jeanette

the vet came out today on my lunch break to check on jeanette...all of our farm vets have seen her over the past couple of weeks. this morning they all sat down and talked about her...they said we are doing a great job of looking after her while she is down...she can walk a bit when we lift her up, she is well hydrated, she is on good pain control, her body temperature is good, even in this horrible heat, she is eating and drinking well...she is bright and alert and has not become unduly depressed...and they think she is not going to be able to get up again. they think she is just too old and weak in the back end and if she hasn't been able to do it by now, she probably won't ever be able to do it again.

so i am not going to get all emotional about this now...neither she nor i can afford grieving her loss yet. there is a practical side to losing jeanette with as much kindness and dignity as possible. the vets said they can come anytime, however carson's cannot pick up her body til thursday morning at 10.. that means that between now and 9 am thursday morning when the vets arrive, jeanette has to be absolutely comfortable, she has to feel completely and totally safe, she has to feel perfectly well cared for and treasured beyond anything. she needs to feel how much we love her without feeling frightened because our emotions are out of control...so i have been giving this some thought because i am working until wednsday evening.

the plan is to up our current staffing...angelina will come and stay with her and care for her until i get home from work. we will spray her with marigold spray to keep the flies off of her, we will protect her shelter from percy's dismantling so she doesn't end up underneath a tarp because he is a busy body fool. we will scoop the poop away from her as soon as she thinks to poop, we will offer her water and hay and treats frequently so she doesn't even have to wait, we will make sure as soon as she looks too warm that we wash her down with cold fresh water...we will do everything we can possibly do so she never worries about anything. i will check on her all thru the nights and if she is even the least bit distressed, i will brave percy's stupidity if jeanette needs some human company.

it is so very little we can do for her to make these next couple of days as easy for her as we can...but the one thing i know about jeanette, she will appreciate even that little bit cuz she is one of those incredible creatures who overflows with amazing grace.

if anyone wants to spend some quality time with her (with your emotions under control please) she would enjoy some cheerful company to share her last days.

she is a very great cow.