Yesterday morning, as you will recall, I mentioned that Gillian, our farm Vet, was coming to remove Norton’s failed banding attempt of castration from childhood.
(Or Lambhood...which ever is politically correct in this day & age) Anyway, Since the sheep belongs to our friend Dawna, she came over to be here when Gillian arrived to perform the procedure. She did a marvelous job of ligating and removing the testicular matter which escaped the banding attempt of last summer and soon...she was off to her next appointment...well on schedule. Dawna left for another friend’s farm to help in any way she could with a lambing event which was occurring there today, so Vick and I went about our business, readying the tools and equipment for installing the fence posts around the front pasture and measuring the run-in shed for the steel roofing. During a lull, while Vick went to the house to leave the dogs out, I checked Norton and found he was bleeding profusely from the ligation site. We immediately called Dawna to return and Gillian to ask what we should do. Gillian said to try applying an ice compress to the area to help slow the bleeding and allow it to clot, so we had Dawna stop at Green County Horseshoe Supply on her way by, to pick up cling and other bandage materials. Vick and I readied some strips of cloth for pressure bandaging. Vick actually used some “Blood Stop” compound and packed it inside the wound area, prior to applying the ice and pressure dressing. Nothing we did slowed the bleeding, so we contacted Gillian, who headed back to our farm to check it out. While waiting for her, we decided to go for feed, wood chips and lunch for the three of us, so Dawna stood watch on Norton and the farm while we went for the grub and wood chips. Gillian had arrived and was gone before we returned. Dawna said she checked Norton out and did something to stop the bleeding and added a new pressure dressing. After eating, Dawna checked Norton, one final time and left for home. Vick and I went to work installing fence posts. About an hour later, we stopped when it started raining, so while we waited for the rain to stop, Vick checked Norton.
HE WAS BLEEDING AGAIN! Blood was all through the stall, covering the straw we placed there. Again we called Dawna and Gillian, impressing that the bleeding was significant enough that if we did not resolve it this time, the poor little guy would be bled out and die. Gillian took off for the farm again immediately, but we told Dawna she might as well wait at home and we would call when Gillian was finished this time. While we awaited Gillian’s third arrival of the day, Vick worked in the hospice gift shop, checking on Norton every ten minutes or so. I began welding some metal legs on two cast iron garden decorations for our friend Linda, who is placing them in a garden/landscaping job she is doing for a lady in Westerlo. My first welding job! It was nice to get back under a welding hood again. I really enjoy welding and fabrication. If only I had a building to do it in.
Hummmmmmmm....... I wonder...
Gillian arrived, anesthetized Norton and between the three of us, we re-checked the ligation, tied on three more...very tightly...flushed the scrotum adequately, applied an ice compress and pressure bandage and watched him. Gillian left for the third time, exhausted and frustrated. There was nothing more that we could do and if the bleeding started again, it would be over and Norton would die during the night while we slept. We told Dawna this, so I’m sure she had a worrisome night as a result. I believe we all crashed soon thereafter......
This morning, Norton was fine...ready to eat as usual... The third time was a charm and everything held as we had hoped it would. Perhaps the first ligation had worked loose and started to leak. Who knows, but now he’s fine. We talked to Dawna this morning and informed her that Norton was okay, which relieved her stressful anticipation, as it had ours when we saw his little face this morning awaiting the morning feeding.
039429 Cluckin' "A" Critter Farm, LLC
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