Orchid-goat, one of mine who I sold last year, has come back for breeding. She does not look to be in the best of shape. Literally, it's her shape that concerns me. Her back legs, which were straight when I sold her, are now set far back when she stands. They are square when viewed from the back, but from the side they slope away from her body to the knees, then straight to the ground. So she is cantilevered forward off of her lower legs rather than standing with her hips directly above them. (The problem is called "sickle hocked.")

My first thought is that she has spent way too much time on her back legs, such as when standing on a fence. But I do admit that I haven't seen this problem before, and haven't had the time to really dig into the research this evening. I'm not looking forward to learning about this, since physical structure problems in a three-year-old are going to be hard to fix.

The current owner says that she is getting feed and minerals, and her color looks ok. Her fleece is pretty matted (it's very fine, and likely has lice), and will be coming off next week. That should give me a chance to really see what she looks like, and whether a vet visit is warranted.