Squirrelgirl88 - Double G Farm

Squirrelgirl88

Loving the herd life
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Rough couple of weeks here. We had to put down our Beagle mix last week. He was 12 and had been in Congestive Heart Failure for about a year. I've never had to euthanize before. I hope I never have to go through that again. I kept praying for the angels to take him in his sleep, but when he stopped eating and couldn't stand we had to make the decision for him.

Now our 13 year old lab mix is fighting bronchitis and I afraid of losing her too. I'm realistic, she's got more years behind her than in front, but I'm still reeling from the loss of our other dog.

The pullets are doing well. 4 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Buckeyes, and :fl One Buckeye Rooster. HE sure looks different than the other two. I really need a rooster.

We have 2 sick hens - both Buckeyes. One has been fighting a prolapsed vent off and on for about a month or so. We bathe her, clean her up, and a week later she's a caked up with poop again. The second hen is fighting a nasty case of Bumblefoot. I actually just posted in the Other Animals section for advice.

The goats............we'll they are hormonal as always. Heat cycles are coming and going and the screaming and fighting continue. I almost wish Nigerians were seasonal breeders. The older girls will go to be bred in October, but the younger girls have to wait another year.

The garden is trying to recover from the onslaught of rain Ohio has had the last few months. My potatoes are rotting in the ground, the onions and garlic have starting rotting also, and the crab grass is flourishing! :he

The berries however seemed to have loved all the rain. I've already preserved 10 batches of Jam (Blueberry, Red Raspberry and Black Raspberry) and the Blackberries are just starting to ripen. Oh and the cucumbers are doing great. I'll have pickles to last for years. We just picked up our first peck of peaches for the year, and I'm going to make cobbler. We have a really nice orchard close to us and we get peaches and apples from them every year. We try to support local farmers as much as possible.

If anyone has any suggestions about treating bumblefoot and weight loss in chickens, I'm all ears.
 

elevan

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:hugs It sucks when our best four legged friends get old.


If you find yourself overwhelmed by cucumbers or berries, you're close enough to Mt. Vernon to sell at Harvest. They might even be interested in an overabundance of jams / jellies. They are currently looking for new vendors, PM me if you're interested.
 

Squirrelgirl88

Loving the herd life
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Still reeling from the loss of our Beagle, we just received a very bad diagnosis for our Lab. She has aspiration pneumonia secondary to Mega Esophagus. Basically she is not getting food into her belly, just regurgitating it and then aspirating. There is no cure, no treatment. The muscles in her esophagus have just stopped working and that's that. We can get her over the pneumonia, but it will eventually happen again. She's lost 5 pounds in one week, and the pneumonia is wearing us both out.

I can't do this. I can't make this decision right now. If she were a young dog, there are options for special feedings etc. but she's 13. I'm trying to be realistic. She has arthritis in her hips, and a elevated feeding chair is just not an option for her. At her age she's not likely to tolerate any change in her routine.

For now we'll keep up the expensive antibiotics, switch to soft canned food, and just keep scrubbing carpet everytime she throws up - which is about every 15 minutes.
 

Squirrelgirl88

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Just back from the vet. We had to have the lab put down. The pneumonia came back and the constant regurgitation was destroying her esophagus. I know she was in pain.

I don't know when I've felt to empty. Two dogs in 6 weeks is more than anyone should have to withstand.

I'm going to the barn to cuddle with my goats.
 

jodief100

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:hugs

I can't even imagine what pain you are going through right now. I am so very sorry for your losses.
 
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