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NellieBelle
11217 Posts
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 Posted - Jan 13 2015 : 04:56:21 AM
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| Thinking of you this morning and wanting more than ever for things to get better for the both of you. I hope you realize how much we all care and support you as you are dealing with Maizy's illness. If we could, we would all be there to help you. And if we had the knowledge and power, would get Maizy back and going and like she was before this all came about. Many good thoughts and love to you and Maizy. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
Edited by - NellieBelle on Jan 13 2015 04:57:13 AM |
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Ron
4666 Posts
Ronnie
Peever
SD
USA
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Posted - Jan 13 2015 : 05:07:26 AM
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No kidding. Heartaches when friends suffer with their critters.
So any updates? |
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there, here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo. |
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maryjane
7074 Posts
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Posted - Jan 13 2015 : 09:32:43 AM
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Maizy was a little more perkier this morning when the vet came. She won't let anyone but me lead her into the torture chamber for "who knows what" says Maizy under her breath. This is definitely a time for our bond to deepen and I'm thankful she's still trusting me. I will say that about all this.
I'll let you know what the blood tests say later today. She didn't want to eat or drink last night or this morning so upon the vet's recommendation, I brought Miss Daisy in to provide competition for the hay and water. Sure enough, Maizy started to nibble on things because clearly Miss Daisy was going to have it all gobbled up in no time. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11217 Posts
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Posted - Jan 13 2015 : 09:39:00 AM
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| Thank you MaryJane. I realize you have more than enough to do without stopping and answering our questions, but it's only out of concern. Will be waiting to here what the test results are. Hang in there missy. Yes, another cowpanion. Amazing how things work. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
Edited by - NellieBelle on Jan 13 2015 11:40:48 AM |
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Sydney2015
1156 Posts
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Posted - Jan 13 2015 : 11:09:21 AM
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| I hope it's going better! |
A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing - Laura Ingalls Wilder
I live on a small farm of seventy acres called Green Forest Farm, with 10 horses, a donkey, 5 beef cows, 2 beef heifers, 3 Hereford heifers, around 60 chickens, 8 dogs, my amazing cow, AppleButter, and her little Jersey calf HoneyButter! |
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Ron
4666 Posts
Ronnie
Peever
SD
USA
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Posted - Jan 13 2015 : 12:12:06 PM
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| Thank you for the update MJ. Be looking forward to twin heifers and a healthy mom! |
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there, here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo. |
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farmlife
1413 Posts
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Posted - Jan 13 2015 : 12:51:52 PM
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| Whew! It must be a relief to see her up and making an attempt at putting something in her belly. It's one of those situations that when it's all over you'll look back and think about how much you learned, but right now I'm sure it feels very urgent and scary. Happy thoughts for Maizy! |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Jan 13 2015 : 8:42:02 PM
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Glad to hear Maizy is up and eating a little...so Miss Daisy wouldn't get it all. Whatever it takes!
Here's hoping to more improvement for Maizy and peace of mind for you, MaryJane. |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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NellieBelle
11217 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 06:23:55 AM
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| Holding on to hope that Maizy is better today and she had a restful and peaceful night. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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maryjane
7074 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 07:21:26 AM
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Maizy girl is gone as of 4:00 yesterday afternoon. It's just getting light so Nick and I are heading out to bury her.
I got a call midday to say the fluids/nourishment they'd been putting into her stomach had only bloated her and she'd gone down so they were opening her up (much like a C-section) to see if they could fix whatever was wrong. They found a large black plastic bridle cord in her rumen, scoured over the years into several round connected balls, one of them the size of a softball (we've never had anything even remotely like that here so she'd had this thing in her for 5+ years) that had caused a lot of scar tissue/lesion damage and a 3 1/2 inch nail that had finally worked its way out of her rumen and into her chest cavity. She was not repairable. They sewed her back up and called me. Nick and I went down to say goodbye. She still had her port in her neck so when we were ready, they euthanized her through that. It was very fast--only seconds. We loaded her up and brought her home. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11217 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 07:33:07 AM
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| I'm deeply saddened for your loss MaryJane. It's heartbreaking to lose one you're so close to. You've had your share of loss lately and my heart goes out to you. Sending my arms to wrap around you and your family with love and hopefully some comfort. We will miss Maisy, and her life with you and your family. Enjoyed what you shared and we've come to know. Deepest and warmest regrets my dear girl. Love, Janet |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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Ron
4666 Posts
Ronnie
Peever
SD
USA
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 07:36:04 AM
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Don't know what to even say. Elaine is crying and I am shattered. I can't even begin to know how bad you guys feel!
Our heart felt love goes out to Moscow today. |
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there, here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo. |
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Sydney2015
1156 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 08:05:57 AM
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| I'm so sorry MaryJane. It's always heartbreaking when you lose a friend. Just keep thinking, IT WILL GET BETTER! I hope everyone knows how much you loved Maizy. I can't imagine how much. I hope we will be able to make you feel better. |
A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing - Laura Ingalls Wilder
I live on a small farm of seventy acres called Green Forest Farm, with 10 horses, a donkey, 5 beef cows, 2 beef heifers, 3 Hereford heifers, around 60 chickens, 8 dogs, my amazing cow, AppleButter, and her little Jersey calf HoneyButter! |
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maryjane
7074 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 10:39:26 AM
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https://www.heritagejersey.org/chatroom/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=519&whichpage=1
Nov. 11, 2014
Maizy would be my first pick to describe because she’s my most complicated cow. Consequently, she’s the one I think about the most.
Maizy came to me sight unseen. I’d had a Jersey milk cow for a few years when I decided it was time to also own a bull. Because my cow was full-size, I thought a smaller bull would be a good idea. I went to one of the miniature Jersey cow websites/registries and sent off a deposit on a bull. Little did I know that little could mean big angst. Not a bad thing necessarily because that experience is what led me to this, a place for honesty, integrity, disclosure. But I digress.
My bull would be traveling some 2,300 miles in the heat of the summer. I had no idea he would make that trip at only two months of age. I thought I was buying a bull, not a calf. But I trusted the seller to guide me. I was a novice.
The trucker was a friend of the seller. Before his departure, he called to ask me if I could help him out by also adopting (for a small fee) a 10-month old miniature Jersey heifer and a 5-month old miniature palomino horse. “Perhaps,” I said. “The heifer is definitely a miniature Jersey, right?” I asked. “Sure thing, ma’am. A woman who owes me money gave me a cow instead and there ain’t no big cows on her farm.”
I remember vividly the day Maizy arrived along with baby Milky Way (my bull) and Nutmeg, my horse (none of them had names that he knew of). I walked to the back of the trailer, anxious to meet the new members of my family but the trucker put his hand out instead. “Cash right here in the palm of my hand first, then you get to see what I’ve brought you.” After our “transaction,” out stumbled Maizy, Milky Way, and Nutmeg, dehydrated and covered in crap. My husband remembers Milky Way’s “big sweet terrified eyes.” I remember Maizy’s eyes.
Maizy grew to be a full-size Jersey. She’d had a broken hip in her previous life that mended poorly. She had horns that were difficult to remove.
Maizy has food “issues.” She’s always afraid she won’t be fed. I can only imagine.
She’s my dominant cow and keeps everyone in line but she’s surprisingly loving in her dominance. Bravado, love. Bravado, love. She treats me no different. Forceful but sweet and like my husband says, “Wicked smart.”
Maizy has learned how to open most of our gates. She catches on to changes in her routine almost instantly. “Here’s a new waterer in which you have to push a paddle to get water.” Got it. “Here’s where I want you to stand while I get things ready to milk you.” Got it. “Your name is Maizy not Daisy and I want you to come when I call you Maizy with an M, not a D.” No problem. “Now I want you to get pregnant.” Done. “Now I want to dry you up.” Done. “I think you might have mastitis I’m struggling to clear up so I’ve made an appointment tomorrow morning to take you to the vet.” Gone (the very next morning)!
Pretty much Maizy dominates me also. Unless, unless, she decides otherwise, but really all I can ever do is suggest what I need her to do. She’s never kicked me or butted me with her head and I could milk her in the field if I wanted but she’s pinned me against a wall once and a gate another time (bruising one of my ribs) just to serve notice. “I decide, okay? I’m in charge.” About a month ago I needed to milk sweet, sweet docile Miss Daisy every day BEFORE Maizy (for a variety of reasons). Usually Maizy thunders to the door of the milking parlor (she’s big and pushy), first in line. But within three days, she started standing way off in the field while I brought Daisy in. As I milk Daisy now, Maizy slowly works her way towards the gate and then stands off to the side so she can watch what we're doing, waiting until Daisy is out the door before coming anywhere near the gate. Why? Daisy is the lowest in the pecking order here so Maizy has taken it upon herself to change the tenor of that. She has Daisy on a pedestal these days. She licks her on and off all day and keeps the others from picking on her. She stands back while I milk Daisy first. All this happened shortly after Daisy lost her 5-month old calf to hip dysplasia. How’s that for “thoughtful?” Of course, cows think, feel, and know. You only need know Maizy to know that.
But the real heart wrenching, heart stab moments that have happened between Maizy and me are when she cries and I hold her. I’m serious. Tears have streamed down her face a total of four times now. I described one of those moments in my book.
Maizy has given me three calves, Etta Jane, Otis (a steer), and Rose Etta. She’s due again March 30. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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Ron
4666 Posts
Ronnie
Peever
SD
USA
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 10:46:54 AM
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Oh my goodness......so sorry Mary Jane.......we are devastated and only know the cow from afar. I can't even imagine dealing with it!
Do I even dare ask if they put the calf down too She was carrying? 😟 |
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there, here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo. |
Edited by - Ron on Jan 16 2015 10:48:30 AM |
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NellieBelle
11217 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 10:51:13 AM
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| Good-bye dear Maizy girl. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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Sydney2015
1156 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 10:58:18 AM
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| I'm so sorry! It must be so hard. Maizy sounds like one of the best cows ever! It will be okay. |
A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing - Laura Ingalls Wilder
I live on a small farm of seventy acres called Green Forest Farm, with 10 horses, a donkey, 5 beef cows, 2 beef heifers, 3 Hereford heifers, around 60 chickens, 8 dogs, my amazing cow, AppleButter, and her little Jersey calf HoneyButter! |
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maryjane
7074 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 11:13:32 AM
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When I got to the clinic, I sat down and put Maizy’s head in my lap. I rubbed over her eyes, the top of her head, under her chin, her cheeks, scratch, rub, stroke. The whole time I talked and reminisced with her and thanked her for teaching me so much about cows, about life. Then she started to cry. I decided I’d like a close-up photo of her eye with a tear running down her cheek for framing, so I changed my position, pushed back, got up on my haunches and pulled my cell phone out and aimed it at her. Somehow she reared the entire front half of her body up and knocked me back on my rear end with her head. Classic Maizy. That’s what I’ll miss. The involved lessons I learned, the boundaries, the depth of emotion she taught me about animals, cows. After I apologized profusely and put my cell phone away, we went back to the head lap position and more reminiscing until we got everything said and I called for the vet. I’ve always thought I should have named her something like Maggie Thatcher.
Couldn't save the calf, Ron. She wasn't far enough along. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11217 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 11:23:09 AM
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| Through Maizy teaching you, you have taught us, and I'm grateful. How they do add richness and purpose to our lives. Thank you for sharing your "Maizy goodbye" with us. My heart hurts for your sorrow, and now it's our turn to shed tears for both Maizy and you. So sorry. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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Mike
1667 Posts
Mike
Argyle
WI
United States of America
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 12:34:58 PM
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Goodbye Maizy. Via con Dios.
With our love.
Mike and Valerie |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 1:34:52 PM
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MaryJane,
Thank you for sharing with us all your stories about Maizy, including saying your goodbyes. So sorry for what Maizy and your family has gone through this past week.
My heart hurts for you.
Charlene |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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Ron
4666 Posts
Ronnie
Peever
SD
USA
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 2:38:16 PM
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Dearest Mary Jane and Family. Betsy and I want to extend a heartfelt Moooo on the loss of our distant cousin.
Us cows are all one and when one of us suffers we all feel it! Our bovine love to you.
Signed,
Harriet and Betsy |
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there, here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo. |
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farmlife
1413 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 4:15:34 PM
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Oh MaryJane, what a heartbreak! How sad it is that you lost Maizy. It speaks to your personality that at a time when you are hurting so, you take the time to educate all of us as to her condition and what we can learn from it.
The best thing to ever happen to Maizy was for her to be given to a trucker because someone owed him money. She fell into the good life when she ended up at your farm. If you can, try to take comfort in the fact that losing Maizy had nothing to do with the treatment she received from you or from the nutrition you provided. Let that be a weight lifted. Knowing that she had all of that inside her and still managed to live for years and bear healthy calves speaks to her strength and devotion to you. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. |
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maryjane
7074 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 4:53:07 PM
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How thoughtful! I received flowers (actually a living plant that I love) from Maizy's vet clinic and a gift of soaps and goat cream from Charlene. Thank you everyone for your concern and kind words!!!
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MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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maryjane
7074 Posts
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 5:15:32 PM
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BTW, Gabe and I rearranged the categories here. You'll find Weather Report up first in our Cow Community & Chit Chat category with a new title called Chit Chat and Weather Report.
And in that same Cow Community & Chit Chat category, you'll find a new one called Resources at the very end.
See you in the morning! I spent the entire afternoon with my animals. They have me in fine spirits again. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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Ron
4666 Posts
Ronnie
Peever
SD
USA
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Posted - Jan 16 2015 : 5:22:39 PM
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| Good night MJ....Moooo |
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there, here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo. |
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![[flourish]](/images/flourish-txt_mobius.png)
Maizy and MaryJane.
![Heritage Jersey Organization [logo]](/images/HJO-logo.png){kind=logo}
