Having the Vet Out

Summer is just around the corner. Difficult and depressing to think that this is the last stretch, a month and a bit, and then the sun will slowly but surely make it's way farther south. Also depressing to note that Calgary had it's first days of 20+ weather this last week, the first this year and the first in well over six months. Crazy.

We had the vet out today, to have a look at some things we had going on. It is definitely Friday the Thirteenth, though, because, as it turns out, our bull has a corkscrew penis. No, that’s not some kinky thing he was talked into by that weird old cow standing in the corner by herself, but an actual defect in the structure. This means that his conception rates are way down, seeing as it is difficult to knock a cow up when your pecker takes an abrupt 90 degree turn when you try. This is bad news for the bull. It is a condition that cannot be remedied, so he will need to be shipped.

Shipped is a nice way of saying made into bologna. When a bull or old cow has served out their purpose or, as in this case, develops a problem, they are taken to market. This does two things. It alleviates financial sinkholes, as animals that need treatment all the time, and special care all the time, cost a lot of money. This extra money is in the form of time, labour, and, sometimes, drugs or antibiotics to keep them healthy. This is a bad thing for an already small margin, so it is cheapest to sell the problem animal. The second thing this does is prevent the animal from passing on any more genetics. This is especially useful when things that are genetic, (like screwclaw, poor milkers, and calving issues) are present and need to be eradicated. Animals that have these abnormal genes are processed, preventing them from having offspring with the same problem. 



Ah,  pigs.



It is all fine a good that we now know why our cows haven't been catching to the bull, but it leaves us in a bit of a pickle. We have roughly 60 percent of our herd not pregnant, which is particularly rough on the calf crop for next year. To solve this we need a new bull. Again, this is not such an easy thing to find. The bull sales are all over, and only the dregs of the crop are left. Our best bet will be to find one we can rent for this year, and then look for a new one this coming spring. This will at least assure us a calf crop, though now they will be spread out for well over a month. Ay caramba. 



On a positive note, the lump that was in the ear of one of my pigs is just that, a mere lump. I was concerned for a while that one of my barrows (a hog with no testicles) may have picked up an infection in his ear, which would have the potential of rendering the pork unusable if it spread. But, it is good news, because it turns out that the lump is just a pooling of blood. While that may not sound appealing or like a cause for celebration, it is nothing to worry about, and is apparently common in pigs to have this happen. Apparently, while he was fooling around with another pig, he pinched or damaged the cartilage in the ear, breaking a large vessel. The subsequent floppy ear and bubble of liquid under the skin is sterile blood from the incident. Nothing to worry about! His pork will just be a little drier, from bloodloss, you understand...



Always give a grave prognosis, my boy! If they die, you're

accurate, if they live, you're skilled!!



Just kidding. The lump will have no affect on pork quality. 



It is important to have the vet out when concerns like these arise. He or she is trained extensively in animal health, and will be able to give a more accurate diagnosis of a problem than your neighbour saying, "Well, we had one like that back in '78, I think. Damn thing up and died six years later, anyway." As producers, it is our responsibility to maintain the best care for our animals, and if something is wrong, we know right away and get it dealt with as soon as possible.