortable & she actually seemed better last night, until she had a sudden episode of belly pain severe enough that I had to sedate her to keep her comfortable. I am so thankful my wonderful vet had given me some sedative to give her just in case her situation went south, so I could keep her comfortable until I could get her back to the vet. I gave her a small dose to knock her out & she rested comfortably until she passed away a short time later.

04/20/2026

I have some more good news on my little problem child . . . She finally learned how to cough!
This is a game changer, because she can now clear her own airway. And this means I may hopefully be able to sleep in longer than 30 minute intervals tonight!

04/20/2026

I swear this kid has 9 lives & is burning through them fast, but she is still alive & doing much better this morning!

Such a rollercoaster! She goes downhill and acts like she is ready to give up about every other day, then bounces back & does well the next.

Part of her issue is she still has a bunch of gunk in her lungs & it is tough for her to clear it because she doesnt really know how or have the instinct to cough yet. She slings & shakes her head to clear her airway, which works sometimes & not others. When she is unable to clear her airway on her own I have the challenging task of trying to help. That involves steam sessions (turning my bathrooom into a steam room & also adding a bit of eucalyptus and mint vapors to help open her airway), coupage (firmly patting her chest with a cupped hand to help breakup & expel the gunk in her airway), suctioning her throat with an ear bulb syringe, coffee to help open airway & give her motivation/energy to try to live (yes this was actually recommended by my vet!), as well as medications (antibiotics, Dexamethasone, cough syrup, banamine, sucralfate). She required constant supervision & assistance most of the day yesterday, but started improving late last night & and only needed help intermittantly through the remainder of the night. (Looks like I will have house goats a bit longer 🤣). She is eating well again & is much stronger this morning. Hopefully she stays on that path & doesnt throw me another curve ball, because I am absolutely exhausted from not getting hardly any sleep since she was born.

04/20/2026

Moose had a great day yesterday, but has unfortunately crashed yet again. Her lungs were doing well enough that the vet had me stop Dexamethasone Friday in case is was causing ulcers and contributing to her belly pain. Her belly was feeling much better yesterday & she had a great day. But apparently her lungs were not ready for the dex to stop & she was struggling to breathe this morning. She is back on Dex, and cough syrup but is very congested & struggling to breath. She is also exhausted & just doesnt have much fight left in her. This poor kid could use whatever good juju anyone wants to send her way. I dont think she is going to make it through the night.

04/19/2026

The NWODGA is looking for volunteers for the upcoming show in June. This is a great opportunity for individuals who are interested in getting into showing to come check out a show without having to prep your animals! Also a great way to meet local breeders & see some of the top quality dairy goats the Pacific Northwest has to offer if you are interested in getting dairy goats. If you are interested in volunteering, please follow instructions on the post below to contact my friend Traci!

Northwest Oregon Dairy Goat Association (NWODGA) is a non-profit dairy goat club dedicated to promoting, educating, and supporting dairy goat owners.

04/18/2026

Another baby Moose update. She had another rough night last night & I thought I was going to lose her, but again she has bounced back. This kid apparently doesn't want me to sleep! Her breathing improved last night, but she started having severe belly pain after eating. She was feeling lousy & seemed like she was ready to give up and the cold weather was not helping. I sat out in the barn with a blanket over her until I finally decided to setup a makeshift goat pen in the house & bring her & Cori in so I could try to rest my eyes for at least a couple hours before work. They were good house guests & were very quiet & let me get some sleep. And once Moose moved into a warm room she decided she was going to try to live again.

My wonderful vet came back out today and took an x-ray to help determine what is going on. The good news is her lungs are looking pretty good. She still has a little congestion in some areas on the x-ray, but it wasnt too concerning & she said her lungs sounded really good. The x-ray also confirmed she does not have a blockage, which was my biggest fear. She has some gas in her belly so she suspects she has a bit of a clostridial infection and maybe some ulcers due to all the meds she had to be on for her lung congestion. My vet was pretty optimistic about her outlook. She has a new treatment plan with different medications to continue treating the residual lung congestion, but with a greater focus on her belly pain. Hopefully she will start feeling better soon. And hopefully I can finally get a bit of sleep tonight!
Its a good thing this little stinker is so adorable & sweet, because she is getting very expensive!

04/16/2026

Baby Moose update . . .

She is still alive. She had a rough day yesterday, so my vet came out and started her on some additional medications, which of course take some time to work. Last night she was feeling pretty terrible & seemed to lose the will to live & desire to eat. I honestly didnt think she would be alive when I went out to check on her this morning, but to my surprise she was up walking around and acting a lot better.

Her condition is still quite critical, as she still has a lot of gunk in her lungs that is imparing her breathing. The amount of improvement she is showing since last night has me cautiously optimistic though. She has been eating quite well today, and acting pretty much like a normal goat other than her labored breathing. She is nibbling on straw & when she hears me she perks up & starts talking to me.

Moose weighed 5.3 # at about 24 hours old. She is extremely wide through the heart girth & rib cage too. The circumference of her heart girth is 13". For reference Marietta's doe kid who is 2 weeks old has a 12.5" heart girth, and her buck kid is 14.5". I have included a couple pictures of Moose standing next to Marietta's 2 week old doe kid for comparison.

04/15/2026

Sapphire moon Coriander kidded yesterday. Unfortunately it was another difficult kidding. Cori is doing well, other than being sore & tired. Cori was huge and uncomfortable prior to kidding & I was sure she had at least 3 kids in there, but there was just one giant doe kid, trying to enter the world upside down.

I am calling the baby Moose until I think of a better name (though Moose may just stick if she survives). She aspirated really bad on birth fluids & her lungs are not in good shape at all. She is a big strong girl who has a lot of will to live though, and aside from having a very tough time breathing, she is acting quite good and eating very well. My vet has her on several meds to try to prevent pneumonia and clear her lungs. I am hoping for the best, but I am very worried about her.

Another huge thank you goes out to my wonderful friend Marybeth Bullington who was able to get Moose out of Cori safely.

04/06/2026

I got a few more pictures of Marietta & her kids enjoying the sunshine this weekend.

04/05/2026

I got results for another Congenital Myotonia test.

Sapphire Moon BI Shasta Daisy is negative (not a carrier).

This test, combined with the 3 bucks I already posted results for confirms the following goats are also negative, as neither parent is a carrier.

Sapphire Moon JGH Marietta
Sapphire Moon JGH Buttercup
Sapphire Moon JGH Marigold
Sapphire Moon JGH Daphne
Sapphire Moon JGH Goldenrod
Sapphire Moon ADU Nutmeg
Sapphire Moon ADU Ginger
Sapphire Moon ADU Saffron
Sapphire Moon ADU Wasabi
Sapphire Moon ADU Armani
Sapphire Moon SG Coriander
Sapphire Moon SG Rosemary
Sapphire Moon ST Pepe Le Pew
Sapphire Moon G Laurel
Sapphire Moon PLP Selma

Marietta & Coriander's 2026 kids can also be confirmed negative based on parentage.

04/03/2026

Sapphire Moon JGH Marietta had buck/doe twins very early this morning. Not the easy labor I was hoping for, but my amazing friend Marybeth was able to get the big buck kid rearranged & pointed in the right direction, and his much smaller sister followed pretty quickly after that.

Of course Marietta kidded around 2 am duing a horrible rain storm, but the funny part about that is Marietta was also born very early in the morning during a horrible rain storm - the worst rain storm I have ever seen in my area. Thankfully the rain last night was not as extreme as it was the night Marietta was born!

These kids are sired by Sapphire Moon ST Pepe Le Pew. Doe kid is retained. Buck kid will be available as a buck or wether. He is a very nice looking boy & I would like to keep him myself, but he is too closely related to my does to use here.