Post by ferde on Jul 30, 2014 18:41:16 GMT -5
I've just signed up for this site a couple of days ago. Love it! I hope everyone will bare with me as I get my "fingers" wet. I have never even used Face Book! Okay, stop shaking your heads!
Anyway, on to the beautiful Betsy...On Sunday? I posted somewhere else, (where was that?) that she seemed to be in labor off and on for over a week, that the vet called false labor. Yesterday the vet came out to vaccinate 3 dogs, 2 cats and 3 horses. My main reason for the farm call request was to have him look at Betsy. Turns out that she was most of the way dilated and the calf was in the proper position, so he gave her a shot to induce labor, with instructions to give the other half in 10 to 15 minutes if she didn't start. Of course nothing happened so I gave her the other half. Betsy then began a 2 hour walk around the barn with occasional stops to hunch up, extend her neck and breath heavily. She stopped a time or two to rub her rear end on the wall. All the while she discharged clear mucus, (just like she had been for a week), which turned bloody 1 & 1/2 hours later. She often looked like she wanted to lay down but never did. After 2.5 hours I called the vet and he rushed out to pull the calf. Just as he started, Betsy fell heavily on her side and started pushing. Within minutes the little boy was here but we had to swing him by the back legs a few times before he started breathing. His mom was a while getting back on her feet but eventually she was up and eating and so was her new calf! Today everything seems very normal, but I'll tell you that only reading about "pulling calves", and having never seen it before is something I hope to never see again. I grew up on a farm and saw a lot of "stuff" but this was a new one for me.
Thanks to all for the advice and concern I've received so far from this site. You are a great bunch. What took me so long to get electronically social?