One of the Houston Zoo’s most special goats will likely be able to spend many more happy years delighting children and parents at the Houston Zoo, thanks to Dr. Brian Beale of Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists. Forest was born special – he had several birth defects, including a permanent head tilt and a pretty unusual walk. As he got older, it became clear that his unusual walk was becoming more and more painful for him and the Houston Zoo staff knew he would need a special touch.
That’s where Dr. Beale stepped in, and after evaluating Forest, performed surgery to correct a medial patellar luxation (MPL), as well as straighten Forest’s crooked right femur and tibia, which had not formed correclty as Forest grew. The surgery was a success, and Forest is currently recovering and spending time with his best goat friend at the Houston Zoo. It will be some time before Forest is able to rejoin the rest of his friends at the petting zoo, but things are looking up for this special goat!
