Jessica Kurczeski used to say she didn’t have a favorite among the animals roaming her small Bucks County, Pennsylvania farm. Then along came Milkshake.
Kurczeski and husband Rick Bodine had bottle-fed the Tennessee fainting goat since birth, coddling and cuddling the kid until she was old enough and suitably strong enough to move outside with the other animals. The couple loved all of their goats, but Milkshake was special.
Born in the Spring of 2020, the goat kid was shunned by her mother soon after birth. Kurczeski and Bodine brought her into their home, calling her their “baby girl.” She’d come running when they called her name, eager for another hug or an extra treat and always first to greet them at the pasture gate each day.
But one November morning, Milkshake wasn’t wide eyed and waiting when the couple arrived with breakfast. They found her lying under a spool, barely breathing.
The couple immediately called their primary veterinarian, who told them that Milkshake needed the kind of care only doctors at the University of Pennsylvania’s (Penn) New Bolton Center had the experience, technology, and equipment to provide. During the tense hour-long drive to Kennett Square, Kurczeksi recalled a New Bolton Center staff member called to check in with the family.
“They were really concerned about Milkshake, and about me,” Kurczeski said.
As soon as she arrived at New Bolton Center – the large animal hospital of Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) – Milkshake’s emergency care team sprung into action to stabilize the kid and start a series of baseline tests.
“I’ve never seen blood work so terrible,” said Dr. Laurence Leduc, the internal medicine resident caring for Milkshake. “The results were completely incompatible with life.”
But Milkshake’s dedicated team of veterinary specialists - whose efforts were supported by the goat’s devoted owners - weren’t ready to give up.
As day turned to evening, Milkshake remained in distress. Results from an ECG showed Milkshake’s heart rate was extremely high and her heart rhythm was abnormal, suddenly spiking to 200 beats per minute, then dropping to 40 beats per minute.
“I told Jessica we were doing all we could, but to be prepared that Milkshake could die overnight,” Dr. Leduc said.
Midnight passed and Milkshake’s condition remained perilous; her heart stopped several times. Dr. Leduc placed a cot near Milkshake’s stall so she could stay by her patient’s side to provide the care the goat kid needed as soon as she needed it.
Over the next few hours, Dr. Leduc administered multiple anti-arrhythmic medications, taking quick rests as she waited to see if the drug was effective. Finally, around 4 a.m., Milkshake’s heart rate stabilized. Only then was Dr. Leduc willing to leave the kid’s side, confident in New Bolton Center’s “extraordinary team of nurses.”
“When I left, she appeared more stable, but had a long road ahead,” Dr. Leduc said.
Kurczeski woke up the next morning to a photo of Milkshake standing. “To see this picture of my baby girl was the best news I could get,” Kurczeski said.
Over the next few days, doctors monitored the atrial flutter (or irregular heart rhythm) that had presented in Milkshake’s heart with carefully managed medication. One week after she’d arrived at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center near death, Milkshake went home with a prescription for twice-daily applications of transdermal atenolol on her left ear.
A reexamination three months later showed Milkshake’s heart rhythm was normal and she no longer needed medication.
“Her heart is doing great,” Dr. Leduc said. “There are no signs her life expectancy will be different than other goats.”
“Milkshake was dying when she came into our care,” said Dr. JoAnn Slack, service chief of Cardiology and Ultrasound at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center. “Milkshake … is alive today because the pieces fell into place: The right care at the right time, the committed owners, and a patient ready to live.”
“Penn Vet is an amazing place,” said Kurczeski. “Everyone cares about the animals and the owners … I can’t say enough about how wonderful it is.”
Story written by Natalie Pompilio
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