Spring Break

Easter was a beautiful day with family, visiting the petting zoo.  Shiloh always loves getting treats from Papa, and I think Tater weighs more than both of the girls.

Ember has had a rough week.  It all started Thursday, when the ketosis started.   She was so large with her pregnancy, she couldn't eat enough to keep up with the needs of her body and babies.  I put her in the barn, and checked on her frequently, thinking she would deliver at any time.  Friday evening, I had to run a few errands and was gone longer than expected.  Naturally, that's when she decided to have the kids.  When I went to the barn at around 10 pm, she had delivered.  It looked like it had happened no more than an hour before I arrived. The babies were still wet (she hadn't bothered to clean them). There was a little black buck with white on his ears just like his big sister Sasha, and a black and tan doe.  Lying beside them still in the amniotic sac was a third kid, stillborn.  I wasn't there to witness it, but I believe it was gone at birth.  We quickly grabbed some towels and dried the kids, and helped them learn to nurse.  The next few days were spent working to get Ember back to health.  Having Ketosis (panting, sweet breath, laying down, not eating) we had to work quickly.  I gave her boluses of Calcium, molasses, propylene glycol, and vitamin B shots.  Then, on Sunday came the fever.  I started her on PCN shots and Banamine.  Sunday night I called the vet who recommended getting a stronger antibiotic, which was started on Monday.  She is doing much better now, eating well and standing, and seems to look happy again.  The fever may have come from one of her udders, which is still firm and swollen and not producing much milk.  I think she may have injured it from pressure laying down when she was sick with ketosis.  The babies are nursing on her, and being supplemented with a bottle until everything is back in working order.  Hopefully that will be soon. I've been with them so much these past few days, they seem to think I'm their mommy too.