First, Liam, our tether, began limping, and then today, Issachar, a much younger sheep, also lay down while eating, an almost certain sign of foot pain in sheep.
When we saw pus in Liam’s front hoof, we called Jack Kittle, a vet from Hoof N’Paw; he will treat just about any animal there is, including dogs and large animals.
He is old school. I met him at my friend Ed Gulley’s farm, the two of them were great friends, and I always tell Jack that I never saw two men have more fun than they did when they had to castrate a steer.
He brought Lyle, a veterinary student who wants to study large animal practice. We are especially fond of Jack, who hasn’t teamed up with the high-powered, high-tech, and super expensive revolution sweeping small veterinary care, which is becoming more like human health care all the time.
Jack diagnosed the problem instantly; with so much rain, moisture seeps in, cracks appear between the sheep’s hooves, and when they step in manure, the opening gets painful and infected.
While so many people are experiencing drought, we are beginning to experience too much rain, which can be bad for crops, haying, and animal feet. The world feels out of balance, and most people don’t want to deal with it
Sooner or later, we will all have to.
Jack gave Issachar and Liam an anti-biotic shot, and each was better almost instantly. Since some rain is in the forecast for the next few weeks, he said it could recur.
He misses Ed, who was a close friend, and so do I.
Jack charged us $106 for a visit, about a third of what large animal vets usually charge ($200 just for coming). The rising cost of veterinary care is a problem on many levels; many people up here don’t go to the vet regularly anymore; they can’t afford it unless they go and see Jack.
Lots of people use to have goats or sheep or donkeys or horses that were often rescued. They can’t afford to do it anymore.
Jack works nights and weekends; he’s even working money. He says he won’t raise his prices past the point where people can’t get their animals treated.
The sheep are fine.
“Too much water.” Sigh. We build pipelines to carry fossil fuel around the country. Maybe we can repurpose them to redistribute water. Heaven knows Louisiana doesn’t need another single drop this year.
Our vet, much loved, Dr. Cynthia Swingle in Massena, N.Y. ran her clinic the same way. She was an amazing vet. She let people pay on their bills. She knew so much about what to do. She also employed her family. I want to tell everyone about her, because was extremely smart, humble and kind. Her family came from Pennsylvania and are friends with many Amish there and here. Many, many people love Dr. Swingle. I was in her vet room with my dog in February. She had a cough I’ll never forget. I told her she sounded horrid. In March she had to close her clinic. She died in early June. The sign on her door said she had an aggressive cancer. She also had COVID, which was that cough. I say this because there was no one like her, and to remember, our lives can change in an instant, for good or for bad.
Thank you for sharing her story. Clearly she lives on in your and others’ hearts.