On Sunday, May 25, I went out to feed our horses and noticed one of our goats, “Mary,” lying on her side and all four legs flopping violently.

Her eyes were rolled back and she appeared to be frothing at the mouth. I called the At Home Vet service out of Fall City, and he was here in 20 minutes. He asked what I wanted him to do, and I said I don’t want her to suffer, so euthanize her.

At the same time my wife had called a neighbor, Carole, from Daisy Hill Alpaca Farm. She said our goat had symptoms of polio—different from that of humans, but still debilitating and possibly deadly.

The vet had not heard of polio in goats but he was still willing to administer thiamine (Vitamin B), which is the treatment for goat polio, as well as an antibiotic and steroid to help with symptoms and other possible causes.

Within an hour, Mary was trying to get up on her feet.

It takes a village—thank you, Bob from At Home Vet and Carole at Daisy Hill Alpaca Farm.

George Storrs

Snoqualmie