Cowmomma's Cupboard

The recent deaths of elite polo horses due to medication error makes all of us that work with animals cringe.  If you work with livestock, you typically use medications and supplements in the course of caring for your beloved animals and we all worry about this kind of mistake occurring.  There are practices that can help make sure that this never happens at your farm.

We ask our vetrinarian about any supplement or medication we consider for our herd.  She is not always familiar with alternative therapies but this is a good place to start.  We verify dosages and potential side effects with her.  We then do a review of the agricultural literature for information about the practices again looking for evidence for and against the intervention and about the use protocols.

Everything we administer systemically we get either from the vet or a commercial preparer.  We calculate the dosages of all medications for the animals based upon prescribing guidelines even if they have been prepared by the vet or pharmacy to try to make sure no error has been made.

We do most all of our own administration but we have two people verify dosage, drawup and then have a system of placing anything to be given to an animal in a bag with it's name on it when we head to the pasture.  All syringes are marked with the medication contained.

Prior to administration again, dosage, administration recommendations, animal are all reviewed for match.  Then we give the vaccine or medication.  Now, on a larger scale, this is not all practical if using a dosing gun, but we do recommend a review of the supplement, routes to be given, side effects, etc prior to use by two people, then verification of dose for each animal, usually based upon weight or age before administration. When mass immunizing or medicating we do one medication at a time.

It does take a bit more time to do the double checking, but better safe then sorry. We do use a slapshot for our parenteral medications and vaccines and that makes shots even for our high strung cattle less stressful for all of us. Our hearts go out to the players, owners and fans who lost thse beautiful horses this week.

I'm jumping back on here fairly close to our last listing because I didn't want to leave the negative, down and depressing entry as the last thing we'd posted for very long.  Though times are hard, we are keeping on, keeping on.

Dan had word of a marine mechanic's opeing and so a job possibility is in the works.  We are moving forward with getting ready for the opening of Farm Market season up our way Mother's Day weekend.  You wil find us at the Sarah Hardy Traverse City Market on Saturdays across from Richard and Diana from Spring Hollow Dairy.

We expect to have composted manure, eggs, maple syrup, starts for some early plantings including table greens buckets planted with snow peas and mescalun mix, bok choi and cressy greens, and swiss chard.  We may have some picked greens also.

We have tincture of thyme, and dried mullien as far as medicinals go and homemade oat bran english muffins and whole grain bread.  You can pickup an autographed copy of Funny Farm if you need a a good read.

We have been having good luck with our mortgage company and credit card companies as far adjusting payments and interest rates so we can stay afloat.  Anyone else in our situation call you company and most all are willing to work things our right now.  Just not Kia Motor Finance Company.

We are sharing this story even though it reflects somewhat poorly on us here at the 4B Ranch, but I think that there are many of you out there that are in exactly the same situation and if we discuss this, it is healthier for all of us.  We racked up another first this week, here at the ranch- our first visit from the Repo Man.

I spend a lot of time smiling and pretending that our financial footing is solid, but that is make believe.  The rest of you that have been scratching along trying to make ends meet, know that we do this so as not to put off customers, make friends and family worry, and to keep our own sanity.  But times are hard for many of us.

We had been doing great since I was forced to retire due to illness and we began our endeavor, originally as my therapy project.  Dan was working a real job and we were on a five year plan for the ranch to move from hobby to full business and become self sustaining.  Then, layoff followed by termination came last August, like for so many of our fellow Michiganders.  Since then we have been trying to cut a year off our time frame and move into the black this year.

Our bills have been geared towards our income while Dan was working for Four Winns and though we certainly did not live extravagantly, we made all our payments.  Not anymore!  We cut fluff like eating out and satellite TV a long time ago.  I stopped taking my M.S. drug because even having Medicare, the $500 a month co pay was more than we could afford.  But with my high medical bills we have not been able to meet all our payments, including the car note for the KIA Rio we bought several years ago for Dan to use to commute to work.

This week, KIA decided to repossess the car though we are only about $400 in arrears at this point.  This is certainly their right.  And we are certainly in the wrong, not making the obligation we committed ourselves to.  But neither the animals nor we can eat the Rio, and we are not living in it, or burning it for heat, so that payment did not rank at the top of our list.  Neither Dan nor I have ever faced the Repo Man before.  What a humiliating experience.  And the fellow, who called here, was very nice.

It has taken us both a week of positive self talk, and pep rallying for each other to keep slogging along, trying to get ready for our Farm Market season, calving and all the other forward looking things happening here.  We tell ourselves that we are not alone.  We try not to feel too pitiful but looking for others that have it worse than we do sure doesn’t make us feel any better, though we know we still have so much to be grateful for.

If you have had a visit from the Repo Man, or anticipate he will turn up soon at your place, keep your chin up.  It is only “stuff.”  Things will get better.  We hold hands with you and keep walking forward along this spring’s furrows.