Opal

Today we have a little situation. Actually, we’ve had a little situation for a few days!

Within the herd, I personally own six cows. Lilly is the oldest at nine years; followed by six-year-old Sweetie; Onyx and Opal, my five-year-old twins; and two-year-olds Lively and Silky. Friday of last week, Opal fell while walking out to the pasture. This happens from time to time. Though the concrete floor of the barn is grooved to prevent slipping, cows (like children!) get in a hurry to get outside and push each other out the door or simply start moving too fast and slip. This is what happened to Opal.

Ordinarily, this would not be a very big deal. Cows slip, get up and keep going, just like people. But sometimes, just like people, you land wrong or you stretch too far. That is what happened to Opal! My poor baby’s leg is swollen from top to bottom. And I do mean SWOLLEN! As if one of the “America’s Next Top Model” contestants just got retrofitted with a leg from one of “The Biggest Loser” contenders – at the beginning of the season… Major ouch!

So everyone is doing what they can to help poor Miss Opal. She has been moved from her smaller stall (next to her twin), to a larger stall at the front of the barn. We hope that will give her a more room to maneuver so she can get up and down a little easier as she recovers. Medication has to be chosen with great care. It’s not just about Opal! She is a milking cow and her milk is being shipped for human consumption. Since her injury, she is only making about 15 pounds a day (just shy of four gallons, a far cry from the 86 pounds a day she was making before! Mixed in with the other 5,000 pounds of milk we ship daily, her milk doesn’t amount to much at the moment.

Still, we have to be careful what medications we use on her, so as not to contaminate her milk. We can give her an anti-inflammatory safely, so we are doing that. I also rub her leg with a peppermint oil rub, sort of like Icy-Hot. Because it is topical, we don’t have to worry about it contaminating the milk, so it has become our go-to treatment for everything from bumps and bruises to a first course of treatment for mastitis (an infection of the mammary glands). I love to rub the cows down with this stuff! It smells great to me and, sometimes I think just having the extra attention boosts the girls enough they get over their ailments. Who doesn’t love a little “poor baby” treatment when they feel bad?

Man, where’s my mint rub?

It would seem Opal’s swelling is beginning to go down. My dad is watching her with his ever-scrutinizing eye, continually. She is still uncomfortable, and she misses her sister, Onyx. And Onyx misses her! The first day they were separated, Onyx spent the entire afternoon shift mooing to Opal. She looks into Opal’s empty stall, then looks to me with those petal soft, questioning eyes. Every chance I get; I walk in the empty stall and scrub Onyx’s head and neck. “What is it, baby? I know, you miss your sister! But she’ll be better soon and you’ll have her back, promise!” They are so sweet! I’m sure people don’t think cows communicate; but we see it every day.

Of the twins, Opal is the more timid of the two. She doesn’t usually let me love on her as Onyx does. But she is in pain and she realizes we are trying to help her. At the end of my afternoon shift, I give her some extra hay. Hay seems to be THE miracle feed for cows! Extra hay to a cow must be equal to dark chocolate for a human, suddenly a timid cow is VERY happy to see you! Calf grain has a similar effect, but nutritionally isn’t as useful to a grown cow as hay. Not only do they love the hay, but it really seems to perk them up when they are sick with anything from a stomach ailment - to a swollen leg. After only a few days, Opal has come to watch for me and the hay I will bring her at the end of my shift. There are few things I like better than a spoiled cow!

This may end up being a win-win! Opal gets better, and returns to her sister healthy, strong, and a little more outgoing. If you’re going to make it in farming, you have to have a positive attitude. There is NO thought of Opal not recovering!