Ten years ago today we welcomed our sweet Maliah Joy into our lives. Last year on her birthday my dad fell into a coma and we mourned our loss a day later. I had hopes that this year the weekend would be less stressful as we celebrated Dad's first year in his true home. But things seldom go according to plan.
On Friday Rosie's calf was 10 days overdue. We weren't overly concerned as she looked great. Huge but great. Jersey cows are susceptible to milk fever so we had been feeding her a special additive as a precautionary measure for a month or so. Milk fever can happen before or after a Jersey calves. Their milk is very high in butterfat. When their milk comes in calcium is drawn so quickly from their system that it pretty much renders their muscles useless. The classic milk fever symptom is staggering. If treated a Jersey quickly recovers. Breadwinner had done much research on the subject. We had gone to great lengths to find the correct additive to feed Rosie preventatively. We thought we had sidestepped that landmine. Our greatest concern was problems birthing the calf.
On Friday Rosie seemed to be contracting. Starting at about 11:30 I checked on her every 20 minutes or so. She lay in the pasture where we thought she was laboring. I took pictures hoping to catch her in the stages of her labor. We all eagerly waited to see whether she would deliver a bull or a heifer. When Matt got home about 3:00 we started to suspect something wasn't right. Soon after this she began to vomit. Apparently cows don't vomit. Our 2 Johns, "retired" farmer neighbors who both raised beef cattle had no idea what was wrong with her. They had never seen a cow vomit. Upon later research I found that the milk fever effected the ability of Rosie's rumen to work.
By now Breadwinner was frantically trying to locate a vet that would be willing to come treat our cow. At this point we hypothesized that perhaps the calf was positioned incorrectly and that was why she was in distress. We stood around the yard talking with John about making applesauce avoiding looking at Rosie out in the pasture as there wasn't anything we could do for her but wait for the vet. After a search calling around the nearest towns we finally found a vet in a town 20 miles away. We greatfully welcomed Doc Stickley, even though his right arm was in a sling from recent rotator cuff surgery.
He confirmed that she had milk fever and was pretty far along. He gave her a couple bottles of CMPK intravenously. He then checked her and told us she was only about 3cm dilated and to expect a calf in the next 12 hours. It was bout 5:30 P.M.
The prognosis was not good. It took Rosie a few hours to get back to her feet. Usually when Jersey's get the CMPK they get to their feet presently. When Breadwinner checked her at 8:00 P.M. she finally got to her feet and we had hope. Breadwinner had spoken to Eric Lyon where we purchased Rosie and he suggested she had a 50/50 chance. Breadwinner spent the night on the couch so he could check on her. We hoped that if Rosie wasn't to make it she could at least deliver the calves feet, so we could pull and save the calf.
From the initial sign of Rosie's distress I had begun to pray for her. Cows are very resilient. I prayed God would preserve her life if it be His will. When I awoke in the morning I found Breadwinner on the couch. He just sadly shook his head. We lost both Rosie and the calf. She wasn't strong enough after her ordeal to endure labor.
Lyon's Dairy told us to come back on down to get a replacement if we lost her. Breadwinner is questioning his ability and what business he has as a bovine farmer. I'm questioning whether the benefits outweigh the time and inconvenience of a family cow....
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