Miss Lucy Update

Last week I had posted about Miss Lucy and the issues she had been having since getting stuck on her side over the previous Sunday. 

How I was having to lift her up onto her feet so she could move around. 

How I was having the awful thoughts of losing her or having to make that incredibly difficult decision to end her suffering. 

Last Monday night was one of those sleepless nights where I toss around a problem in my bran incessantly trying to find an answer, and the lightbulb finally lit up around 3am.  I never said I was always fast on the uptake here.

She has a bladder infection.

Yeah, you ladies know of what I speak!

So, I made another call to my vet (Monday’s call was not returned, they are incredibly busy) and asked his opinion on this diagnosis. 

Now, I love working with vet’s that are willing to understand that people who own livestock are usually really good at knowing what the problem is with their animals.  The vets who know your not blowing up a situation.  Vets that know you have probably seen this before and know exactly what is going on again. Vets who understand that I have a fairly extensive medical background of my own and know how to read signs and symptoms of people and now, animals. 

So, with his agreement and blessings, I started treatment on her. 

In all honesty, I would have done it without his agreement.  Over the year’s I have accumulated lots of meds and I know how to use them.  Frankly, and this will go against the USFDA guidelines now about antibiotics, I have saved more animals by starting antibiotics on them while waiting for a vet appt or to have the vet at my house.  

If you’re not aware, the USFDA has taken away access to livestock owners to purchase certain antibiotics over the counter this year.  I have a huge issue with this new ideology.    

My thoughts, and the actual fact, and they are the same as many other ranchers/farmers is there is a huge deficit in large animal vets in rural areas.  Being able to go to the local feed store and get a bottle of penicillin on a Saturday afternoon to treat your stock has saved more animals than it kills.  The way the new rules are written, you must have a yearly vet visit to your ranch/farm before you can get meds from the vet.  How can you do that if your rural area does not have a large animal vet available?  Small animal vets wont do this at all.

I follow several ranch/farm pages and I am already seeing people losing stock because of this new rule put in place.  Stock that could be saved pain and suffering because of an infection. 

I do understand the antibiotic resistance that overuse can cause.  No rancher I know personally overuses antibiotics.  For one thing, each shot is money off the bottom line.  Any animal that is not “hardy” gets culled instead of ongoing continuous treatment with overused antibiotics. 

Many of the issues the USFDA cites come out of livestock feed lots.  Many animals with unknown backgrounds are purchased and come together in small areas.  Diseases do spread that way.  Hitting the cattle rancher, or sheep farmer at the farm level does not change those facts except that animals carrying untreated diseases are now congregating together. 

Now, since I have a large animal vet, on speed dial no less, I won’t have as big an issue as many areas of the country will. In that aspect I am very lucky. My heart breaks for those who do not have a vet to help them and now losing the ability to take care of their stock.

Makes sense huh?

I digress.

Back to Miss Lucy.

So Tuesday afternoon she got her first dose of antibiotics, pain meds, and just because I have it and it does help, B-complex, and her mash now includes alfalfa pellet.

I am still keeping her near the house so I can watch her better.

Wednesday morning I went up to check on her at 5:30am and did need to help her up.  I was out again at 7am for morning chores and she was still up on her feet.  She got her mash and was eating her favorite weeds around the house. 

I did have to help her up a few more times, but by the afternoon, she was starting to work at getting herself up.

She got a second pain med shot Wednesday evening.

Thursday morning.  Again, I’m up at 5:30 to check on her, and when she saw me she got up totally on her own. 

Hot Damn!!!

I did not have to lift her up at all on Thursday and have not had to lift her at all since!!!

I kept her on the pain meds for another 24-hour period, and she got her second antibiotic shot on Friday. 

She is back to her normal self now a week later.  Eating well, drinking lots of water, and coming up to the back door daily for treats.  She got two oreo cookies before she got the apple in the picture.  This old lady even jumped up for those cookies!

I think I’ll try her back out in gen-pop on this coming Wednesday and see if she is able to keep up with the flock.  I don’t think she is going to have any problem with that. 

It does make me sad though.  I kind of enjoyed having her around the house and she has done a great job of weed wacking around the place!

****************************************************************************************

If you are in the Wyoming area the weekend of August 25-27^th, try to make time to stop by the Sheepherders Rendezvous in Glenrock.  They have sheep dog trails, sheep wagons, spinning, weaving, vendors, Dutch oven cook off, living history and a bunch of other stuff. I’ll be there on Saturday the 26^th with a few things to sell and will be camped out at the Laurette Arts booth.  Stop by and say Hi!  You can find information here….Glenrock Sheep Herders Rendezvous and here is their facebook page….Glenrock Sheep Herders Rondy FB page

If you are eyeing any of the hats in the Great Hat Sale, let me know now.  I’ll be taking them to the rendezvous to sell so I may not have them much longer! Check out the hats The Great Hat Sale

I hope to see you there!

Blessed Be!