Post by dmbenson on Feb 14, 2014 9:15:13 GMT -5
So Betsy is an 8 year old Jersey - and absolutely the gentlest soul I've ever had the honor of meeting. She is sweet, and loving, and gentle - and not happy with me at the moment.
She's due about the middle of next month, and of course I'm stressed about milk fever, ketosis, and all those things that that higher producing older cows are subject to - (unlike Ms. Bisco, who was a first freshener), and so one of the things I decided to do was begin giving her slow release calcium bolus' leading up to partuation. The directions say one a day, but I'm starting with one every other day and will increase to one a day the last week or two. Fine. Have plan in place. All is good. Only problem is I didn't bother to consult Ms. Betsy about her preferences.
Dose one: Grab bolus (about as big around as my ring finger, length from tip to knuckle) and my shiny new fire engine red, plastic bolus gun, and trot out to where Betsy is standing (so OK, I moseyed - but my intent was to trot...). Ms. Betsy, sticks her nose in my face looking for loves, I pop the bolus gun in the side of her mouth and push the plunger - she looks a bit surprised, since this obviously isn't something yummy, works her jaw a bit, and out comes the bolus. I pick it up, pick off the bits of hay, and try again. Aaah - success - down it goes.
Dose two: Out I go again. Once again, Ms Betsy lifts her sweet nose - but isn't quite so willing to open her mouth until she can verity that there's actually a yummy in the offing. I persevere - get the bolus gun in her mouth, and thinking I've learned the lesson from dose one, push it even further back, and release the bolus. A bit more jaw, tongue action, and out comes half the bolus, into the straw. I set my jaw, and repeat the exercise, finally getting it all down her throat.
Dose three: There is NO effort on Ms. Betsy's part to raise her nose to see what I may or may not have. Nostrils are quite firmly placed against the ground - I grasp halter firmly, and manage to raise her head, only to find that said nose has been shoved firmly under my armpit. With much work, I get a just bit of separation between me and cow's mouth, and find that what should be an opening (her mouth) is absolutely vacuum sealed shut. I have one hand on halter, and the other is clutching the instrument of torture, so I haven't got a spare hand to try to work that seal loose. Her head, meanwhile is oscillating (fortunately in slow motion) back and forth from her shoulder to my armpit. Some 5 minutes later, I catch her in a weak moment, and get the gun slipped in. This time, I've learned my lesson - I make sure it's far enough back before I release the pill. Meanwhile, I'm trying to explain to her that these are really small pills - and if she's a good girl and takes them, we'll probably get to avoid the quick release/emergency use, ones that are roughly the size of my thigh which I assure her she WON'T like at all - but I don't think she's buying it.![::)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/eyesroll.png)
I'm going to have to get some serious cow cookies, crawl on my hands and knees, and make sure I'm not wearing anything with a red stripe, to get her forgiveness I fear.............
She's due about the middle of next month, and of course I'm stressed about milk fever, ketosis, and all those things that that higher producing older cows are subject to - (unlike Ms. Bisco, who was a first freshener), and so one of the things I decided to do was begin giving her slow release calcium bolus' leading up to partuation. The directions say one a day, but I'm starting with one every other day and will increase to one a day the last week or two. Fine. Have plan in place. All is good. Only problem is I didn't bother to consult Ms. Betsy about her preferences.
Dose one: Grab bolus (about as big around as my ring finger, length from tip to knuckle) and my shiny new fire engine red, plastic bolus gun, and trot out to where Betsy is standing (so OK, I moseyed - but my intent was to trot...). Ms. Betsy, sticks her nose in my face looking for loves, I pop the bolus gun in the side of her mouth and push the plunger - she looks a bit surprised, since this obviously isn't something yummy, works her jaw a bit, and out comes the bolus. I pick it up, pick off the bits of hay, and try again. Aaah - success - down it goes.
Dose two: Out I go again. Once again, Ms Betsy lifts her sweet nose - but isn't quite so willing to open her mouth until she can verity that there's actually a yummy in the offing. I persevere - get the bolus gun in her mouth, and thinking I've learned the lesson from dose one, push it even further back, and release the bolus. A bit more jaw, tongue action, and out comes half the bolus, into the straw. I set my jaw, and repeat the exercise, finally getting it all down her throat.
Dose three: There is NO effort on Ms. Betsy's part to raise her nose to see what I may or may not have. Nostrils are quite firmly placed against the ground - I grasp halter firmly, and manage to raise her head, only to find that said nose has been shoved firmly under my armpit. With much work, I get a just bit of separation between me and cow's mouth, and find that what should be an opening (her mouth) is absolutely vacuum sealed shut. I have one hand on halter, and the other is clutching the instrument of torture, so I haven't got a spare hand to try to work that seal loose. Her head, meanwhile is oscillating (fortunately in slow motion) back and forth from her shoulder to my armpit. Some 5 minutes later, I catch her in a weak moment, and get the gun slipped in. This time, I've learned my lesson - I make sure it's far enough back before I release the pill. Meanwhile, I'm trying to explain to her that these are really small pills - and if she's a good girl and takes them, we'll probably get to avoid the quick release/emergency use, ones that are roughly the size of my thigh which I assure her she WON'T like at all - but I don't think she's buying it.
![::)](http://storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/eyesroll.png)
I'm going to have to get some serious cow cookies, crawl on my hands and knees, and make sure I'm not wearing anything with a red stripe, to get her forgiveness I fear.............