It’s Not Always Rainbows & Unicorns

February 18, 2023

Yesterday afternoon/evening it was pretty rough here on the farm. Our rescue steer, Ferdinand, was visibly in a lot of pain. We had no idea what was going on, but suspected constipation, since he had not pooped at all that day. We had conversations with our farm vet throughout the evening and the final diagnosis was colic. I didn’t even know that was a thing with cattle, but there’s always something new to learn. What we suspect happened, is that he overexerted himself the other day running around and playing in the yard(It was a nice, warm day and he and Molly were in such great moods!). Being that Ferdinand has a bum hip, he could have started to feel a little discomfort a day or two later, which got worse when the rain came in(like arthritis). Apparently, this pain can manifest itself in all kinds of ways, including colic. It’s rare, but can happen. He could barely get up, and was clearly having waves of sharp pains in his belly that would literally make him writhe in pain. We were able to drench pain/anti-inflammatory meds mixed with water and a little molasses down his throat, but it takes a long time to kick in thanks to the way the rumen works. It was heartbreaking to watch, and we felt so helpless. I was in tears hugging my big baby thinking he may not make it through the night. That’s how awful he looked. It was terrifying to even think about the possibility of losing our sweet boy. We stayed out with him until very late in the night and then got back up to check on him around 5am. Thankfully, he made it through the night and looked so much better. I can’t tell you how grateful we are that he is on the mend. He’s still not 100%, but he is headed in the right direction. He started eating and drinking a little bit today and was up standing and moving around. I just wanted to hug him all day today! This boy has been through so much, and deserves to live a long, healthy life getting lots of love on the farm.