Mama

Mama is a cow. I know that most people do not get attached to a cow. They are an animal that farmers have to use either for breeding or milking. We bought Mama last year with the intention of breeding her. She was healthy and had a heifer at her side that she was still nursing. We were told that she might be pregnant as one of the farmer's young bulls got on her but he wasn't sure if the bull was old enough to really get anything done.

We kept on eye on her over the next month but she did not show signs of being pregnant. She would get ansy - running around, chasing after the steers not letting them get near her - which are signs that she was in heat.

Then she started having some problems - diarhea. We talked to others and were told that we needed to worm her. So the next weekend we went out to do just that. Imagine our surprise - and heartbreak - when we found a small calf dead in the hay. She had aborted. The calf looked to be 3-4 months old which meant the bull was old enough to do the deed.

Mama seemed to be doing okay. She was eating her grain and hay, drinking water and going out into the field to scrounge for grass under the snow. Then a coupld of weeks later, she started to slow down and become listless. After another conversation, we started her on penicillan thinking that she might have gotten an infection from not discharging everything when she aborted. We also put her on warm water with molasses to give her some energy (suger).

Now, after several injections of penicillan she is getting worse. Won't get up, won't eat and won't drink. She probably has something in her that is causing an infection and it is too large to come out naturally.

The next step is to call the vet to see if she can be cleaned out and get better. If the infection is to bad and in to much of her system, we will have to have her put down.

I went out today to see if she might have gotten up but she had not. She is laying in the stall with her head down. Her eyes seem to asking that we take the pain away. As I said, most people don't get attached to a cow but I had tears in my eyes and asked God for help.

Maybe God will show up in the form of a vet.

A final note - God did not show up in the form of a vet. He came and took her home instead. She passed away overnight. I had covered her with a blanket to help keep her warm. The blanket was partially off her this morning and the gate into the stall was open. It looked like her little girl had come in and tried to get her up. Unfortunately, with the ground frozen, we will not be able to bury her until spring.