Post by Vanessa on Jan 5, 2009 0:35:02 GMT -5
Hi guys
Sorry for the long wait-I feel dumb posting-"no significant change yet" LOL! But I really, really appreciate all the support, more than my posts can express across the miles.
But---today we had progress, and I'm cautiously excited---We had the chiropractor Mary Ann recommended to me, Jennifer Webster, come out and see her. We lifted her so Jennifer could see her up, and while Shelly seemed a bit stronger, was still pretty weak. We set her back down, and Jennifer did many adjustments (I have the sheet, but don't want to dig it out right now-sorry-tired and lazy!) Anyways, adjustments to her hips, lower spine, first and second ribs I believe, and, most interestingly to me, to her poll, and in the soft tissue along her neck. Jennifer showed me the warm spots where she adjusted, where the circulation had increased. (Very neat!)
At this time, Shelly was looking, to me, a bit dehydrated in that her eyes were sunken (tenting seemed fine). She's backed off the drinking quite a bit. Anyways, Jennifer left, and will call me tomorrow.
I went out tonite to do my evening rounds, and I thought "we've lost her, the chiro was in vain" b/c Shelly was resting with her head curled into her side, eye open. I hollered "hey girl!" as I walked in-no response at all. I walked right up to her, noticing she blinked, I grabbed her head-and it just went outward, downward, limp into the straw, flat. I thought-what's happened? What's gone wrong? Then, keeping in mind that this is the cow a couple days ago, I had to put a halter on just to try and lift her head b/c she just couldn't-she flung her head and neck up the way critters will to get upward momentum. This also moved her front end, and she moved her back legs at the same time-her whole body. Then looked at me. While I got her feed and water together, she repeated this a few times-not obsessively, or something that would seem odd (though it was freaking me out at first) but just like a kid does when they figure out a new trick. Instead of waiting for me to get the hay under her nose like I usually do, she reached for it, rocking her whole body, and legs, not just the back ones. Oh-and she'd moved enough to throw her blankets off, which is the first time she's done that. She seems brighter, and her eyes not so sunken (I'm thinking maybe they were from pain, not dehydration after all? We don't have more of the good drugs, and she did drink well again tonite-likely b/c I threated sub cu fluids tomorrow-LOL!) though I don't want to make too much of the progress, esp not just yet-I really think the chiro was extremely beneficial, but don't want to sound like a zealot, reading more into what I'm seeing than I am, if that makes sense...
But I'm pretty excited....
(Jennifer did warn me that sometimes they can get pretty dopey after an adjustment, just like us, while our body takes time to heal. So Shelly's limpness at first does make sense, now that I think about it-but it was pretty terrifying at first, let me tell you!!)
Oh-and Shelly does have company now, due to a tragic incident-I've lost two of my very best goats in the last two days-the one, I can't explain her death, but the second was def a fast bad case of pneumonia, and she left 2 2.5 mo old buck kids behind. I had them in the garage for last nite, but they are of mainly nubian blood, and the one has a wail to rival a banshee-and not your garden variety baby goat wail, of which I'm pretty used to. No, this is high pitched, rusty door squeal, which is why he is no longer in our garage (poor Shelly, I hope she doesn't get a headache!!) They are penned away when I'm not there, for fear they'll curl up and get laid/squished accidentially, esp with her newfound squirming. But when I'm around they are out and about, and she's such a patient motherly thing, she tolerates the little monsters bouncing around her head and into her feed dish quite well, and seemed to enjoy them. They like her too, and were already rubbing noses.
It was Tabitha's 4th birthday today. Wish she was awake when I did my nightly rounds to see Gigi the goat gave her a present she'll love in the am-two new baby buck goats in the goat barn tonite. Just in time for a small spell of warm weather (I'm very thankful for small mercies, esp right now!!)
Sorry for the long wait-I feel dumb posting-"no significant change yet" LOL! But I really, really appreciate all the support, more than my posts can express across the miles.
But---today we had progress, and I'm cautiously excited---We had the chiropractor Mary Ann recommended to me, Jennifer Webster, come out and see her. We lifted her so Jennifer could see her up, and while Shelly seemed a bit stronger, was still pretty weak. We set her back down, and Jennifer did many adjustments (I have the sheet, but don't want to dig it out right now-sorry-tired and lazy!) Anyways, adjustments to her hips, lower spine, first and second ribs I believe, and, most interestingly to me, to her poll, and in the soft tissue along her neck. Jennifer showed me the warm spots where she adjusted, where the circulation had increased. (Very neat!)
At this time, Shelly was looking, to me, a bit dehydrated in that her eyes were sunken (tenting seemed fine). She's backed off the drinking quite a bit. Anyways, Jennifer left, and will call me tomorrow.
I went out tonite to do my evening rounds, and I thought "we've lost her, the chiro was in vain" b/c Shelly was resting with her head curled into her side, eye open. I hollered "hey girl!" as I walked in-no response at all. I walked right up to her, noticing she blinked, I grabbed her head-and it just went outward, downward, limp into the straw, flat. I thought-what's happened? What's gone wrong? Then, keeping in mind that this is the cow a couple days ago, I had to put a halter on just to try and lift her head b/c she just couldn't-she flung her head and neck up the way critters will to get upward momentum. This also moved her front end, and she moved her back legs at the same time-her whole body. Then looked at me. While I got her feed and water together, she repeated this a few times-not obsessively, or something that would seem odd (though it was freaking me out at first) but just like a kid does when they figure out a new trick. Instead of waiting for me to get the hay under her nose like I usually do, she reached for it, rocking her whole body, and legs, not just the back ones. Oh-and she'd moved enough to throw her blankets off, which is the first time she's done that. She seems brighter, and her eyes not so sunken (I'm thinking maybe they were from pain, not dehydration after all? We don't have more of the good drugs, and she did drink well again tonite-likely b/c I threated sub cu fluids tomorrow-LOL!) though I don't want to make too much of the progress, esp not just yet-I really think the chiro was extremely beneficial, but don't want to sound like a zealot, reading more into what I'm seeing than I am, if that makes sense...
But I'm pretty excited....
(Jennifer did warn me that sometimes they can get pretty dopey after an adjustment, just like us, while our body takes time to heal. So Shelly's limpness at first does make sense, now that I think about it-but it was pretty terrifying at first, let me tell you!!)
Oh-and Shelly does have company now, due to a tragic incident-I've lost two of my very best goats in the last two days-the one, I can't explain her death, but the second was def a fast bad case of pneumonia, and she left 2 2.5 mo old buck kids behind. I had them in the garage for last nite, but they are of mainly nubian blood, and the one has a wail to rival a banshee-and not your garden variety baby goat wail, of which I'm pretty used to. No, this is high pitched, rusty door squeal, which is why he is no longer in our garage (poor Shelly, I hope she doesn't get a headache!!) They are penned away when I'm not there, for fear they'll curl up and get laid/squished accidentially, esp with her newfound squirming. But when I'm around they are out and about, and she's such a patient motherly thing, she tolerates the little monsters bouncing around her head and into her feed dish quite well, and seemed to enjoy them. They like her too, and were already rubbing noses.
It was Tabitha's 4th birthday today. Wish she was awake when I did my nightly rounds to see Gigi the goat gave her a present she'll love in the am-two new baby buck goats in the goat barn tonite. Just in time for a small spell of warm weather (I'm very thankful for small mercies, esp right now!!)