Baymule’s Farm

[flowerbug]

wow @baymule so sorry for the back problem, but very glad your son is able to help out.

assuming Max is new doggie, no, Max is a horse.

 

[SPedigrees]

As one with a history of back problems, I can feel your pain, Baymule. I hope you feel better soon. So sorry for all the bad luck with your livestock. :-(

 

[digitS']

A difficult several weeks for you, Bay. It pleases me that you are feeling a little better. Do the best you can for Yourself, please.

probably pinched a nerve, my thigh is numb.

This is a common problem for me now, with the long-term sciatic damage.

I'm not up to dragging a water hose or tote buckets of feed

I can't imagine dragging anything with any weight and resistance. Unless you are in harness, you would be off balance. You can't take the pressure, offset. Even balanced, it will take some time.

My pain reliever was narrowed down to acetaminophen. The NSAIDs were hard on my stomach. You might already be taking acetaminophen with the others since they are often in combination. I have, at times, been surprised that it is of help but live with discomfort with no intention of frequent use,

I hope that you are well soon .

Steve

 

[baymule]

Max got his hooves trimmed today. He was a good boy, stood well and didn't fidget or fuss.

 

[Marie2020]

It's been nuts here. Ewes having lambs, final count is 41 lambs with 2 ewes still to lamb. Lost 3 lambs, wound up with 5 bottle babies. Worms hit hard, even with administering worm medicine, I lost 3 ewes to internal parasites. Granny died too, to bloat. She was one of my favorites. She was fine the night before, she must have bloated during the night and was dead the next morning. I grabbed her lamb Avon and had to force feed her the bottle for about a week before she caught on.

January 23 we got a ice storm. I did all my preparations, pine shavings in the sheep shelters for them to bed down in. I filled a 300 gallon galvanized stock tank for dipping water out of. I turned off water at the meter to avoid busted pipes. Did everything I could, then just had to hunker down, go out in the mess to feed and haul water to the animals. Bust ice in the water buckets and the big tank. I was glad when it was over and the sun came out to melt it away. East Texas is not set up for winter storms, snow and ice sent shock waves and panic sends people to the grocery stores to strip the shelves of bread and milk. It's a shark feeding frenzy. Crazy.

February 3, I pulled a muscle in my back and took a trip to ER on a Monday. My son took me, I was crying in pain. Hospital gave me hydrocodone that made me so sick that I couldn't take it. I went to a PA on Thursday, got a xray on Friday, he wouldn't give me something different fpr pain, Saturday I just laid in bed in tears. The preacher is a PA, so I called him, he took my information and entered me in as a patient, gave me a prescription for Tramadol. Finally I got some relief. As the back has gotten a little better, it's obvious that I pulled something in my groin and probably pinched a nerve, my thigh is numb. I have an appointment with a better doctor, but not until March 31, guess I'll have to go back to the PA I don't like, probably for a MRI.

My son has come twice a day to take care of my sheep, dogs, horse and feed the 5 bottle babies. I am so grateful. He finished out the horse pen I was working on and put Max in it. At my son's suggestion, we used the open front shed that I was going to tear down, for a shed for Max. Max is right out the back door, he's happy, I'm happy and I can go outside and pet him. Not much else right now but at least I can pet him.

In the last couple of days I've been able to feed the dogs and the horse but I'm not up to dragging a water hose or tote buckets of feed.

I'm keeping 17 ewe lambs from this bunch. I've made a list of older ewes to sell, so far it's 13. The 3 ewes that died were on the sell list. A friend told me that I didn't want their genetics in the flock anyway, which is true, but I didn't want them to die. I tried everything, but worms build up a resistance to the medications used on them. Nothing worked. I will take ram lambs to auction when they are weaned. Maybe. I might have to have somebody else take them. Nearest decent sheep and goat auction is 3 hours away. I have some of the ewes already spoken for, they will be picked up after their lambs are weaned.

I have a lot going on and I can't do any of it. Bummer.

You have certainly been through the mill. AGAIN!

Weather pain and the loss of your animals.
I am so sorry you're going through so much.
You are one of the strongest and most determined of ladies in our world. I have faith that you will be up and running again soon

Sending you my very best wishes and hoping that you make a speedy recovery

 

[ducks4you]

@baymule I am SO sorry for your livestock difficulties. The last thing you NEED is deadstock and a bad back!!!

For your back, hug your knees as often as possible. The pillow under your knees helps, too.
If the Tramadol starts becoming less effective--it is NOT as strong as Hydrocodone--also take one Tylenol with it.

 

[Marie2020]

How are you feeling today? @baymule

 

[baymule]

I went to the PA, maybe I'm starting to like him a little bit. My groin has been painful and I finally figured out why, went to the PA for confirmation of my suspicions. Yup, in addition to tearing up my back, I also gave myself a hernia. He has referred me to a surgeon. I called the office wanting an appointment like YESTERDAY, but she said it takes up to 10 days to process and they will call me for an appointment. Oh joy. Can we not do this NOW or ASAP? Let's get this show on the road, so I can recover and tear myself up again! I've got things to do!

And more bad news. My female Anatolian Sheba, died on Wednesday night. I fed dogs at 4:00, they were fine. Left for church at 5:40, it starts at 6. Just as church was starting, my son came rushing in telling me that Sheba was sick and in the truck. I rushed out, took one look at her and call the vet. Of course, after hours, got an answering machine, left a message. He had found her laying in a puddle of diarrhea out in the field, unresponsive, Told son that I was gonna go sit in the parking lot until I got a call back or somebody showed up. I didn't get far and son called, he found an emergency clinic an hour away, I turned around, picked him up and he drove. He was hitting 85 MPH, got us there as fast as he could. I kept a hand on Sheba, talking to her, she sat up and spewed diarrhea, mostly blood.

At the clinic, a tech ran out to take a look at her, went back for a gurney. He and son got her on the gurney and rushed her into the exam room. The receptionist took my information including a $600 up front charge. The tech came out and asked if I wanted them to do CPR to "bring her back" it would cost $400. I got up and went to the exam room with the receptionist vainly telling me that I couldn't go back there, Wanna BET?

Sheba was on oxygen, in convulsions, hardly any blood pressure. They had drawn blood, it wouldn't coagulate. I didn't know what happened to her, they couldn't figure it out, the vet started listing the possibilities and causes. Basically it was a I don't know. After 30 or 45 minutes, it was clear to me that she wasn't gonna make it and I told them to put her down. She had a faint heartbeat, not much else and was dying. I stood there, stroking her fur and talking to her as she left me.

I went back up front to give her my credit card again, $931 and we left with Sheba in a body bag. I have no idea what happened to her. It could have been a snake bite, impossible to find in her thick fur. The forest service has been doing controlled burns for weeks all around and nothing like a fire to put snakes on the run. Plus very warm weather for this time of year. Yesterday was sunny, but the smoke here was so thick that it blotted out the sun. But really, I'll never know what happened to my Sheba. I'm heartbroken.

We buried her in the field the next morning. Some neighbors came over, we hugged each other and cried. Son put Sheba in the tractor bucket and let Carson sniff her, then drove her in the field and let Buford have all the time he wanted. I sat on the edge of the bucket, talked to Buford, cried, petted him and cried some more. He sniffed her all over, left, came back, sniffed her again, did it several times, then walked off and laid down. Son laid her in the grave and covered her up. I'm shattered. Buford is lonely and sad.

Buford sired a litter, due March 11, registered Anatolians. I'll get a female puppy. So in a few months Buford will have a puppy to help train, just as Sheba and Sentry trained him. I'll have lots of training to do for the next 2 years. Possibility for 2 more puppies from a friend that has 2 females she wants to breed to Buford. I desperately need 4 dogs and I'm down to one. Buford is doing his best.

I have sheep on both sides of the driveway, Sheba guarded one side and Buford the other, at night. During the day I put them together to play. I have upwards of 70 sheep including lambs. I'm keeping ewe lambs, selling the ram lambs, plus selling 16 older ewes. I will get numbers down and consolidate the flock into one field so Buford can watch them all. It's gonna be rough for awhile without Sheba. We buried her next to old Ringo, a ram that had a hand in raising her. They were buddies and loved each other.

 

[flowerbug]

...They were buddies and loved each other.

you all are family and pack, so hard when one dies. i would think snake bite too or poison somehow for those kinds of effects.