For those of you who read my last post “Caring for Tequila,” I wanted to hop back on and give an update.
We saw no signs of improvement so the vet came out to take a second look. This time the vet brought a squeeze chute with them. This type of chute squeezes the cow gently to keep them from moving around. The vet needed to take a closer look and our chute just wasn’t keeping her still enough. We didn’t receive good news. From the sounds of it, she has quite the wound. Something likely punctured her in-between her toes, causing damage to her bone and joints. To learn what our options are we need to take her somewhere; but the problem is we can’t get her to walk farther than a couple feet, let alone onto a trailer and into a vet’s office. The vet gave her another dose of antibiotics which has a withdrawal period of 45 days. This antibiotic helps with pain and infection. We are currently doing our best to keep Tequila comfortable. It is important to keep her wound clean. We are hoping she improves enough in the next week or so to take steps to help cure her but if she doesn’t we might need to make the tough decision to cull her following the 45 day withdrawal period.
We have continued the Epsom salt foot baths. We are pretty lucky that Tequila is tame. We would not be able to do this with most cows. Each evening dad, Megan, Tyler or I catch her with a halter and soak her foot for 10 minutes. We finish by spraying her wound with Iodine. This helps keep flies from bothering it. If you look closely in the photo above, you will notice her ankle is swollen. The swelling has actually gone down but there is still a noticeable difference.
Meet her calf! Her calf is just as healthy and spunky as ever and he takes the opportunity to nurse while we soak her foot. He has become quite tame himself over the last few weeks. Tequila is still providing him with milk but he is getting close to weaning so our calves get supplemented with hay, grass and creep feed (feed for calves). Tequila isn’t moving very far so we have her in a pen with water and hay.
The other cows are out on pasture but as you can see they were ready to move to the next pen! Soon they will be receiving hay as the grass growth is slowing down for the season.
I know this wasn’t the update on Tequila you were probably hoping for but I want to be 100% transparent with all of you. It is important to me that we share the real story of agriculture… both the good and bad days. And on all days we do our best to care for our animals.
I love the new Iowa Farm Bureau campaign and partnership with Fareway! #RealFarmers, #RealMeat #RealFood! If you have questions about antibiotics, livestock footprint, hormones, etc. Please ask! I will do my best to answer any questions you might have!
I patiently (okay maybe impatiently) awaited for my 9th birthday! The year I could finally join 4-H! I participated by showing cattle, pigs and sheep. I also enjoyed working exhibits, photography and home improvement projects. My love and passion for agriculture is credited to my 4-H years. I discovered who I wanted to be when I grew up and 4-H is what led me to my interest in agriculture communications. 
Showing livestock opened my eyes to a whole new sport. All of the hard work, dedication and sweat was proof of my love and compassion towards my 4-H livestock. Yes, we do get close to the animals and yes it does get easier to sell them every year but no we do not lose our compassion. I would argue that 4-Her’s grow is understanding and respect year after year. Life is not easy and it comes with sorrow, 4-H teaches real life-lessons! 
And it is not about the monetary value that the video describes. Showing livestock does teach youth about financial responsibility but the reward is not the check at the end. It is a added bonus if you have money to save but for most, it is paying for feed, paying for the initial investment or using the money to purchase an animal for the next year. The life lessons I learned about finances was tremendously helpful leading into college and adult life. 
Showing livestock taught me responsibility. Waking up at 5:30 a.m. every morning during summer break is not a typical high school student’s routine but for us it wasn’t out of the norm. Our livestock needed fed, rinsed and walked twice a day. Show animals lead a very good life. In fact all of the animals on our farm are well taken cared of. 
Besides animal exhibits, 4-H taught me professional and communication skills through presentations and working exhibits. Unlike the video posted yesterday, I will stay on topic and not jab fingers. I will not put down veganism and I will not state judgement about another’s life-style. 
4-H youth are future farmers, doctors, teachers, engineers, designers, and innovators! My career journey started at age 9 when I signed up to show my first heifer “Carmel.” Yes I know how to spell caramel but my 9 year old self did not and that is okay! It is okay to be ourselves and that is exactly what 4-H taught me. 
I now have the opportunity to work with youth everyday! Our Linn County Farm Bureau mission is to increase youth awareness on the importance of agriculture, agriculture careers and the benefits of agriculture throughout an individual’s life. 
Stay Farm Strong 4-Hers! Remember to be a leader in your community and don’t let what others say knock you down. All thoughts are my own!
Picking Wild Flowers 