This past weekend I had the privilege of milking cows and
helping do chores for my brother while he went on a short weekend trip with his
wife. I had the opportunity to help my
dad take care of their 120 cows, and it was a great weekend! My brother was in the process of working on 4
cows before he left, to help them feel better.
On Friday night my dad was a little stressed over the thought of caring
for these cows without my brother there, “never fear, I am here!”
Saturday morning, after morning milking and chores, I dusted
off my cow care and diagnostic skills and went to work. Each cow got a thorough check up. I used a stethoscope to check heart rate,
respiration rate, and rumen movement (if their stomachs were moving). I used a thermometer to check their temperatures,
making sure we didn’t have cows with fevers.
I also sleeved up and palpated the cows that had just had baby calves,
ladies you know what this is all about if you’ve ever been to the gynecologist. 2 of the 4 cows were doing just fine, the
other 2 were doing only ok, but were going to need a little more work. We don't accept anything less than excellent health for our cows.
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| Close up shot of my thermometer, this is the cow with a low grade fever (average temperature of a cow is about 101.5) yes we check temperatures rectally. |
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| Felfie of me checking for rumen movement with my stethoscope. |
After having a good look at their medical histories (yes,
dairy farmers keep detailed records on their cows’ medical histories!) we came
up with a plan of action for treatment.
One cow was treated with antibiotics because she had a low grade fever
(sign of an infections) and her milk was discarded for the following
milkings. The other cow was not treated
with antibiotics, but with probiotics, vitamins, and a little boost of
sugar. By Sunday night those 2 cows were
doing so well. There is nothing more
gratifying that using my God given gifts and talents to treat and care for God’s
precious creatures. I take animal care very seriously, and believe they always deserve our very best. Having the gifts and skills that I have from God, makes it even more important for me to put animal care first....not everyone can be a dairy farmer or dairy farmHer ;) Prevention is always
key on a dairy farm, but when we make sick animals feel better…the feeling of
joy and pride is priceless J
