Contain it in something it cannot escape or injure itself in
A sick goat in a car needs a container, not a lap. A large dog crate is ideal; a deep plastic storage crate with air holes, or a livestock crate, works just as well. Line it thickly with straw, hay or old towels so the goat is cushioned, cannot scrabble on a slippery base, and any mess is absorbed rather than pooled around it. Set the crate low — in the footwell behind a seat or flat in the cargo area — and wedge it with bags or blankets so it cannot slide or tip when you brake.
Close the crate properly and check the latch twice. Even a weak goat can surprise you with a burst of strength if it panics at traffic noise, and a loose goat climbing over the seats is a danger to everyone in the car. If the goat is too big for a crate, a small livestock trailer or a van with a barred bulkhead is the safer answer; do not wrestle an adult goat into a hatchback loose.
Warmth matters more than almost anything else
Illness and shock drain a goat's body heat, and kids lose warmth fastest of all. Wrap the goat in a blanket or an old coat before it goes in the crate, tucking it around the body rather than over the face, and add extra bedding beneath it so cold cannot strike up through the car floor. Warm the car before loading if the weather is cold, keep the heating on at a comfortable level throughout, and shut vents that blow directly onto the crate.
On the journey, reach back at stops — or have a passenger check — that the goat is still covered, breathing steadily and not shivering or lying flat and unresponsive. A hot-water bottle wrapped in a towel can help a chilled kid on a longer drive, but never place heat directly against an animal that cannot move away from it.
Drive like you are carrying eggs, and phone ahead
Set off gently, brake early and take bends slowly; a sick goat cannot brace itself, and being thrown against the crate bars adds injuries to illness. If you have not already, phone the clinic once you are loaded so they know what is coming and can be ready — and phone again from the road, hands-free, if the goat collapses, starts bloating visibly, or its breathing becomes laboured, because the vet may want you to stop, reposition it sternal, or divert to a nearer practice.
Take someone with you if you possibly can. One person driving and one watching the goat means deterioration is spotted in minutes rather than at the next fuel stop, and there is a second pair of hands for carrying the crate in at the other end without jolting it.
Arrive with the story the vet needs
The most useful thing you carry, after the goat, is its recent history: when it last ate and drank, what its droppings have looked like, whether it has kidded, been wormed or changed feed recently, and how long it has been unwell. Write it down in the car park if you have not already — under stress, owners forget the detail that turns out to matter. Carry the crate in level, set it down in the waiting area, and keep the blanket over it so the goat stays warm and dark while you book in.
A KinsLe Pet Passport keeps a goat's vaccination, worming and kidding records together in one portable packet, so the history the vet asks for is on your phone rather than in a drawer at home.