Caring is my job 365 days a year. As a mother I care for our children and as a farmer I care for our cows. While these jobs usually work hand in hand there are times when caring for the children overlap when I need to be caring for the cows or vice versa. However, we are very fortunate to have help with both kids and cows. While we don’t have a grandma on speed dial we are lucky to have help with the kids via a great babysitter, and close family and friends. And on the farm my husband is there day in and day out and we also have a good team of employees who are reliable.
Yesterday was Thursday and Thursdays means herd health day for our cows, but on this particular Thursday I already had a doctor appointment scheduled for Landon. And since life as a mother (or farmer) is never easy Nora came down with a fever and also needed to go to the doctor. So in the morning instead of heading to the barn to help with herd health day I took our two kids on a trek to the doctors office for not one but two doctor appointments, while my husband, Clayton, stayed at the barn for the cow’s doctor appointment as well. Every day, it is our job to care for our kids and cows to ensure everyone (human and bovine) stays healthy. I am still unsure who got the better end of the stick, wrangling two kids at a doctor office or wrangling 35 cows can both be tricky business!
For both the kids and cows we had a mix of standard check-ups and 
sick visits too. Landon had a cold last week when we had his standard 4 month check-up so they asked that we wait one week for his 4-month vaccinations. And it just so happened that big sister, Nora, came down with a fever and complained about her head hurting which likely meant ear infections for her. The doctor appointments were long but good and I came out of the office knowing both of my kids were being cared for the best the doctors and nurses could. Now it was up to mommy to snuggle them and make them feel better.
As for the bovines, they too received the best care through our veterinarian. He checked many cows pregnant and checked on one cow who has been feeling under the weather since calving and he treated her with the medicines she needed and went on his way.
We know that the ill cow was already feeling better within a few hours as she was up moving around, eating, drinking and got milked last night. We suspect that Nora will make a full recovery quickly because look even when sick and hurting she can stick out her tongue, smile and laugh, but we are anxious to see how Nora responds to her antibiotics over the next few days, and we are glad to report that Landon didn’t miss a beat with his vaccinations, its like nothing even happened expect for the two band-aids on his legs.
For both my children and cows I am more than happy to utilize modern medicine through preventative care, vaccinations, antibiotics and all the love and care I can give them! We strive hard everyday to not only keep our animals healthy and productive but our kids healthy and happy too!
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