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Clover and the Big, Bad Tire

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T O P I C R E V I E W
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 21 2016 : 7:21:32 PM Last night as we were slowing down for the evening ... I had just milked the goats, cow milk was processed, younger children were tucked in for the night ... I heard a cow moo-ing. Unusual. Ethan went out and came in to say that Betsy might be in heat although it was too early for her to do so. Then Mr. Tony started moo-ing ... what a romantic guy we were thinking! Then, Flossie started up. Ethan went back outside and then raced back to the house, yelling, "Mom, Mom, I NEED YOU. CLOVER IS STUCK. I NEED YOU NOW!" I'm yelling back ... what? how? but no answer ... but hearing Ethan's voice I just knew it was bad. (Why do these things happen when hubby is out of town?) I yelled for my older daughter too ... Amazingly the younger two stayed asleep. Went outside ... All I could see was Clover's lower left leg and part of her left side ... the rest was hidden inside a large tractor tire. I kid you not. She was inside of the tire like an inner tube would be. Tires will never be used again in our fields unless some sort of alteration is done. The scene? Raining, 6' of thick clay-like mud mixed with poo, dark, vehicle headlights lighting up the scene while blinding our eyes. Got on the phone, called MJ and another good friend who brought his brother-in-law. MJ and Nick showed up. Somehow we got the tire vertical ... keep in mind Clover weighs 800 lbs ... hoping that as we got it vertical, Clover would fall out of the tire. Of course not, she was wedged in there well. So as we steadied the tire, our friend managed somehow to pry Clover out with a fence pole. By the time Clover got out of the tire, she was severely bloated. MJ and Nick tubed her and got a lot of air out, but not enough. Since she couldn't walk and was starting to shiver (grabbed a blanket and tarp to cover her - but she was shaking due to a calcium deficiency from the adrenaline surge and bloat), we had to literally drag her through the mud and into the cow trailer. We cut the fence as to make the shortest distance possible, and used a webbed tow rope under the front part of her body. Then, as MJ and I pulled her lead rope, two guys lifted the tow rope while the other two guys lifted pushed on the back. Inch by inch we made progress...had to stop multiple times to let Clover recover and us to breathe. Then somehow with strength fueled by adrenaline and begging Clover not to give up, we got her into the trailer. I'm really not sure how she made it ... We were praying for sweet Clover out loud. In the meantime, multiple phone calls were being made between WSU vets, a vet from Lewiston, answering services (it was past midnight at this point). MaryJane was a HUGE help during all of this. The decision was made that we needed to get her to WSU asap otherwise, we would need to tube her multiple times during the rest of the night. We got hay bales to prop Clover up in the trailer so she wouldn't go back down on her side during the 30 minute drive. This is a good tip to remember! I stayed home as I still had younger children sleeping. Ethan followed MJ and Nick pulling the trailer. Our trailer is being used as a temporary shelter (NOT A GOOD IDEA!) and was out in the muddy field. Here's our sweet Clover after WSU vets pulled her on a tarp/sled as she still couldn't get up. It's stark and she looks dead so please skip this next photo if you want. It was now past 1 am. Her treatment included Calcium Gluconate SubQ, Oral Drenchmate, and Banamine for pain. Honestly, I thought we would lose Clover. She was down way too long. But those vets just give great care. They cleaned her up, blow dried her off, set heat lamps on her, etc. We all finally got to bed around 4 am ... that is the reason poor MaryJane was dragging today. We all were dragging and fuzzy-headed. Lots of coffee needed ... lots of cream. This was this morning: Amazing Clover! And, then since the day wasn't crazy enough I ended up back at WSU this afternoon with a goat kid ... but that's another story. But anyway, here I was at WSU sitting in one room with an injured goat kid and my Clover was straight across the hall, recognizing and mooing for me. Believe it or not, WSU discharged sweet Clover this afternoon and Ethan went to pick her up (got our own trailer out of the mud today). Clover is a miracle again ... once, when she survived her birth and umbilical cord infection and now this. The sad part is we found out that she is NOT bred. But I'm rather grateful that she wasn't after going through this ordeal. She might have aborted. We do need to find out why she wasn't bred and make sure all is well with her and Mr. Tony. Presently, Clover needs to put on some weight and get a better body condition. We will wait on any breeding currently since we don't want a winter calf. At the moment, we are just grateful that we still have Clover.
12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 31 2016 : 7:12:53 PM How I wish! Our grass will green up, but usually around here people don't start pasture grazing until the end of April or even into May. In the meantime, more Chaffhaye please!
txbikergirl	Posted - Mar 31 2016 : 3:57:32 PM put her on the next plain, train or truck headed our way and we'll treat her mighty well during the recuperation. just make sure you put a tag on her like good ole paddington !
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 31 2016 : 11:41:21 AM Clover is doing so very well now. But we are trying to get her to gain more weight ... her body took a beating last week. Any ideas besides just feeding her more quantity? Come on pasture grasses! It isn't ready for grazing yet, but a green pasture like Cindy's down in Texas would be lovely about now!
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 23 2016 : 10:33:24 AM And Sydney, that IS the million dollar question!
Sydney2015	Posted - Mar 23 2016 : 09:06:03 AM Wow! Poor Clover! I wonder how she got stuck... but at least she is okay!
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 22 2016 : 09:58:04 AM And, Janet, if I came and sat on your porch swing, I'm afraid you just might have a permanent fixture. :) It looks so incredibly inviting and peaceful ... oh, I can hear it calling my name.
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 22 2016 : 09:57:08 AM Oh MaryJane, you and Nick saved Clover's life ... this photo is amazing. How did Clover get turned around? She was facing the other way when we finally got her pulled/heaved into the trailer? This truly was a miracle. I was completely expecting a call saying that Clover was gone.
maryjane	Posted - Mar 22 2016 : 08:16:31 AM Driving to WSU in the pouring rain was nerve-wracking. When we got there, even though I'd called ahead, no one could open the main gate for us. I kept saying, Hang on Clover. And then when someone finally came and I jumped out and opened the back door to find that she was still alive and this happened next, I was so grateful. Clover needed electrolytes. It was like having Milk Fever.
NellieBelle	Posted - Mar 22 2016 : 07:04:43 AM So thankful you had quick thinking neighbors and friends and that Clover is on to the road of recovery. This has got to be one of the most unusual of situations I've ever heard of, cow stuck in a tractor tire. You just wonder if she tripped and fell into it or reached to get a morsel of food and lost her balance. It's a conundrum but sooooo thankful that she is back home. Close call. Bloat is serious and lethal if not handled asap. You guys did great under all the circumstances, rain, mud, pooh, heavy cow wedged in tire. I hope you all can breathe a sigh today. Hope your little goat is doing okay too Charlene. Now, come sit on the porch swing. ;) Whew.
txbikergirl	Posted - Mar 22 2016 : 05:55:19 AM oh my charlene, hugs and blessings from east texas your way. the silly things that animals do, that then lend themselves to not so silly outcomes. huge adrenaline rush for y'all - and then utter exhaustion. its emotionally exhausting as well so take care of yourself. XOXOXO to clover and y'all.
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 21 2016 : 7:53:04 PM Thank you, Keeley. Yes, we had a miracle here. And my son, Ethan, is amazing. He worked incredibly hard last night and then was up over working at MaryJane's farm first thing this morning. It didn't feel like we were quickly thinking ... but it sure helped with all the extra help. Without the help, we would have lost Clover. Ethan and I couldn't save her ourselves.
farmlife	Posted - Mar 21 2016 : 7:46:25 PM Oh Charlene, what a miracle! Clover is starting to have nine lives. I'm soooo glad she made it through such an ordeal. Thank goodness for friends and family willing to help and you were all quick thinking and willing to take action. I'm sure the prayers helped as well.