Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats

by Charlotte Busuttil

Buttercups Sanctuary is the only registered charity in the UK that’s a safe haven dedicated to rehabilitating abandoned or abused goats.

Founded in 2003, Buttercups has saved over 800 goats in 35 years. Currently 126 goats live at Buttercups and another 120 live in foster homes in Kent and East Sussex.

As goats are generally overlooked in the farming industry, the sanctuary raises awareness and promotes research into understanding this special animal known for being stubborn and full of personality.

All the goats remain in Buttercups’ care forever, enjoying a life of enrichment, expert care, pastures and fun. Taking part in many attractions and awareness days for the public that raise funds. Events include: ‘Walking with Goats’, the ‘Goaty Gallup Fun Run’, husbandry courses, and goat handling experiences.

Sanctuary Supervisor, Katie Fielder, commented:

“I have worked at Buttercups since 2014, I was working here part-time whilst studying international Agriculture at the University of Greenwich, which I graduated in 2017. My love of animals began as a small child and goats were a definite favourite from the beginning. I then began working here full-time from August 2017 and was promoted to sanctuary supervisor in 2020. This job is very rewarding as the goats are real characters. They make the day full of fun and it doesn’t feel like work. It’s a dream to be around these animals every day. I am passionate about educating the public, especially children about goats, and our attractions help with this understanding that a goat is not the same as a pet dog or cat”.

The major common condition for abandoned goats is plain neglect and a lack of love, so most of the goats that arrive at the sanctuary are very nervous and fearful of people. With no experience of being handled, they act in their “flight” response, which makes them difficult to handle.  

Buttercups provides “Incoming” health checks where common conditions, including in growing hooves, and skin conditions are treated straight away.  Overtime the Goats learn to trust humans, and love the care and attention received.

Randy arrived at the sanctuary as an entire billy in 2017 along with Anouska and Rambo another entire billy. Their incisor teeth suggested they were all around four to six years old. Randy is a big goat and has suffered from joint issues, which could have been caused by an altercation with another goat.  The sanctuary’s vet diagnosed Randy with ligament damage after X-rays didn’t reveal any fractures.  Despite casting his left front hoof to restrict his movement, he remained lame.

 Katie explained: “I was concerned about Randy’s lameness as the cast had caused swelling, and he clearly was irritated by the pain.  We had been working with Vet Nurse, Charlotte Busuttil, who volunteers at Buttercups offering veterinary physiotherapy. Helping keep the goats in tip top condition, Charlotte suggested using Photizo’s Vetcare on Randy. I was very interested to see the results as I am all about working with natural non-invasive solutions. Some goats respond negatively to pain killers, so the Vetcare offered the perfect natural solution.”

Charlotte graduated from the Royal Veterinary College as a registered veterinary nurse in 2018, completing her final year with an ‘honours’ degree in Veterinary Nursing. Her passion is to help as many animals as possible, including exotic species, and volunteering with pet and wildlife organisations.

Charlotte began volunteering at Buttercups in 2020, where she built relationships with the goats and the team. She has been helping with some of the poorly rescue goats since, and most recently trialling the Photizo Vetcare on Randy. She is also the proud guardian of one of Buttercups resident goats called Rory.  

She explained: “When I first met Randy, he had significant swelling on the lateral surface of his fetlock.  I could see that he was 8-9/10ths lame on presentation, and he was non-weight bearing on his front foreleg when he was resting. He was on both Meloxicam and Gabapentin for pan relief. As his cast hadn’t been tolerated, the swelling around the skin and the joint had been exacerbated by Randy’s interferences, which worsened his mobility. The biggest concern was that if Randy’s leg didn’t improve, euthanasia would have had to be considered.”

Combining an integrative approach to Randy’s ligament issue working on areas compensating to support his lameness. Randy took to his Photizo sessions, offering little kisses and nibbles in appreciation.

Being a big advocate of the Vetcare, Charlotte used three, of the 30 second pre-programmed doses of red and near-infrared light daily. Applying the evidence-based doses on Randy’s joints on the affected leg, and   any compensatory pain or stiffness.

After 10 consecutive days, treatment sessions were reduced to every other day, and finally after another two weeks, to bi-weekly treatment sessions.

Bearing in mind that Randy’s lameness score at the start of treatment was 8-9/10ths lame, in only two weeks, after the Photizo therapy was introduced, a re-check with the vet confirmed Randy’s lameness was dramatically reduce to 3/ 10th lameness score!

With the on-going plan to monitor Randy, weaning him off his pain medication, and maintaining his progress with the Vetcare as needed.

Since its UK launch in 2013, Photizo’s Vetcare has been shining its light in practice for animal physiotherapists, massage and naturopathic practitioners, vets and vet nurses nationwide.

The Vetcare has transformed the treatment of a host of animals from horses, dogs, cats, alpaca, tigers, swans, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, even pangolins and now goats.

As a handy portable non-invasive device, Vetcare harnesses the natural healing power of ‘Red Light Therapy’ defined as Photobiomodulation by MeSH in 2015.  

Its LED (Light Emitting Diodes) sourced red and near-Infrared light facilitates the production of energy in  the mitochondria, stimulating a cascade of biological reactions at a cellular level, including increased blood and lymph flow, which reduces pain, inflammation, whilst stimulating ATP (cellular energy).

Katie enthused: “With Randy being the first goat at Buttercups to benefit from the Vetcare, I can see how it can help many others here at the sanctuary. Not only with musculoskeletal conditions, injuries, and arthritic symptoms in the elderly goats. I believe that the Vetcare can help with wound healing and atopic conditions. I am keen to try it on some of our “red collared” goats as these are known as the unpredictable ones and it might help them relax a bit more. I noticed how Randy would relax during his sessions with Charlotte who explained there’s evidence that the Vetcare offers a calming effect.

I’m excited to see Vetcare’s effects on some skin issues and with wound healing as goats suffer from a condition known as ‘pigmy goat disease”, where they can open wounds on themselves. Goats are playful, and can get excited, which can sometimes result in a ripped ear! Also, in winter goats also suffer from Mud Fever, which creates sores and as bacterial infection can spread up from the lower limbs. I am so excited to see the benefits of integrating Photizo’s Vetcare into our daily routine and give an even better quality of life at Buttercups”.

How to Get In Touch with Buttercups Sanctuary: 

Buttercups Sanctuary: https://www.buttercups.org.uk/