Those of you who own livestock will recognize this situation: there’s something not quite right about one of your animals, but you can’t put your finger on it. Or the problem stops just as you’re about to call the vet. It can be expensive to get the vet out to the farm and his time is precious. One of his other clients might have a real emergency. You hate to be seen as the one who always panics at nothing. What to do?
The other day our cria, Tally, who was just about a week old, seemed “off”. She was lethargic, fell several times and was less active than she had been since birth. Since she was a bit premature, I worried that she might have a respiratory infection and called the vet. Of course, she rallied and seemed fine when the vet checked her out. But we talked and decided it wouldn’t hurt to give her a few things, like thiamine, selenium and an antibiotic. The next day, Tally slept almost continuously except for when she nursed. But the day after that she was much more active. I really feel we caught something, perhaps the beginnings of an infection. Now she’s up and about, nursing well and gaining weight. And she’s beautiful!
I try not to panic at every little thing that goes on in our herd. But I do listen to my instincts and, if I feel something’s wrong, I follow through. Something usually is wrong. These animals are very stoic and do not show outward signs of pain or illness. It’s the little things like just being “off” that you have to recognize to catch a problem before it becomes a bigger one.