High Desert Cowboy- How far is it up north?

[Ridgetop]

Good job. If it was a clean break she should heal up just fine. We keep PVC pipe cut in half in the emergency kit for splints and t s what our vet uses too. No need for expensive purchased stuff when household materials work just as well. She should heal up just fine. However don't remove the splint completely after 2 weeks. I suggest you remove it, check the leg, then rewrap and resplint for another 2 weeks. If you take off the splint off too soon she can refracture the break. Did that with a young Nubian buck years ago and the result was very bad.

Shorter lengths are also useful when large kids are born with their front feet knuckled under. Splinting them for a week helps to straighten the joints out.

Oh yes, and if you have to sew up cuts, you can use fishing knots - the kind fishermen use to tie on their hooks and weights. One year I had to sew up a large cut in a doe. (Our animal vet had died and the horse vet and the small animal vet wouldn't touch livestock. We learned a lot in those years!) Everything went fine until it was all over and reaction set in and I started shaking. Then we looked at the stitches and the knots were coming undone!!! DS2, age 13 or 14 had to reknot them and did it with the knots he had learned at 4-H camp from the fishing leader! LOL I do order needles pre-threaded with suture thread as well as disposable scalpels for emergency stuff. I get the stuff from Jeffers.

 

[High Desert Cowboy]

@Baymule it was inch and a quarter pipe. Once I’d wrapped the leg it was the best fit.
@Ridgetop we do have suture needles around but fortunately I haven’t ever had to use them thus far. Maybe unfortunately as it means I’m probably getting rusty. When I was going to school I got to practice suturing on cow uteruses.
I can get into my garage now but now it’s raining again so shearing will have to wait a little while longer. I won’t complain about the rain as we desperately need it.

 

[Ridgetop]

I rarely use any of my medical supplies - sutures, etc. - but I keep them on hand just in case. As soon as you don't have them you will need them!!! Luckily. curved carpet needles and dental floss can be used to suture as well in an emergency. You just have to be sure to remove the stitches.

 

[Ridgetop]

Waiting to shear won't be a problem if you are still getting cold rain or sleet. Once sheared, sheep can be prone to pneumonia if the weather changes to cold and wet. No rush for you to do it. It is not like you have a fleece buyer demanding delivery.

 

[Baymule]

Hmmm.... I have scraps of 1” pipe, 3/4” and 2” but no 1 1/4” inch. So I’ll just tell lambs,
DONT BREAK YOUR DURNED LEG!

 

[Ridgetop]

1" and 2" should be ok depending on the age and size of the lamb. You can also cut it in thirds and after wrapping the leg in gauze use duct tape to secure it. The trick is to make sure that the bones are not displaced before setting them.

 

[Bruce]

We should have told you to check with SenileTexasAggie for guidance when locating and repairing water/septic lines!

Except that we haven't heard from STA for a long time!

 

[Baymule]

Except that we haven't heard from STA for a long time!

I’m afraid something bad has happened to him. He wouldn’t be gone this long.

 

[farmerjan]

All manner of different "tries " to contact STA have failed. I even asked the administrators if there was a way they could touch base, but they said they have not gotten any response either. I wish I had a phone number to try or an address to write to.
That brings up that subject.... contact with people outside of BYH... and if something should happen, does anyone in your family/friends, have the wherewithall to contact different people, if something terrible happens? I have decided to make a list that DS needs to call if something happens to me and at least 1 or 2 of the members here will be on the list. Something to think about....

 

[Baymule]

I need to put a list of contacts in the Will folder.