Calf Update

The calf has been with us for a week now. We've learned a lot in the past 7 days of caring for her. Our kitchen counter has become the headquarters of all her medical supplies.
Farmer John is getting pretty good with needles and giving penicillin shots. We're also giving her some antibiotics for her eyes. It's actually made for cows with mastitis, but our vet recommended putting it in her eyes. (There was some confusion when the nurse told Farmer John that he had to "inject" it in her eye. But, really she just meant to squirt it in the eye and rub the cream around. So, not a scary as it originally sounded.)

The calf is getting stronger and has more energy than she did when we first got her. The vet said that getting her energy up was the priority, rather than her eyes, so we feel pretty good about the progress made so far.

Also, she knows what to do with that bottle! There's no more fighting to get her to eat. When she hears us come into the barn and her stall she starts sticking her tongue out and licking her lips.

Also, I let her suck my thumb after the bottle.

Her eyes don't seem to be improving at all. But, the vet said we probably wouldn't see any change until we'd used the antibiotics for one or two weeks.

We have our fingers crossed that her health and eyes will continue to improve. So far this has been one of the most interesting experiences we've had on the farm - and we're certainly learning a lot along the way. We'll keep you posted on our new adventure.