Farm Diary

We had a bit of a scare last week when a cow displayed 'Blue-tongue' symptoms (very ill with excessive salivation). The vet was called, but it turned out that she had diphtheria, which is very rare in a mature cow (usually found in calves).

She was treated, but with no improvement the next day, and due to the obvious distress she was in, I had her put down. The worst problem was that we could not keep her hydrated, the most important first line of attack for any illness, as the throat infection was too severe for us to pass a pipe down to her stomach. She drank very little of her own accord, and was unlikely to pull through.

The little Belgian Blue calf that was born several weeks prematurely with no hair to speak of, is now over four months old and still on milk! Calves are normally weaned off milk at around six weeks of age (providing they are eating 1kg of solid food), but 'Dwarfy' having survived against all odds is now a hefty calf, still on milk and consuming vast quantities of solid feed.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette February 20