I Adopted A Lovely Baby Goat That Lost His Back Legs After Frostbite

Quite unexpectedly, Izzy dropped into my life. Izzy, named for the constant questions of “Is he going to live? Is he going to walk?” was born on a ranch in the town I grew up in.

I knew a caretaker on the ranch, and found out that one of the goats had given birth early, at -25 degrees on a cold January night. Izzy was born with a twin sister, and had an obvious disability; he couldn’t fold his legs under his body. Due to his disability, he was scheduled to be put down.

I worked with the caretaker of the property and was given authorization to rehabilitate his muscles; after building custom splints and working with Izzy through stretching and exercises, he eventually was able to regain full use of his legs!

Then one night, a second horror struck; because he had gotten mild frostbite on that first cold night of his life, he was more susceptible for future frostbite, and he sustained stage 4 frostbite that claimed both of his back legs. Again, his owners opted to put him down.

I was able to adopt Izzy, and couldn’t be happier with the decision. He lives in my apartment, cuddles with my dog, and looks forward to his bottle feedings every 4 hours! Working with a local vet, who assured me the process of losing his legs would be painless, has been a journey full of surprises. Izzy is inspirational in his adaptations and acceptance, and will soon be ready for prosthetics. He enjoys long walks in the snow, cross country skiing, and snuggles.

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