Barry the goat came to Finnis Ark Animal sanctuary (a local registered charity) at the end of 2022 after being quite unwell. He came along with his pal Brian (another goat) to live out their lives with us and the security of us providing a safe forever home.

Once his health improved again and after a period of worsening lameness of his left forelimb we decided to investigate further. Barry’s carpus (knee joint) was very swollen and it was noted that the joint was hyperextended and unstable when he was weight bearing. We took some X-rays that revealed that Barry has subluxation of his distal carpal joints - likely the result of septic arthritis as a youngster and subsequent joint collapse. Sadly Barry’s only chance to live pain free is a carpal arthrodesis - an operation in which metal plates are screwed in place above and below the knee to fuse the joint and allow him to weightbear comfortably.

Barry is still young and a friendly, happy goat. Sadly there are no other options for him and like all operations this one carries its risks but we believe he deserves this chance to live a full life and comfortably.