All was going well – Keri finished before me and came back to the cow shed – she told Joe that his wife’s kittens were going to be fine.  I still remember Joes face falling – THAT LADY IS MY MOTHER HE SAID……….oops!

Another time Joe called me out to a cow named Red that had calving paralysis. This is where the back legs don’t work due to the calf pressing on nerves in her pelvis.  

I gave her a long acting induction drug (as was done at the time) and said we could give the second shot when she had “bagged up”. Joe was very fond of Red and didn’t want to take any chances with her.

I was driving past a few days later so paid Joe and Red a visit.  Joe had Red in the hay barn surrounded by hay and freshly cut grass – happy as a pig in muck – with molasses and water available at her side. 

She definitely was happy and NOT going anywhere in a hurry.   I also noticed that there was a fold up bed on top of the hay bales.  I asked Joe if he was doing the night shift and he confirmed that he was keeping an eye on old Red. 

I also noticed the gun next to the bed and suspected that Joe was more concerned about the calf than the cow….

A week passed with no word from Joe.  It is often like that with farmers – just when you think they have disappeared off the planet you get a call. Joe was sick of Red by now and wanted some action.  He definitely wanted that calf out and alive!  I told him that he could arrange that himself. 

Joe wasn’t keen to try on his own though, so I headed out again with surgery kit.  Red had deteriorated a lot so we decided it best to end her suffering by euthanising her and get a live calf.  The calf was delivered non eventfully and Joe was happy with the heifer that Red had produced for him. 

End of story??   Well not quite.   Joe didn’t own the usual Ford Falcon like most of the farmers.  Joe had a black mini. 

We used to do our small animal consults first thing in the morning – my first patient arrived on the passenger seat of that black mini. 

Yes, it was Red’s calf Rosie.  My boss rolled his eyes and took off out back so he didn’t need to see Joe.  Rosie had  come down with pneumonia – pretty common for a premature calf.  I treated her with 5 days of antibiotics and she was soon right as rain. 

SOME MOTHERS DO HAVE ‘EM