VeganWorld Blogs

 

turkey update.  claude and gina had a very nice visit with the vet in january. claude is ten pounds overweight.  poor guy is now on chicken food.  gina is overweight as well, however she does not have the apparent severity of arthritis claude does.  they are getting along better with the pea-hens since everyone now has their own home.  i think all in all the birds have enjoyed the results of the recent rains we have had, no one likes the wind.  they do like a gentle mist....

the big guys are doing great.  bruno, leigh vie and bertie are happy with the fresh grass since the rain, they too don't like the wind.  even california has spring, it is just more subtle, but the pets sure notice.  we all are truly enjoying the lengthening of the days.  the creek has been running off and on, i know the bobcat likes that!

  on june 26 we euthanized dear sweet michael. 

during the time since i last wrote about him he was a happy gimpy boy.  we constructed a water therapy pool. he continued on twice weekly accupuncture.  i quit my job, not related, but i got to spend tons more time with michael during the day.  he declined as he grew, he had trouble getting up on his own.  we would get him up and he would be fine.  he never did go back to bending his leg on his own.  he would move around as best he could. the incentive to walk was removed by the onset of summer, everyone went on five-way. (nothing green around here until february!)  we would set trails of hay for him to follow, but he no longer wandered far and wide. the big guys never made him part of their herd. we loved him so very much.  i miss him everyday. only once recently, when someone asked how many pets we have, did i reply "ten". didn't even think about it, then she asked names, and i remembered we only have three cattle now. 

michael had been having trouble with rectal prolapse for several weeks, then on the morning of june 26 his only option was surgery.  not a great option for the best of mammals, let alone a relatively three-legged calf.  with a bovines digestive system, and knowing the longer he did not walk, the more trouble he would have.....

his ashes are on the piano with everyone else, he has the biggest box!  

ps: i stopped writing because i can not get veganworld to work with opera.

 

  the little guy continues to improve.  he is 90% back to where he was before his set back.  the vet came out yesterday, michael ran from her, up and down hill, through the dry creek bed, and then through the fence before her farrier friend got him down!  yea.   i was getting michael's  halter while they were chasing him, i had not had to use the halter for the previous two treatments. it would have been another five minutes for me to get the halter on him he was so spunky. when he went through the fence he went into an area that had been burned two years ago, we were all covered in soot after his treatment.  the vet took it in good stride, and we were her first call of the day.  she is so very pleased at how well michael is doing, we were so concerned just a week ago.

the only thing michael is not back to doing is drinking from the big guys water trough.  this morning he got up without spinning once.  enjoyed his apple treat.  he is probably quite tired from his very active day yesterday.  leigh vie decided to steal his breakfast. he is getting to be such a booger to michael.  i got michael some pellets, he ate a couple of pounds before leigh vie chased him off. bruno and bertie were happy with the big huge bale of five-way, why did leigh vie want the little skinny single flake it takes michael an hour to eat? bad cow!

michael is doing so well we are leaving him with a sitter.  and yes, he is still cute as pie.

 

michael is up on his own this morning!

michael is improving daily but not to where he was two weeks ago.  this morning he got up on his own, moved about twenty-five yards since last night.  the first distance since he went down last week. he was happy to see his little flake of hay. he did not have any interest in water but it's still early and the morning is mild.

his acupuncture treatment on monday went well, he jumped up as he had on previous treatments.  the vet had mentioned water based physical therapy and contacted the one facility in the county with a horse therapy tank, it is way too costly for us, so we are looking into farm alternatives.  dad is massaging michaels back every morning. 

yesterday we had to encourage him to get up, we had to bribe him with apple treats to get him to walk from the big oak he had been hanging out under since last sunday.  it is my hope that today he will want to wander all on his own, the more he walks the better he feels overall.  i tell him he will improve faster with exercise, but he is still a steer, listens better than a cat, but not much. his eyes are bright and he appears happy, he is still cute as pie.

michael is doing better.  yesterday he walked on his own for the first time in days.  the vet was out friday afternoon.  this morning he was able to get up with no help and has walked on his own several yards.  this afternoon he has been able to get up and down several times, he is still spinning, but not as much.

here's what we think happened: michael had been doing quite well.  improving with every day.  i had him re-evaluated after two months of acupuncture, and we all agreed to slightly changing the focus of his treatment.  we were wrong.  it is my great hope michael will get back to his best days quickly.  the vet comes tomorrow morning for another acupuncture treatment.  we will continue with twice weekly treatments.

we were prepared for a very poor outcome, but not really.  from wednesday to friday he was unable to get up or stay up on his own.  he was still happy, we could tell he was frustrated he couldn't get up. he was unable to stand up to defecate.  i was doing my best to keep the pee off him, his little stools were dry and hard, poor little guy. (i had friends visiting on friday, all veterinary professionals, the first not-family people to meet michael, i know they must think we are nuts for keeping this calf, as they have not seen him on the more usual good days)  the vet was not nearly as pessimistic. even before she left he was looking better.  yesterday we had to help him to a shady group of trees, by afternoon he had gotten himself under one of his favorite trees.  we are still bringing him food and water.  his poops are becoming more normal, more ploppy.  we are supplementing his salt. he still loves his apple treats. if he continues to improve by hours as he has been the past two days we could be back to great by the end of next week.  i am keeping my best positive thoughts.  the vet had told us to get him up twice a day, he is already doing this on his own.

the bigs guys are thrilled we have to feed michael.  in order to feed him we have to feed them.  they are so very happy, they love their five-way.  jump around, jockey for position around the bale.  while all of this is going on we bring michael a flake, we also give him a  flake during the big guys afternoon cud-chewing time.  thank goodness cattle are creatures of habit, just like humans.  we also have been giving michael pellets, but the five-way is better for him. 

we are so thrilled he is up. 

  michael has taken a turn for the worse, and i am not sure why, or what to do about it.  yesterday morning micahel did not get up when i went out to give him his morning apple treat, but i really didn't think much of it.  tuesday he was hanging out by the house, apparently moving around as usual.  no worries.

last night when dad got home, michael tried to get up but was not able.  he was spinning and spinning, then falling down.  he is not able to support himself on his good leg.  dad brought him food and water and helped him stand to eat and drink. 

this morning i went out and he was happy to see me.  he had obviously moved a few feet in the past eight hours.  he tried to get up, and was unable.  he tried a few times,  he stood for a moment, then fell in a bit of a twisted way, then righted himself to a comfortable position.  i gave him apple treats and water and told him to relax and keep trying.  he was cud chewing last night and this morning, i also heard some great burps, so i think he is ok on the digestion side of things.  cows! really, who designed such a poor system for extracting nutrients!

the vet comes tomorrow morning. 

it appears once a week acupuncture is not going to cut it at this time.  we are going to go back to twice a week, there is just a bit more spinning and we are not sure he's getting the good leg under him as well as he had been.  we tried. michael is just not getting his good leg under him square, i so worry about that hock.  it's fine, totally fine, but he puts so very much pressure on it. he is still just as perky as can be, still interacting more with humans and the big guys.  eating great, cute as pie.

the vet brought her assistant today, for which i am grateful as i injured my toe and am not up to calf wrestling.  they were great, michael was being a booger.  got up twice during his treatment. at least he did not get up during his electro-stim.  she also treated some of his acupuncture points with b-12. (i have had that treatment myself, love it!) leigh vie was getting in the way, today they had bad cow disease!  bruno and bertie were fine. 

michael is now getting acupuncture only once a week.  he is feeling quite well.  moving better, more bright, more active. when we call out his name in the morning he looks for us, coming up to us more often, (probably for the apple treats) hanging out with the big guys a bit more. acting more and more like a normal calf.  at times he is positively perky.   he has developed into quite the little guy.  i need to find the measuring tape, i think he might be up to seven hundred pounds. 

it has been very hot and dry, no april showers for us, (i can still hope for may grey and june gloom!) we will have to start feeding baled gasses/hay with in the next few days.  this will be the true test as to how well michael acclimates to his big brothers and sister.  i have some concerns as to bruno's behavior, he can be quite food aggressive.  michael will eat alfalfa pellets but he will have to be able to eat the baled hay as well.  too much alfalfa is not good for cows, too high in protein. 

michael loves peppermint horse treats.  if we had more water i would grow peppermint for him.

  two incredible mornings!  tuesday morning i went down to make coffee and michael was outside the kitchen window.  he came up to the house all on his own.  then, if that was not thrilling enough, for the first time he ate out of my hand! michael is not a food motivated calf, very weird.  several days ago i again tried to offer michael the apple treats, he wouldn't eat them, i know the big guys love ‘em.  bruno just has to think i have them and he will come running.  anyway, i left the treats on the ground, and started walking back to the house, realized i forgot something, went back to michael and found him eating the apple treats.  yea.  i tried to get him to eat one out of my hand, but, no, he had no interest. so on tuesday morning i go out to him and offer him an apple treat, he ate it right out of my hand. he ate several.   later in the morning dad went out and offered him a carrot, he had trouble eating it but he took it right out of dad's hand. he stayed at the house until i went to work.  made a rough day at the hospital so very happy and bright.  then, wednesday morning i go out to look for him and find him sleeping with the big guys.  he spent the night with his herd for the first time. yipee! now, i have no idea where he was this morning, but i don't know where the big guys were either.  i am just so very happy he is starting to act like a normal calf. 

 

new pictures posted today.  sorry, i still have yet to figure how to post the videos.

michael has completed his initial series of acupuncture treatments and his loading dose of adequan.  today is the first monday in over a month he does not have anything to do but smile, smile, smile.  he continues to improve with regards to his mobility.  we will evaluate how often he needs acupuncture, hopefully about once every two weeks, that's how often stanley gets treated for his crf.  adequan injections are every two weeks now.  both large animal vets will be coming out this friday to re-evaluate the little guy.  i hope for a good prognosis.  i think michael is already doing better than anyone could have expected when i first sent him to ucdavis.  (sarah, you have to come see him!)

with the arrival of spring we will soon have to start feeding baled hay and grasses again.  it's going to be interesting to see how the whole feeding thing plays out, michael is quite small and bruno is quite big.  bruno is very food motivated and michael is not.  michael has been used to grazing while the big guys have been going from winter grazing to summer hay for years.  (i know those of you in colder climates think this is totally backwards.  we are in a coastal desert environment, we don't really have any water after march.)  i know michael likes hay because we have fed it to him over the past months but we all prefer fresh food, do we not!  there are parts of the property that stay greener several days longer than the rest, it will be interesting to see if he seeks those places out. he also will need to drink more water when we start feeding dried grasses.  he still does not go to the water dish, we (well, dad) brings him water where ever he is every morning.   life is good.