dont wait to ask for help PLEASE

[canadianmandy]

I have been helping a dairy farmer down the road for the past week. Well he had a 6 week premature calf he was bottling. Well I had only seen it last thursday. Well I went back today and he asked me to try and save this calf. Ten days old dehydrated and skin and bones. She was at deaths door. I tried my hardest. I got some advice on a cattle forum. I gave her gatorade and pepto (as I was told to do by the forum (no vets are open)) I slowly dribbled it down her throat drop by drop. she perked up and began to moo. I kept hydrating her. but her body was to tight in deaths grips . I lost her the same day I got her. She had bloody runny stool. I tried to restart her heart.. over and over. Its hard when your dream is to be a vet to lose and animal. This isnt the first nor the last animal that enter my arms only to die. We were given a goat a lil bit ago. She was the last triplet born breech and blind. She is getting better. she was sooo constipated. we got her at a week old. The vet said she was going to die. but today she is still hanging on a week later. I also had a sheep with a similar story. Why do people wait so long to admit thier animal needs help. I thought this calf was going to make it. My four year old sister named it Missie ... Now I have to explain the is gone. she is dead. She keeps asking if she can bring our dog Taber over to her (the calf)so he can make her all better. I tried to tell her she is with the baby sheep Flicka... She says are they ever comeing back. I said Rachie she is in heaven she asked me if she could go see her. If your animal what ever it is is sick please get it help right away or give it to some one who can help it before it is on deaths door.

My lil sister reminds me of a girl in a 9-11 tribute song ... It brings tears to my eyes just to listen to it.

to listen to it at this website

http://www.jontzen.com/tribute.htm

it plays in the back round. turn your volume up and grab some tissues

its a weird comparison... but my heart is hurtin .... seeing an animal in pain just kills me.

But I guess I need the practice if Im going to be a wildlife rehabilitater.
You cant save them all but you gotta try with all your heart.

Mandie

 

[bubbatd]

You tried your best....so sorry !

 

[canadianmandy]

TY but I just hate to see a life wasted in that sort of way.

 

[Aussie Red]

I am so sorry that you were not able to save it but know you did your best. Take care

 

[Kase]

Aww I'm so sorry, you tried your hardest to save her and I know she appreciates that.

 

[Angel Chicken]

Try to explain to the child that the calf is now a baby angel, in heaven, watching over her. This will (hopefully) give her a little understanding about where the calf went.

I am so sorry, but it sounded like you tried your darnedest to save that baby. Do not doubt yourself over it, I bet you will be the best danged animal rehabilitator in Missouri!

Keep up the good work, it is people like you who make this world go round!

 

[canadianmandy]

ty for the support. Rachie seems to be "forgetting about lil Missie but now she wants a new cow.... she says Mandie when you gonna bring me a new cow home. for four years old she is so smart ... I may get another baby cow someday but for now I would like to wait it out and let wounds heal. She sure loves helping me with my animals though.

 

[Renee750il]

Mandie . . . for future reference (sorry you didn't get better advice from the cattle forum), when you've got a sick calf that needs to be rehydrated, there are special electrolyte formulas for calves available at farmers' co-ops and stores like Tractor Supply (which is usually open on Sundays). If the calf hasn't nursed at all, the first thing you get down it is a colostrum formula - then you work on getting some regular calf-starter down it. When they're that weak, though, it's really, really hard because they don't swallow well and it's very, very easy for even the most experienced farmer to have a calf choke to death. It can happen in just a few seconds and there's nothing you can do about it at all.

It's really difficult to do anything with them when they get too far gone. I'm just so sorry you had to deal with that. It wasn't fair to you at all. I've lost calves after feeding them for a week - sometimes they just suddenly go. Usually when something like that happens it's because there was something just inherently wrong to start with. A calf that premature may well just not have been developed enough to survive no matter what you did. We have to try though, don't we?

 

[canadianmandy]

The calf had nursed and had colestrum. It was drinking its mothers bottled milk and it was living fine till it was left out in a rain storm and got scours. Three days of scours and she had stopped drinking. Where I live its a very small town and the towns around are also closed. most buisnesses are closed. The advice I was given was given by friends that have tried their advice and had success. Our feed lot (which is all we have for farm animals) was closed. most ppl here keep the sunday sabbeth. I sat with her head with a dropper and did small drops drop by drop swallow by swallow.

I was not at all offended by your post nor was I being rude in this reply I was just explaining the surcumstances (Sp)

The olnly reason she live as long as she did is because the really hot weather. The scours caught her bad and the rain finished her off.

 

[oc_spirit]

I know the feeling, I''ve been through it too. Last spring/summer my mum''s friend thought she saw a mouse in the flower garden as she was leaving our house and my mum is terrified of mice so after locating a hole under the bushes she set up a mouse trap. We ended up catching a !chipmunk! and the trap hadn''t killed him. I tried to save him by keeping him in a hamster cage and feeding him some special mash I made with lots of protein to heal him but he ended up going very neurotic and died despite efforts. After him I brought home a duckling that hatched prematurely. Pato I was able to bring around and he went from a very weak tiny pile of bones and feathers that would lie limp wherever you set him to today being a very happy full grown duck living with his brothers and sisters on the horse ranch where he came from. Their favourite activity is terrorizing the cats, and marching across the corral causing all the horses to go stiff so they don''t accidently step on one (it''s cute to watch!)

Hang in there, I know it''s trying at times but it''s well worth it whenever you get a survivor!

 

[Renee750il]

The calf had nursed and had colestrum. It was drinking its mothers bottled milk and it was living fine till it was left out in a rain storm and got scours. Three days of scours and she had stopped drinking. Where I live its a very small town and the towns around are also closed. most buisnesses are closed. The advice I was given was given by friends that have tried their advice and had success. Our feed lot (which is all we have for farm animals) was closed. most ppl here keep the sunday sabbeth. I sat with her head with a dropper and did small drops drop by drop swallow by swallow.

I was not at all offended by your post nor was I being rude in this reply I was just explaining the surcumstances (Sp)

The olnly reason she live as long as she did is because the really hot weather. The scours caught her bad and the rain finished her off.

It's really bad when they get scours in this hot weather. If we're going to lose a calf it will usually be in the hot weather here - they just dehydrate so fast and they give up, not to mention the flies get so bad on them that battling infections turns into a real ordeal. I had one that actually had maggots growing in his rectum that we had to treat. He pulled through, though. I think the electrolyte solution probably had more to do with it than anything else. I keep a bag of the stuff in the freezer now just so I'll have it when I need it.

You tried so hard, Mandie, and I know it gets really hard sometimes . . . But every time you work with one you learn more and it all adds up.

 

[canadianmandy]

maggots ...yuck!!!! When we got Hope she had them on all her cuts and butt but not in her butt...yuck yuck yuck.

 

[Renee750il]

Yeah . . . it was pretty bad. The vet gave us some stuff to spray that took care of them quickly though.

 

[canadianmandy]

Thanks Oc I feel much better now. We have decided to open an animal sanctuary for dieing/sick animals. It could only be run by donations of coarse. It will be run mainly by me. Everyone says I have a touch with animals I guess its my calling. for now it will be an animal sanctuary run by donations but Aftre this school year (My last one!!!! whoo hoo!!) I am going to college to be a Vet.But between now in then I somehow have to save money to get a lisence for wild life rehab..... Its been my dream since I was little to be a rehaber for animals. I just need a liscence. I am going to college to be a vet so I can treat the animals myself and maybe earn some money to support the special needs of sick animals. But first off I will need a name to call our sanctuary. SO far we have to animals a very sick goat and a baby deer.(I have permission from the state of missouri to have her. (My dad is a Wilderness survival teacher+ They know I am going to be a wildlife rehabiltater so they said it would be good practice. (we have friends in Missouri wildlife consevation (Duh my dad like works for them.)) But the fawn is almost weaned and will be turned free soon.

The goat is barely hanging in there. she is sorta blind.. and has a infection n her belly butten that spread to her legs (this is how we got her) she is such a sweet thing though she loves to snuggle..

pics of our babies.

Hope (the fawn) is only tied because we had some stray dog hanging around that day that wanted ot chase her. she is loose around the yard. (not really a yard 8 acres 1/2 wooded 1/2 pasture.) we are saving to buy the 10 acres next to us to.

ty for the support.

 

[canadianmandy]

o pps.... if you look close on hopes face you can see scars.. her mom and her were attacked by a pack of wild dogs ... They killed her mom but didnt eat her my guess it was for pleasure. Hope lost her mother when she was about 2 days old according to a missouri wild life officer. she was practically dead when my dog found her.

 

[Renee750il]

Poor babies! You need to talk to Dr2little . . . she's good with the wild ones

One of our bulls, Lucky, almost didn't make it because while he was being born the coyotes attacked. Evidently his mother got up and made her way back to the herd while he was still hanging out. We could see the tooth marks on his little hoofs. We had to bottle feed him for about a week until he and his mom both got over the trauma enough to nurse normally. That's how he came to be called "Lucky!"

 

[Denaluvscorgis]

You did a good job trying to save that calf!!

 

[canadianmandy]

Wow Renee lil Lucky sure was lucky lol ..glad it all worked out with him .. what breed of cows do you have? LIL Missie was a holstein Dairy cow.
Hope (the deer) has recovered and will be realeased soon.. We were told she would stick around and most likly come here to have babies because its her safe haven.
We need everyones hope and prayers for lil Abby (the goat) she seems to slide and rise. I really want her to make it she tries so hard. Do to ihnfection she cant support her weight. but if you hold her up she will walk. We have meds for her eyes and it seemed to work and the cloudyness was all gone exept for thin strips over her pupil but in one eye it seems to be comeing back. She was starving when she came to us (6 days old) but she is eating now. I have to give her leg therapy three times a day. It hurts her she bleats alot but she needs it done or she will never walk (she wont be able to support her own weight.) We have her on the genticine (sp) eye meds... BoSe. A vitemin shot. ... a shot of antibiodics twice a day.. and now Bounce back (powdered electrolites) She also takes stuff to help her make rumen.
a very costly affair but if she makes it it will mean the world to me and my lil sisters who have become attached. What is money truelly..if its not for saving a life. Sure alot of ppl say a bullets cheaper but when she is all grown up and skipping around who will dare think about money lost.

I had a baby lamb last fall that was selenium deficient.. I spent big $$$$ on her. I got her over her scours/... she couldnt walk the side effects of being selenium deficient is normally stiffness of joints. The ppl she belonged to did not have time for her. She lived in a small plastic box. She laid for hours sometimes they missed feeds. she headed down the hill of death. They were going to make their son a teenager shoot it to get rid of it. I begged for her life and she was place in my hands at 4 weeks. Her elbows were stuck in an L shape. I spent hours with her. Massaging her legs and stretching the joint. she would kind of walk her back legs were wobbly and she walked on her elbows she would follow me around the house. She loved me. I was deeply attached. I really thought she would make it. she got over her scours... we were teaching her to walk but she had to learn to support her now heavy body. she tried to stand on her own and a tragic thing happened ..she shattered her back leg bone. poof my dreams gone. I remember running outside into the woods screaming at God saying how could you do this to her. I sat thier in the cold of winter sobbing ... The neighbors dog cmae from like nowhere and dried my tears cuddling up to me. I called every vet in the state of Mo none would help her b/c she had not yet walked. they would not even look at her. They said just shoot her, I kept her yet another day massaging her legs and saying she would be ok. My dad said I had to make a choice. He was going to shoot her.. I felt so betrayed. I took my b-day money and called a vet and asked how much it would cost for him to put her down ... He siad he wouldnt he said a bulllets cheaper. Finally he heard me out and agreeed. (he was the vet who we first took Flicka to when we got her) I could not go to watch her die. My dad did ,.She died in my dads arms I was amazed when he came home not only to see my dad but the vet. Both with tears in thier eyes holding this lifeless lamb. We burried her and the vet turned to me and placed my money back in my hands and said he would pay for it. He said he didnt think I could do what I did .. HER legs were perfectly straight. This animal sanctuary will be in memory of her.

before

after

 

[Renee750il]

THAT is a true labor of love, Mandie. I am very proud to know you You certainly proved yourself to the vet and to your father and to anyone else who was paying attention!

We have black Angus cattle. We keep Angus bulls and have some Angus, Whiteface and Black Baldy cows.

 

[dojo]

This is how I see it: you have done your best. It's sad to have lost the poor animal, but you did everything that you could possibly do. This means you really love animals so I think you'll do just fine in the future. We all need to start from a simple thing: love. Then add some knowledge and experience and we can do miracles.