on antibiotics

Our milk cow is sick. She can't tell us what is wrong, so it is a matter of trying a variety of things and hoping that one or another helps.

She has had a cold nose, she is shivering sometimes, and has a heavy mucus in her nose. A cold perhaps? She did not have a bowel movement for a day, so we were concerned that she had a blockage, but she has eaten and had a movement again...so we are hopeful there is no blockage.

We have been keeping her warm where she went down by covering her with hay. We are giving her water with electrolytes to help give her a boost. Each day we are giving her antibiotics too. Also higher protein feed.

She is not well. Without the ability to communicate we just have to use clues, keep her warm, help her stay hydrated, fed and her bowels moving. Antibiotics to help her system fight off whatever might also be there.

Antibiotics were discovered in 1928. A few years earlier than that, Homer's grandfather died from an infection from an impacted tooth. It seems amazing now that such a simple thing could cause a loss of life. We will run the course of antibiotics through her, not use her milk (she will likely not be producing any in another few days) and let her rest. And hope for the best.

Here she is, while drinking just now. About 2 gallons worth. Normally she consumes massive amounts more than that, so we are hopeful but not confident of recovery.