If you have livestock, you have death. I was reminded of this yesterday. Our sickly ewe, the rescue who was attacked by the owner's dog, died yesterday. I didn't have much hope for her as she was unable to raise her head, but still, it was disappointing.
When I checked on her first thing in the morning, I found her down, her belly inflated with bloat but still alive. I administered everything I could with what little supplies I had on hand but unfortunately she passed away. Since I purposely did everything possible for her to avoid bloat knowing she already had enough problems, this surprised me. She was not on pasture or grain, simply dry hay. Last years for that matter. So my unprofessional guess is she had choked on some hay and was unable to lift her head to swallow properly. She had begun to gain some weight and with it some energy I'm sure. Possibly too much energy, she might have been eating too fast. When you felt her neck, you could tell it wasn't normal. There were bones sticking out in odd angles. I suspected there was more internal damage than feared.
It was very disappointing but a lesson learned. Actually a reminder since I already have been through bloat before. Make sure I have proper supplies on hand for a sick ewe.
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