Sponsor Meera in our Goat Stewardship Program

Meera has been Sponsored for the 2026/2027 Season!
Check out the other available goats here!

Meera is an incredibly special and unique animal.
Meera is a 3 legged 7 year old Nigerian Dwarf goat who often serves as Apothecandys unofficial mascot, travelling with me to educational opportunities and events because she is just such a patient and calm treat to be around.  

Meeras Story
cw: Injury and mild peril

This calm, sweet girl is an incredible mother and a fierce fighter, not one to let her lack of a 4th leg stop her from doing the things she wants. She wasn't always a tripod, she was a regular part of the herd, born one cold February evening she suffered some mild frostbite to her ear tips giving her a distinctive shorter rounded ear.  She grew up as a part of my regular milkers, not a big producer but always happy to jump up on the milking stand and have her turn.

A few years back on a snowy December night the goats were out in the woods and decided to take a shortcut back to the shelter,  jumping the fence between two pastures  (as goats do).  I went out to do my evening checks and tuck everyone in but didn't do a headcount that night, all seemed well. 
The next day I went out to feed the goats and there is Meera munching away, but one of her legs was lifted off the ground, a quick inspection showed me that she was injured with a compression / tourniquet type injury completely encircling her rear right leg above the pastern (ankle area).  Scooping her up I whisked her into the house where we sat together on the floor while I assessed her injuries, finding a cold lower leg with lack and blood flow but thankfully no pain from the  severing of nerves, we sat together that night and  shared a dark beer (this is actually beneficial to their rumen as well as being delicious) unsure of what was to come. 

The light of the next morning and the snow cover on the ground allowed me to follow her path, marked by the unsteady gait of a dragging limb, led me to find exactly what had happened. She clearly never made that fence jump with the rest of the herd. getting her leg caught, I could see the impression on the snow where she struggled to free herself. I believe she spent that entire night out there, I will forever carry the weight of the guilt of not realizing she wasn't in the shelter that night. Fortunately, being the tenacious and food motivated creature she is, she was able to free herself and came hobbling all the way back for snacks.

At first the vet and I were going to wait and see whether she would regain the use of her leg, treating with antibiotics and pain management. But it became clear that the extent of her injury had cut off blood flow and nerves from her foot.  I decided that amputation would be in her best interest.  Now vets don't do a lot of livestock amputations, unfortunately some farmers do not see the value in an injured animal so we had no idea how she would fare and recover but it was worth a shot.  
Call me a bleeding heart, but she was healthy and happy, and fought to free herself so I was going to fight for her. 

She came through the surgery and recovery with flying colours and spent that entire winter living in a small pen in the front entrance of our house. She was a perfectly polite house guest, always quiet and appreciative of all the fruit and veggie scraps from the kitchen. I started to let her out during the day to go spend the sunny afternoons with the herd  and practice walking until eventually she was able to move out full time.
That spring, to my surprise, she gave birth to two beautifully tiny baby girls, that sneaky pete had been pregnant the whole time, through the injury and surgery. 
I decided that she would be retired from milking and just able to live freely here, we had been through so much together our bond forever unbreakable. 

Of course she had other plans and would not accept not being a part of the regular milking routine (perhaps its the copious amounts of treats the goats are given during milking that is the real draw). So with no pressure or expectations from her, she still insists on not only being milked but being one of the first goats to be milked in order.  

There is a chance that she may experience more difficulties later in life due to her 3 legs, but for now I just make sure she is happy and healthy and cared for.
If you want to ensure Meeras ongoing needs are never a concern and form a special connection with this amazing lady, consider sponsoring her through our Goat Stewardship Program!

Meera is eligible for sponsorship levels 1, 2, and 3 as I will not put the pressure on her to produce enough (or any) milk to make soap)