I want a goat. Yes, a goat.
It all started four years ago when my sister and I went to visit my daughter, Kaki, in California. Our first few nights were spent at Windrush Farm in Petaluma, a gorgeous place owned by cookbook author Mimi Luebbermann.
Ms. Luebbermann raises goats, sheep, chickens; all sorts of livestock. She’s a great cook, too; sort of the Martha Stewart of the West. You should see the wool she spins after shearing her sheep.
But Ms. Luebberman also been known to take in injured or unwanted animals. Shortly before our visit, she’d taken in a baby goat that had been hurt when it fell off a truck. I’d never seen a baby goat before, but I fell in love with Willhemina — Willie, for short.
Willie became such a “people” goat that when she was left alone, she’d stand in the middle of the house and cry till someone came and picked her up. We fed her. When we left, we cried. But pictures were made, and one now hangs on my wall. Every time I pass by, I think of that baby goat and smile.
Willie got some international attention when my daughter Kaki took her to the Point Reyes Farmers Market when Prince Charles and Camilla came to visit. Willie ate Camilla’s flowers just as photographers were snapping pictures, and she was caught in the act. The photo appeared in newspapers around California and England. As briefly famous as she became, I will say it wasn’t one of her proudest moments.
ASK AN EXPERT
Q: What are heartworms, and why do so many dogs in the South have them?
A: Heartworm is a potentially fatal, debilitating parasite infestation transmitted through a bite from an infected mosquito. It is found primarily in dogs but also in cats and ferrets. It is common in the South because we do not have long periods of freezing cold to kill mosquitoes, so our pets can be infected year-round, putting them at greater risk.
Your veterinarian will test your dog to be sure it is not already infected and provide you with a monthly preventative treatment that must be given year-round. Even dogs that go outside only occasionally should be tested, since a mosquito can access your house or bite your pet during a quick bathroom break.
Preventatives do not kill the adult heartworms and will not cure a heartworm infection or prevent the signs of the disease from progressing once adults are present. This is why you must get a blood test before starting preventative. Once your dog is infected and the disease progresses, your pet will become lethargic, have difficulty breathing, cough and may lose interest in eating. Although the preventative is not cheap, it is very cost-effective compared to treatment.
Once a dog is infected with heartworms, the treatment actually kills worms that are living in the dog’s heart and blood vessels. During treatment, the worms are dying inside the dog’s heart and lungs. The dog requires complete rest during and for some time following the last treatment. Treatment is complex, expensive and can be fatal, depending on your dog’s worm burden (how many adults) and how much damage they have done to your pet’s health.