[plumseverywhere]

And that is  point that my eldest daughter (now only 10) made so rightly Mad goatlady.  When you do only have a few pet goats its very different how you feel.
I would say get some numbers at hand for collection companies. Ask local goat people who they would recommend based on what we have chatted about here perhaps. Even ask your vet if they know of a good one. You want one who won't leave you waiting for several days (like I had once when I lost Avocet)
Have an idea in your head of how you will deal with the death eg. if your goat dies naturally on your premises (or is PTS there) some recommend leaving the body for a while so the other animals know they have died and not been taken by a predator - if the body is whisked away too quickly then the others become stressed thinking they are under potential attack too.
Keep your list in your holding register so it is easy to find and you will need to fill in the register after collection too.

[plumseverywhere]

And a huge thank you to everyone because last night I actually slept all night (apart from the fireworks lol) and I truly believe that being listened to and understood by my friends here was the reason I actually did   

[HappyHippy]

And that is  point that my eldest daughter (now only 10) made so rightly Mad goatlady.  When you do only have a few pet goats its very different how you feel.

Hate to disagree, but....
My Dad was running a 100 head herd of beef cattle (I've always considered him a 'proper' farmer in the commercial sense) but he knew each of his cows by sight. I always remember a story he told me about having a cow start to get ill on the day before Xmas eve (many years ago now) The vet told him if he took it to slaughter that day it would be okay, but otherwise the carcass would be a 'dead loss'. He duly loaded the cow and set off. It was busy at the abattoir, it was almost finishing time and the guys were hanging on for him. As he unloaded and got the cow to the bottom of the trailer ramp the slaughterman came out and 'dropped' the cow right there in front of him - despite having farmed all his life and seeing many deaths this one really got to him. He's never taken another animal to slaughter since then  (until he had to accompany me with my first batch of pigs, and it was on the way home that he told me the story)

Moral of the story - you either care or you don't, I don't think the number of animals you have affects that 

Glad you got a good sleep Lisa 

[hughesy]

[

Yes it is part of farming dealing with death however the whole point of rearing animals is to raise them healthy and then have an end product.  Don't know what your plan was for your pig but if you were having the meat back then you've missed out on that, so this is the difference.  Yes end result is the same, death of the animal but what you got in the end isn't the same  For farmers making a living you need as many animals as you can to make it 
[/quote]

Obviously yes but that isn't what this thread is about. Which raises the question, are people upset about the animal dying, because they've lost money on the deal, or just because they've seen something unpleasant in the back of a lorry?

[feldar]

I am sorry you had such a bad time, Plums
 I have to say our fallen stock man is an absolute gem. we leave a dead sheep at a certain place and he picks it up , always rings to say he's coming. We had a poorly ewe 2 days ago and she did rally round and then went down hill again, our vet said there was no more we could do for her . We came in that morning to find her stretched out near dead so we called the knackerman. He said he was close by and would be there shortly.
We were going to shoot her but he was there so quickly we loaded her in the tractor box and took her out to him, he had her shot before we had even climbed down from the tractor.
On the load that day were cows and a pony and we had some dead lambs too. i think we get used to seeing dead animals in the Forest there are a lot of road kills here with the Ponies and Deer.
 I don't think it means you're daft when it affects you it just means you care.I don't like to see it but it doesn't affect me badly when i do, i would always prefer people to put an animal down rather than let it suffer
We are very lucky in this area to have sensitive people to deal with this sort of thing. I feel for anyone who doesn't

[Sylvia]

This is something I'm dreading.  My older goat will be eleven in April and is a pet as much as livestock.  When dogs die or are put to sleep, the vet takes them off to be cremated.  I know it's silly and, once she dies, it's only a dead animal but it's the thought of what will happen to her.  I would bury her in the garden if I had enough space and the energy to dig a deep enough hole.

Funnily enough, the thought of eating Curry doesn't have the same effect even though he seems to have realised what's coming and is turning sweet again.  Maybe it's because I have psyched myself up to thinking of him a potential meat.

Plums I do feel your distress.   

Our local knacker yard also run a pet crem. They do anything from a hampster to a horse and do it so nicely. Pricey, mind you for big animals or tiny ones. If anyone who wants a private cremation i.e. a single animal rather than a lot put in together they are invited to watch the procedure to make sure.
Sal has done all my dogs and with the utmost care and dignity.

[little blue]

some recommend leaving the body for a while so the other animals know they have died and not been taken by a predator - if the body is whisked away too quickly then the others become stressed thinking they are under potential attack too.

Definitely true ... when we have lost cats, dogs, rabbits, Margo the goat, Murphy the pig and piglets - all have been left a short while, and the others have come up to sniff them.
Its very hard to describe without sounding sentimental or anthropromorphise BUT, it is as if they want to check them and say goodbye, all very calm and serene, even the lairy ones.
When Margo was taken away, Cesar & Geraldine both stood up to the fence to watch, and were very quiet (unusual for them!)

We have even had a cat sit with a paw on the burial site of the old dog, and where my in-laws' ashes are.
Usually the cats see upturned soil as a potential toilet... but not there!

[Lesley Silvester]

some recommend leaving the body for a while so the other animals know they have died and not been taken by a predator - if the body is whisked away too quickly then the others become stressed thinking they are under potential attack too.

Definitely true ... when we have lost cats, dogs, rabbits, Margo the goat, Murphy the pig and piglets - all have been left a short while, and the others have come up to sniff them.
Its very hard to describe without sounding sentimental or anthropromorphise BUT, it is as if they want to check them and say goodbye, all very calm and serene, even the lairy ones.
When Margo was taken away, Cesar & Geraldine both stood up to the fence to watch, and were very quiet (unusual for them!)

We have even had a cat sit with a paw on the burial site of the old dog, and where my in-laws' ashes are.
Usually the cats see upturned soil as a potential toilet... but not there!

Absolutely.  We had to have our GSD Gurney, PTS nearly 3 years ago.  He and Daisy dog were an item and she ran round for days looking for him.  I wished then that we had taken her to the vets to say goodbye to him.

Plums, thanks for your advice.  I will speak to someone tomorrow and get some numbers.  I'm glad you slept better.