52 New Things: 23 - Bury something larger than a mouse
Perhaps strangely, I've got this old without ever having to do this before. The dog I grew up with died when I was living on the other side of the country.
However, today it was a 9-day-old cria.
It was born to Minnie (in the icon) last Monday and seemed to be doing very well indeed at three days old, but it then become apparent that food was going in but not coming out the other end. This isn't an uncommon problem in crias and I had every expectation that a visit from the vet would fix it. It didn't, and neither did the next or the next or the treatments she had me give it in between, and the university vet hospital couldn't suggest anything else to try. It was getting progressively more uncomfortable and we decided this morning that it was time to stop hoping for improvement.
Fortunately the rain we had two weeks ago meant I was able to dig a hole. I think it should have been deeper, but I hit the hard clay layer and couldn't go any further.
It's especially sad because my mother, who owns Minnie, is overseas. I held off emailing her about the birth until I was pretty sure the cria was going to be fine (I know now not to jump to conclusions after three days), and now have to write and say it isn't and we won't be needing the name she chose.
At least there's no better place to cry than alone in a greening paddock surrounded by trees and sky!
However, today it was a 9-day-old cria.
It was born to Minnie (in the icon) last Monday and seemed to be doing very well indeed at three days old, but it then become apparent that food was going in but not coming out the other end. This isn't an uncommon problem in crias and I had every expectation that a visit from the vet would fix it. It didn't, and neither did the next or the next or the treatments she had me give it in between, and the university vet hospital couldn't suggest anything else to try. It was getting progressively more uncomfortable and we decided this morning that it was time to stop hoping for improvement.
Fortunately the rain we had two weeks ago meant I was able to dig a hole. I think it should have been deeper, but I hit the hard clay layer and couldn't go any further.
It's especially sad because my mother, who owns Minnie, is overseas. I held off emailing her about the birth until I was pretty sure the cria was going to be fine (I know now not to jump to conclusions after three days), and now have to write and say it isn't and we won't be needing the name she chose.
At least there's no better place to cry than alone in a greening paddock surrounded by trees and sky!