Post by Lannie on Aug 27, 2011 21:19:43 GMT -5
Bandit is NOT herself tonight. She walked in from the pasture with Rich behind everyone, but instead of going inside the barn for a drink, she just stood outside. Just stood there. When I'd got Taz into his stall and Cricket was out of the way, I led Bandit by the halter over to the trough, but she just stood there.
I felt her all over and other than a little gassiness on her left side (what she could have gotten a bit of bloat from I have NO clue), she was normal. No fever, no lameness that I could see, nothing. I left for a while to help Rich lock up the guineas, then I went back to check on her. She was standing in the exact same spot, but I felt her chin and it was wet, so she'd gotten a drink. But so listless. She wasn't even swatting flies with her usual vigor, just a feeble swish of her tail now and then. I thought she was cudding, but it was only a couple of chews and a swallow. Then another little burp, a couple of chews and a swallow. I felt her left side again and the air was gone, so maybe she just had a bellyache, but she burped it up.
Cricket went out to the hay bale and started eating, and I went back out and told Rich I was worried about Bandit (he thinks I worry too much about everything). She still hadn't come out of the barn, and normally, she goes in, gets a drink, then goes right back out and eats some hay. So I went back in and led her by the halter again outside to the hay. She just stood there. It was pretty dark by then, so I figured I'd leave her and hope she was better in the morning, and by the time I got out of the corral, I looked back and she was lying down in the hay. She NEVER does that. So I went back to check, and she was in a normal position, like she was just resting, and one of the neighbor cows mooed and she turned her head and pricked her ears forward, so I took a deep breath and told her goodnight and came in the house.
Rich says anybody can have a bad day and I should just quit worrying about her, but Bandit behaves in a certain way, and tonight is not normal. As an aside, today should have been the day she went into heat, but this is like the total opposite of heat behavior, at least for her. Usually, she's frisky when she's in heat.
Please tell me I'm worrying for nothing?
~Lannie
I felt her all over and other than a little gassiness on her left side (what she could have gotten a bit of bloat from I have NO clue), she was normal. No fever, no lameness that I could see, nothing. I left for a while to help Rich lock up the guineas, then I went back to check on her. She was standing in the exact same spot, but I felt her chin and it was wet, so she'd gotten a drink. But so listless. She wasn't even swatting flies with her usual vigor, just a feeble swish of her tail now and then. I thought she was cudding, but it was only a couple of chews and a swallow. Then another little burp, a couple of chews and a swallow. I felt her left side again and the air was gone, so maybe she just had a bellyache, but she burped it up.
Cricket went out to the hay bale and started eating, and I went back out and told Rich I was worried about Bandit (he thinks I worry too much about everything). She still hadn't come out of the barn, and normally, she goes in, gets a drink, then goes right back out and eats some hay. So I went back in and led her by the halter again outside to the hay. She just stood there. It was pretty dark by then, so I figured I'd leave her and hope she was better in the morning, and by the time I got out of the corral, I looked back and she was lying down in the hay. She NEVER does that. So I went back to check, and she was in a normal position, like she was just resting, and one of the neighbor cows mooed and she turned her head and pricked her ears forward, so I took a deep breath and told her goodnight and came in the house.
Rich says anybody can have a bad day and I should just quit worrying about her, but Bandit behaves in a certain way, and tonight is not normal. As an aside, today should have been the day she went into heat, but this is like the total opposite of heat behavior, at least for her. Usually, she's frisky when she's in heat.
Please tell me I'm worrying for nothing?
~Lannie