Why Is Calcium & It's Origin So Important?
In my time on the planet so far, I have been lucky enough to spend time on farms with both dairy cattle and beef cattle.
In that time, I have noticed some very interesting things.
I adore baby calves, and their Mothers.
Some of this information is relevant for domestic animals too.
Some baby calves, just like human calves, don't feed or cannot find the teets to attach to and I have footage of a newly born calf not being able to.
This can be so sad, as in hotter months of the year, they can dehydrate and may require a trip to the vet and a drip costing several hundreds of dollars.
A way of getting around this is using colostrum ice blocks to put in dairy cows water bowls or an in hand feeding tube or apparatus.
If you are sick or have a virus or are unwell, I would suggest that you wear gloves and perhaps even a mask to handle your animals as there is a possibility that they can catch our viruses and colds, and we can perhaps catch theirs...
I have a little puggle dog and her name is Mocha, she is so loved, and she started coughing. I checked with a vet at the Melbourne Vet Clinic and he said she could be outside, perhaps with a jacket on, until it got to 5 degrees or below and then to, if you can perhaps put them in an outdoor shed with cardboard on the floor or in your laundry or if you don't mind having them inside, on a tiled floor so if they mess it isn't an issue.
I am so glad I took her there because they were able to explain that even dogs can get respiratory viruses, that could lead to pneumonia.
The vet was able to do a bronchoscopy and suck out the mucus in the internal lung walls....but unfortunately also found collapsing airways (which we can't do much about but make sure she doesn't get too cold).
My two dogs were sharing a water bowl so I was a little concerned about them both becoming unwell.
Thankfully this didn't happen as far as I am aware, she recovered and was wormed a few weeks later as this was the next step to ensure internal health.
I believe that this applies to humans too, so perhaps worm your self and your children soon, especially after they have had a cold or flu.
I was so happy with the veterinary clinic as they were fantastic as she survived something that may have taken her out.
I also looked after a baby calf which had a similar issue, the clue was a sniffly nose and I am not sure why or how he caught it.
He also was clever enough to put himself under the gas outlet on the heater and I was worried it might burn him so I turned the outlet upwards so it wasn't coming straight out on his skin. Thankfully I saved this from happening in time, but it showed that he wanted warmth.
Please look for cough and cold symptoms in your animals, and please try and get them to the vet sooner rather than later as you might just save their lives, especially if it gets into their chests, look out for that chesty cough or breathing issues.
Having said this, most will be alright, but please ensure you watch for ear infections, as nasty ones can be very painful and can take out their hearing if not caught. Their ears can be flushed out with water via a high pressure syringe squirting it in the canal to clear out any yucky bits that are. Having said this, it is best to be done by a professional.
There is also a gel that can be left in their ears permanently.
There are a couple of ways of checking for ear infections, one is a smell from their ears, another is when they shake their heads from side to side, or scratch at their ears, and another is a sinus type of infection.
If you think of it this way, would you risk losing your pet? Even rabbits and guinea pigs are susceptible.
I was minding it for some people. I didn't want them to perhaps contaminate the formula milk accidentally, which I have heard from a vet, is possible. The mummy cow did not feed well so we had to put the calf on formula straight away.
We have a largely organic and free-range farm set up and love hand feeding all of the animals, including the calf and fully grown bull and steers.
We would like to become self-sufficient with feed as long as it is mostly fire proof and somehow in the storage and bio dynamic if possible over time and are trying to grow drought proof plants that grow like weeds for consumption purposes.
A white one was born at the start of Winter by mistake as we don't aim to breed new borns in the colder months, and it had the thickest coat of hair after a few months, and I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps it had genetically become this thick because it was cold...I didn't know, but perhaps it is possible for a species that is normally bred in the hotter months to adapt to the cold.
Methane that cows let off is an issue, and they are currently looking into what diets can help and I cannot remember where I got this information, or I would quote it, but perhaps seaweed might help, along with some lucerne (but not too much as it may upset their tummies).
When drinking milk I drink A2 where possible.
I do mix it up with alternatives like rice milks, nut milks like almond, cashew or macadamia, or even oat milks as these last longer at a farm property, are easier to store and don't need to be frozen as they have a longer shelf life than most milks.
We, as a nation, are very passionate about our animals, and each other. Let's work together to save as many animals, in particular livestock, as we can, along with our domestic animals.
Please ensure you stay alert and watch for issues with your pets.
Leave a Comment