Post by Jessika on Apr 6, 2010 18:06:11 GMT -5
I've really been too stunned to even post, but some of you have seen on my blog what happened. I decided I'd post about it, I probably owe it to Brie.
Friday morning I went out to milk the cows and found Brie down behind the barn, in dire circumstances. I've seen enough livestock that one look told me she was dying. I had checked her in the night, and while she looked close, she didn't appear to be in labor.
Brie was a 3 yr old first calf heifer. Not a big heifer, looked just about right.
What I saw was her uterus prolapsed, torn and bleeding and her head and her eyes said she wasn't going to make it. Dante was just up the road, i called him home. He called a neighbor, they put her down, and then the neighbor and I tried to get the calf out by c-section. The bull calf had a heart beat but I could never get him to breathe. While getting the calf out we noted that her cervix was barely dilated. the calf was in position and wasn't too big, but she just didn't dilate. i don't understand it all. I don't know why or even how she prolapsed or what happened. I had doubts all along if she could even breed she just seemed like a freemartin, honestly. I 'm starting to believe she may have had some kind of reproductive anomaly, that allowed her to eventually get bred, but affected her ability to dilate.
It was a very bad time for me. Following a big scare with my littlest girls, who are better by the way, following a couple of years of serious, serious, stress. There's never a GOOD time for something like this but it just left me in a state of shock. I still can't believe it actually.
The barn and the cows are supposed to be my sanctuary, you know? I just felt like even that part of my life was starting to crumble.
But now I've had a few days to reflect and I am more at peace. I really appreciate all the prayers and concern. All of you waiting for calves--please don't be afraid! This was sort of a freak occurance I think. I've calved in dozens of cows now and never a problem. If anything--I guess maybe I should of had her reproductively checked when it took her a bit to get bred and she just always seemed boyish.
I've been a little shocked by the negative remarks I have recieved in regards to performing the c-section on her after she died, but there was no way I was gonna just let her unborn calf die too. I had to try even though it didn't work out.
Brie was a funny, beautiful, heifer. Dog tame and I had high hopes for her. She is missed
Friday morning I went out to milk the cows and found Brie down behind the barn, in dire circumstances. I've seen enough livestock that one look told me she was dying. I had checked her in the night, and while she looked close, she didn't appear to be in labor.
Brie was a 3 yr old first calf heifer. Not a big heifer, looked just about right.
What I saw was her uterus prolapsed, torn and bleeding and her head and her eyes said she wasn't going to make it. Dante was just up the road, i called him home. He called a neighbor, they put her down, and then the neighbor and I tried to get the calf out by c-section. The bull calf had a heart beat but I could never get him to breathe. While getting the calf out we noted that her cervix was barely dilated. the calf was in position and wasn't too big, but she just didn't dilate. i don't understand it all. I don't know why or even how she prolapsed or what happened. I had doubts all along if she could even breed she just seemed like a freemartin, honestly. I 'm starting to believe she may have had some kind of reproductive anomaly, that allowed her to eventually get bred, but affected her ability to dilate.
It was a very bad time for me. Following a big scare with my littlest girls, who are better by the way, following a couple of years of serious, serious, stress. There's never a GOOD time for something like this but it just left me in a state of shock. I still can't believe it actually.
The barn and the cows are supposed to be my sanctuary, you know? I just felt like even that part of my life was starting to crumble.
But now I've had a few days to reflect and I am more at peace. I really appreciate all the prayers and concern. All of you waiting for calves--please don't be afraid! This was sort of a freak occurance I think. I've calved in dozens of cows now and never a problem. If anything--I guess maybe I should of had her reproductively checked when it took her a bit to get bred and she just always seemed boyish.
I've been a little shocked by the negative remarks I have recieved in regards to performing the c-section on her after she died, but there was no way I was gonna just let her unborn calf die too. I had to try even though it didn't work out.
Brie was a funny, beautiful, heifer. Dog tame and I had high hopes for her. She is missed