Work has been quite busy in recent months. Despite the Coronavirus stay-at-home orders, the farm animals still have needs in the spring. The schedule was packed today and we had an emergency call midday for a cow that was calving. We were told she was tied with a rope to a side-by-side ATV. We drive through the creek and rutted-out road up into a pasture with a few donkeys and cows. We follow the owner on his tractor back to the end of the fence line where we see the cow standing with a dead calf’s head visible under her tail. We also found the ATV with a rope tied to it and the farm dog sitting next to it in the shade. The cow had broken the rope.
The owner grabs his rope and starts walking toward the cow and she starts to mosey away. Down the bank and into the creek she goes. I grab a small syringe loaded with a sedative and walk down to the creek. The cow starts to walk up creek and I run around and get in front of her, filling my boots with water on the way. As I get in front of her shoulder she turns away, and with her rump facing me, I jabbed the needle into her leg and give the sedative. She takes off up the bank and back to the pasture to rejoin the herd.
We wait. No sign of slowing down. I approach with a rope, and she bolts. I was only 10 minutes from my house so I told the guy I would go pick up my dart gun and return. When I got to the house, I start assembling the dart and realize I’m out of charges and won’t be able to use the gun.
My trusty pole syringe was still broken from a night call sedating another wack-a-doodle cow in labor a few weeks ago. But, my wife informs me we have another paint stick, we just have to get the broken plastic out of the syringe adapter on the broken setup. No problem, I tell myself, I’ll just burn it out with my propane torch. No propane in the tank. So over to the grill I go. Finally in luck, a nearly full tank. It worked like a charm. Back to the farm we go with a functional pole syringe to hit her with more drugs from a distance.
When we arrive back at the farm, the cow is laying lateral – snoozing with a halter on her head, tied to the ATV. My initial sedative kicked in! We propped her up, removed the calf’s head, and delivered the rotten thing.
And just when I’m thinking I can finally wrap up this whole ordeal, it happened. Those famous words that make me more unreliable than the cable guy. “While you’re here, Doc.”
“I’m almost ashamed to ask you, but could you look at this donkeys feet for me, Doc?” Guard donkeys are known for being treated like the cows – which unfortunately means they don’t get any preventative care or hoof attention with any regularity. It’s not true every where, but we see it frequently. We walk over to this friendly jenny and look at her toes. Impressive. The hoof wall has rolled under the sole and the donkeys toes have grown upward and have started to curve like Dutch shoes.
I sedate the donkey and pull out an angle grinder, reciprocating saw, gigli wire, and all the farrier tools – nippers, knife, rasp. The owner is a great guy, and he was embarrassed. As much as I wanted to fuss, it would not accomplish anything. He knows he did wrong by the donkey, but he has finally asked for help. We got things cut way back and we’ll be going back in 4 weeks to finish and help another donkey in the pasture with similar issues. I didn’t take photos of the animals, but I did steal one of the toes we trimmed…here it is as a paper weight on my desk. She will feel better.
windshieldrambling.com 