Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

Yes it is her Birthday!!

Happy bday.

 

[farmerjan]

Just a quick update... Things with Betsy are not good. She wound up being down on Monday afternoon ...., had the vet out Monday , and again today... Milk fever, possible pneumonia/respiratory that none of us heard on Sunday getting her in... also possible coliform or kelbsiela mastitis, as one quarter looked watery...Dehydration.... lots of problems. Told DS not to get the calves on Monday on the way home from taking the bull, as I was here with the vet.
She has tried to get up and fell over twice doing it... has drug herself around the pen a bit all which is good. anything to show she is making an effort. to help get more moisture/fluids in her, besides the IV's.
Today, we pumped her "stomach" with a mixture of nutritional stuff and a 5 gal bucket of water mixed in... plus IV hpertonic saline which will actually cause her blood to pull fluids from her body... make her blood more "liquid"... Not counting the cmpk and antibiotics in the vein also.
Calf is taking a bottle without any problem... don't know how much colostrum she had gotten, and I did not have any to thaw... plus needed to get fluids in the calf so she would not dehyrate after the cow went down.

Since she has alot of age on her...if we manage to get her back on her feet... this is her last lactation. I didn't think so much about her age when she got bred... and should have... but she did so well through her dry off time, and was acting good when we brought her up, I figured that NOT giving her a concentrated diet right off, it should help to prevent a big problem..

DS had to half drag, half lift her with a chain and rope and her halter with the hydrobed truck arms.. etc... to get her up away from the board fence in the pen because it is sloped right down to it... making it very difficult for her to attempt to get her feet under her and up... she is up near the barn close to the flatter ground... hoping in the morning if she is trying to get up/drag herself... she is "aimed" up hill so would go in that direction... If she tries and falls over... anything is possible..

I can borrow a set of hip lifts, which clamp around the hip bones and lifts them up... sometimes they are godsends, and sometimes they can cause nerve damage...

After getting all this stuff in her, it needs to work a bit too... so maybe tomorrow morning will be the charm...

We are cloudy, with a couple light sprinkles that barely get your shirt wet... does not look like it will be much at all.
Had another 1st calf heifer have a calf... there are 3 more left there to calve, and it will probably be 2-3 weeks at least... they were checked preg but only 3 months to the rest that have calved that were checkled 5 and 4 months. at the time...... 2 are due to the same bull as all the rest.. the one young cow is bred to the same bull as Betsy was... and I think she will be the next to calve... but I am not looking for babies for a couple weeks probably.

I think they had another calf at the farm.

Inbetween this, on Monday, morning, we dug up the pipe at the rented pasture where there was an issue with the low spring, turning on the well to fill troughs and then having standing water... this spot has always been a little greener... and I think it has been leaking a little bit for years... he had to get some parts... and planned to put it back together then leave and go take the bull... Then I went to the pasture, and found Betsy down... DS came to help get her away from where she was lodged against the fence. While I waited for the vet, I made a bottle for the calf, and he went to work on the pipe... Came back and the vet was there with me, so he wound up going to take the bull himself... I called him after a bit and told him to NOT go get the calves... and I called them to tell them that the cow was down with milk fever so I was not going to get them right now....

The "fixed" pipe was dripping a smidgeon... so he had to go back and change things , cut a longer piece to splice in... and we will see... ditch is open and going to stay open for awhile... no cows in that section... and see if it leaks before he fills it all back in...

I did not go with him to the dr appt today. Went to the cow early, then decided to call the vet back out... he said he could be there after noon or so... I went and ran a couple errands after feeding the calf and she drank a 1/2 bucket of water... but definitely needed more "treating"... Stopped at the muffler place and they said they could fit it around 2:30 today, or it would be next week. DS said he would look at it after I found out about the parts etc... YEAH.... not waiting for 6 months... I said I would do my best to be there... or would call... I want to take the explorer this Saturday to Gilman's poultry swap...or else I would have to unload all the meters out of the outback... or the feed that is in the back of the forester..... would take my little 2wd ranger, but he hasn't fixed it YET....
So, vet got to the barn about 12:15... left at 1:15 or shortly thereafter.. I was in town at 2:05 and they took it in pretty fast... and it was done and I was on my way home at 3:15.... Came to the pasture, DS and GF had come in to tag the calf that was born on the other heifer... and helped get Betsy moved and all...
then they left and I came home; made a bottle and went back up. Calf drank good, Betsy had drunk some more water so put more in a 5 gal black rubber tub... and tried to entice her with a little grain but she was not interested... and finally came on home.

I will go up tomorrow morning, take a bottle, and assess the situation... Maybe getting all this fluid in her system will help rehydrate her and get things working better...

I have to test Wed, Thurs and Fri afternoons now... Next Monday got moved up to Friday as they are going to be chopping corn... and I will see about getting some places scheduled for next week.

I'm tired, going to get a shower and get some sleep.

 

[farmerjan]

And yes, it was my birthday... not one I want to repeat....
But ......

THANK YOU for remembering it...

 

[drstratton]

And yes, it was my birthday... not one I want to repeat....
But ......

THANK YOU for remembering it...

Happy Birthday!

 

[Baymule]

@HomeOnTheRange remembers important days.

I hope Betsy pulls through. Poor old girl. It doesn't sound like a very happy birthday for you. I sure hope today it is a better day.

 

[Mini Horses]

for Betsy.

 

[drstratton]

I hope Betsy is doing better today Jan!

 

[farmerjan]

Betsy is gone. Not totally surprised... Sometimes it is smarter to not go to such heroic or expensive measures.

Sprinklely rain, barely covering the bottom of the rain gauge. Looks to fizzle out .

Got to get things ready to go test this afternoon. Now have another farm that wants to test next week. Gonna be a crummy day.