18/07/2025
Onyx 2022-2025
Rest in peace pretty girl. We will miss you. 💔
Yesterday I had to unfortunately have Onyx euthanized. We found out when we got back from our vacation that Onyx was possibly sick. The next day I took her temperature and called the vet. She was definitely ill. The vet was able to come out right away and treated her for pneumonia, worms and Listeriosis (just in case), but thought it was probably pneumonia. Well that took care of her fever but she continued to decline, not being able to eat anything. By Thursday morning it was apparent that one side of her face was paralyzed. So I loaded her up and took her back to the vet where he told me what I kind of figured but had hoped not to hear- Listeriosis. He said it would be best to euthanize as she hadn’t responded to the treatment already given. She was literally starving to death also. Of course as much as I wanted to have her around for years to come, I didn’t want her to suffer and die a slow painful death. The vet was able to euthanize her quickly and without pain. I stayed with her til she fell asleep, telling her how loved she was and how sorry I was that I couldn’t help her get better. It’s hard not to feel like I failed her. 💔
As for how she got Listeriosis, who knows? The vet said typically it’s from eating spoiled food, moldy hay, even rotten grass in the pasture. But he said he’s seen cases where a goat got it and didn’t have any of those issues. So that remains unknown. But it’s not contagious, and no one else is at risk.
Onyx was born on our farm back in 2022. Her mother is Opal, our queen doe. Her daddy was Winston. We don’t typically keep any of our babies that are born on the farm. Onyx was such a beautiful goat though that we decided to keep her. She has such a sweet face. She was completely bonded with Opal her mother, and would get quite distressed whenever they were separated. Wednesday morning I had moved Opal into the barn to be with Onyx, and I like to think that brought her some comfort on her last day.
Onyx had twins in 2024, and triplets in 2025. She was a fantastic mother! Her babies were all adopted by the same family and are dearly loved. They all live together just down the street. ❤️
Onyx had a beautiful life, but unfortunately it was cut short. We will miss her greatly.
It’s been a hard week here. Farming can be very hard. Being human is hard. We aren’t promised an easy life here on earth. We aren’t promised health and wealth. We are promised hope and a future (for those who put their trust in Jesus)! I know that no matter what happens, things will work out for my good. God promises me that. It may not feel like it’s possible at the time but I know I can trust Him. My hope is in God. ❤️
