Updates

Just some quick updates while the kids are taking an afternoon rest...

Pixie and her lambs are doing very well. They were let out of the lamb jug after three days. However, once they were in the maternity/nursery corral with Brownie, our other pregnant ewe, things got a little dicey. Brownie would ram the lambs if they were within two feet of her. At first Pixie seemed o.k. with this, then she got ticked off. She started to ram Brownie on her side. Well, at this point I couldn't take anymore, and I corraled Pixie and her lambs back up. I promptly called Tammy @ Fairlight Farm, my constant resource for sheep advice. It turns out, this behavior is very normal for Shetlands. Of all the things I have read about sheep care, this never came up. Apparently, most reading material is geared toward other, milder mannered sheep! Ha. So, anyhow... Tammy says so long as the lambs are old enough to be able to run back to their mama, they aren't cornered by the aggressive ewe, they will learn to stay with their mother. After a few days, or less in this case, they will calm down. Well, I decided to keep the trio in their corral for a few days and try again. HOWEVER, when I came home from my afternoon bus route Pixie had busted out of the corral. Both ewes and lambs seemed relaxed. Everyone now knows their place, and all is well. Tammy was right about something else too... it's probably a good thing I wasn't here to witness the reunion. I think watching the lambs get rammed is simply too much for me, even though it's a normal behavior and nobody was hurt. Look at them all just chillin'. BIG SIGH from this shepardess!

Brim, aka Houdini, is doing well. He's sweet, mild tempered, doesn't complain... and WILL NOT stay put! Since his leg first broke he has broken out of a large dog kennel, a garage, a bathroom, and an extra large dog run (which we bought just for his recovery)! The only thing that keeps him contained, henceforth immobile, is our sheep trailer. In an effort to ward off coyotes, we moved the trailer right next to the ewe/lamb corral so he can bark away predators at night. Pleeeease let that be enough. Brim's leg is healing well, at least now that he's officially confined. :) In 4 or 5 weeks we will be taking him back to surgeon for follow-up x-rays. Keep your paws and toes crossed!

Brownie's just getting bigger. Really Brownie, is that a cow calf in there?! Look at that waistline... If it's not twins we might be in trouble. Isn't she a pretty girl? I can't wait to see what we get. I've always thought her beautiful head looked like that of a deer. Tammy and I agree that we'll get either moorit (like Conway) or oatmeal color, like Brownie... spots are a possibility. I'll be glad when her babies are here, healthy and hale!

We had our gas tank moved today. It came with our house, and it was apparently made in the 50's. The tank's still in good shape, but the ground had settled. The tank had sunk to the ground's surface then rolled onto it's side. (Not a good thing, if you want your propane stable and your tank not to rust.) I thought it was pretty cool how they did it. Check out the contraption... it was pretty simple to move it with that thing. AND, it's now up off of the ground on blocks AND we had them move it so it's now perpendicular to house instead of parallel. We were thinking it would be less of an eyesore that way. We'd like to put up a little fence and have plants or ivy growing, but the sheep have other ideas in mind. So, it's a big improvement, and maybe we'll come up with a better plan.... like painting the tank to look like a big white fluffy sheep. Ha ha!

Happy Wednesday to all! I was gonna say "Hump Day", but does everyone get that reference? If not, well, they just might misunderstand me altogether! :)

A Beautiful Day

I love days like this when the mild temperatures and soft rain give you comfort, like your favorite blanket just out of the dryer. I crawled into the lamb jug then walked around with Brim, still on his leash for at least another month, just to take some pics of the peaceful day and its inhabitants. Enjoy...

Good Night.

Stripped of all dignity...

Well, Mr. Brim had his surgery yesterday, and it went very well. The post surgical x-rays looked great! As the screws are attached it actually pushes the bones together, nice and straight. Due to this, he has been in a lot of pain. He's a tough dog, and he was whimpering on/off last night, even with high doses of pain medication. I wanted him close so I could help him during the night, if need be. SO, he stayed in our bathroom all night. And, once the house settled down for the night, he did as well. What a good pup. Anyhow, the vet said he should be feeling much better 2 to 3 days after surgery. Surgery has given him the best chance for a full recovery. Keep your paws, and fingers, crossed that recovery is short and uneventful!

As for the title regarding the loss of his dignity, well... Before surgery, we had him shaved down and bathed at the vet clinic. 1: to keep him cool as it gets hotter out, and 2: nice and clean in case he needs to come inside. Of course we told him how handsome he looks, etc. However, between the bandaged leg, the shave down and the drugged look in his eyes... it just spells "beaten down". Poor pup. At least he's not panting while he's laying on the cool patio, like he usually would be. I'll keep all posted on his recovery. Thanks for all the well wishes!

Poor Pup

Well, I started this blog after inspiration from Tammy @ Fairlight Farms. I purchased our starter flock from her, and I really thought my first blog would be about my sheep... and the waiting, waiting and more waiting for my 2 ewes to lamb for the first time. But, oh no! This blog is to be about my poor pup, Brim. He's our 2 year old LGD, more of a ranch dog really seeing as our farm is small, and he usually sleeps in the front yard instead of a pasture. AND, he's a loving, gentle teddy bear with everyone, except the cat... he's just not a big fan of cats.

Anyhow, back to the "poor pup" part. Easter Sunday Brim came limping onto our back porch where our girls were playing. My heart sank. Not putting weight on his front left paw, some apparent swelling about 1/3 of the way up his ulnar/radius bones. Uh-oh... hope, pray, please... I checked him over.. just hoping to find a cut, a burr, torn toenail. Nope. Alright, it's Sunday, and we were just getting ready to go over to family's for Easter slash nephew's Birthday party. At this point I'm really hoping that it's a sprain, and when I get home I'm going to find him putting some weight on that foot. No such luck. Once we were home I put the kids to bed and ran outside to check on Brim. He came hobbling up to me, whimpering. Not good. I gave him some Etogesic, the pain killer I give to my old Golden Retriever for his arthritis, petted him for awhile as he lay on his dog bed on the front porch and instructed him to take it easy for the night. Yeah, I "instructed" him. He's one of those really smart dogs with almost human eyes, that just seems to understand what I say or want most of the time. In the morning, he was laying on the front porch patiently waiting for me to fix him. So, off to the vet we went.


X-rays show broken ulnar and radius. How could this happen to us again? Our other dog, Liberty, broke the exact same bones last year. Seriously?? After casting, recasting, recasting yet again, and lots of recoup time, she healed... not perfectly, but she does very well as a house dog/backyard guard. Check out the pic, does it look vaguely familiar? Like a mirror image. Ugh.


O.k., so the vet thinks casting could be a good option. I leave him there so the kids and I can go home and get some sort of containment setup for Brim, seeing as he was born outside on a sheep farm and has never been couped up anywhere... he absolutely refused to come inside, even during extreme hot or cold weather. Before we even got home, the vet called me with bad news. He said he couldn't get the bones to line up and stay, not well enough for an active, working outdoor dog. He recommended another veterinarian who has done a lot of surgical pinning. My husband and I agreed that Brim is not ready for retirement, so we called the other vet. He recommended yet another vet who does plate and screw surgery. You see, an external fixeter was our first option to casting. Apparently, pins go through the leg in several places and protrude. This makes it very challenging in a large, active dog like Brim during recovery because it's so easy for them to "whack" the pins against just about anything. And with that much force it could put us back to square one. He was also concerned that as Brim starts to heal he might get away from us (he must be always contained or walked on leash during recovery) and rebreak leg. So, after meeting with the 3rd vet, we plan to have surgery on Brim's leg this coming Tuesday. He will insert one or two plates onto the outside of the leg and drill 6 screws into the bone. If all goes well, his bones will heal in 6 - 8 weeks. He can resume regular lifestyle at that point, but the plate will stay on another 2 or 3 months for added support while his leg strengthens. So, now we wait. He has a splint and bandages on for support and protection until surgery day. This of course must remain dry, and he must remain inactive. The first night we put him in an extra large metal cage. By morning, he was out, on his own of course. The second night he was put into the garage... by morning.... yep, he was out again. Friggin' Houdini! Alright, after rebandaging (due to wet wrap), he was then put into our small enclosed, but well ventilated sheep stock trailer. Woo hoo! We have found the answer. During the day he is happy to sleep in the cool shade of our enclosed patio, and at night, or during rain, or if we have to leave the house for awhile, he sleeps in the trailer. You're never prepared for these types of things until they happen, right?

Well, my hubby's at work, the kids are clamoring for my attention, and there are more eggs in the barn to collect. My next post will either be about Brim or lambs! Should we bet which one will be first? I'm betting Brim, but who knows? My ewes just aren't saying. :)