Vinnie to the Rescue
Ever since we moved to this property, I’ve been worried about the cows. Because they have access to the back area and the forest – which is a happy place for cows – but a worrisome place for me. I worry that if they ever end up hurt and can’t get up, how on earth are we going to manage to get a tractor back there to help lift them!
Then on top of that worry, Peanut presented with an open sore under her neck in March that mystified us. How did that happen? We tried to treat it, but Peanut runs whenever she sees a white face cloth, a spray bottle, bucket of warm water or even a tiny tube of polysporin. It’s actually not the item, it’s our body language. Even if we think we’re acting very cool, she sees right through us with our hidden agenda which is, we want to help you!
The sore kept getting better and then would open up again. And another small sore appeared on her cheek. Then in December, her right cheek blew up like a balloon. We started her on daily meloxicam and it was time to call the vet.
That’s when Dr. Fawcett came out. I wrote about this in my Animal Chatter Newsletter:
https://mailchi.mp/ad9d94499b7b/animal-chatter-dec
Now, there was nothing we could do except wait for the abscess to burst which were told it would not be pretty.
This was a scary sight – for two weeks, every morning it looked like it had snowed. There were pockets of white all over the cow shelter. Peanut had excessive drooling, had trouble chewing hay and was losing weight. We immediately began giving her high calorie, high nutrient meals 4 x day and changed her hay to high calorie, soft second cut. I called the vet for an emergency vet consult over the phone. After reviewing the photos and video and talking with me, Dr. McCrae thought it might be Lumpy Jaw. We were hoping it wasn’t cancer, but I had never heard of Lumpy Jaw. I learned that it is a very serious bacteria that affects the jaw bone. It cannot be reversed, but we can inhibit further bacterial growth in the bone with IV doses of sodium iodine.
I’ve been desperately trying to find a squeeze shoot ever since Dr. Fawcett’s visit in December and now it was an emergency to get one. I tried for two months and then our volunteer, Jen Smith put the call out to her horse peeps and found one in two days! A local horse stable said we could borrow their shoot and her son, Vinnie, would deliver it to us!
Now we just needed to coordinate getting the squeeze shoot delivered and set up at the same time as a vet visit…..
I agonized and strategized for months about getting a squeeze shoot and getting Peanut into it…..
On Friday morning she walked right in! She trusts us!
Peanut has already won all of us volunteers over, but she gained new fans on Friday with her gentleness and loving nature.
Dr. Fawcett checked inside her mouth and determined that it was an abscess and not Lumpy Jaw. Such good news. He gave her 4 long-lasting antibiotic shots to fight the infection and explained that the sores under her chin and cheek were actually the burst abscess working its way out of her body. There was no need to treat them. It was best to let them be. So now, we’ll just monitor the sores and her eating.
I was crying happy tears and there were hugs all around when Peanut was released from the shoot and Vinnie started to load up the squeeze shoot back onto his truck.
I realized later that day that I had been holding onto a lot of stress these past two months and especially this week. Now a day later, I am so proud of our little farm that does whatever it takes to get the best care for our animals. This usually means we have to think outside the box and learn as we go along. I am also telling myself to be kinder to myself knowing that we have an amazing community and all I need to do is ask for help.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Keryn & Peanut
