🐐 Help Us Save Benji

A special goat. A critical fight. A second chance at life.

💔 Benji has been through so much—and he’s not done fighting yet.

Benji came to Outsiders Farm & Sanctuary after his elderly guardian became too ill to care for him. He had been living inside a home, wearing a diaper and eating table scraps and alfalfa—dangerous foods for male goats that can lead to fatal urinary and digestive issues.

After his goat companion passed and Benji's condition declined, the family reached out for help. We knew immediately something was wrong.

When Benji arrived, he was severely dehydrated. His rumen (the part of a goat’s stomach that breaks down food) had completely shut down. His digestive system had dried up and hardened, forming a painful blockage. He was unable to eat or drink and quickly spiked a fever of 104°F.

We rushed him to the University of Georgia Veterinary Hospital (UGA), where his condition continued to deteriorate. He was so backed up that he began sneezing stomach contents. UGA staff inserted a nasal tube to relieve pressure and drain fluid, stabilizing him enough to stay overnight.

🏥 The First Hospitalization

Benji was initially admitted for 24-hour emergency care with an estimate of $1,500–$2,500, and a possible $5,000 surgery if his condition didn’t improve. 

We had to act fast—borrowing $1,250 from our Summer Fund just to get him through the night.

But Benji's journey turned out to be far more serious than anyone expected.

He remained hospitalized at the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital for nearly three weeks, undergoing two abdominal surgeries just one week apart to treat life-threatening blockages in his digestive tract.

The first surgery revealed nearly nine pounds of foreign material in his stomach—plastic bags, disposable diaper pieces, mop strings, carpet fibers, and more. After contacting his previous family, we learned that when his elderly guardian was hospitalized, Benji had been left trapped alone inside the home. In desperation, he had eaten whatever he could to survive.

Just one week after the first surgery, Benji became blocked again—this time from the recovery food provided at the hospital. His digestive system had been so badly damaged by the foreign material that it couldn’t function normally. He required a second emergency surgery, followed by intensive care, a blood transfusion, and a carefully monitored refeeding protocol.

It was touch and go, but Benji never stopped fighting. And he never stopped showing us that he wants to live.

⚠️ May 4th Update: A Terrifying Setback

After a week back home at the sanctuary and slowly settling into a new routine and just 3 days after a re-check at the hospital, Benji suddenly collapsed in his paddock. He was found disoriented, tangled near his teeter-totter, and in clear distress. His gums were pale, his energy was gone, and Corrine rushed him back to UGA without hesitation.

"As we pulled up to the main gate, he was no longer responsive. I told them to do CPR. They whisked him away, and after what felt like forever, the doctors came back—they had resuscitated him. His blood sugar had dropped to a dangerously low level."

There are two possible causes:

• A sudden inability to regulate blood sugar, common in young goats (just like our beloved Johnny experienced).

• Or, the loss of nutrition through his rumenostomy site, which had recently been unplugged as part of his recovery.

Doctors are still working to determine what went wrong. But for now, Benji is back in the ICU with a central line placed and is being carefully monitored. His new care estimate is $3,000–$4,000, and we’ve already had to place a $2,000 deposit.

🛑 We’re out of emergency funds.

❤️ But we won’t give up on Benji.

The veterinary team made it clear: there would be no judgment if we chose not to proceed, given the cost. But how could we stop now? He just came back from the dead.

Benji wants to live. He’s already defied the odds.

Now we need your help to give him a real chance at recovery.

🐐 Your Donation Will Help:

• Cover Benji’s ICU care at UGA

• Restore the emergency funds we had to borrow

• Ensure Benji can receive ongoing treatments, nutrition, and pain management

• Give him the peaceful, joyful life he was meant to live

🙏 Please Donate to Benji's Medical Fund

Every gift matters. Every dollar is hope.