all creatures great and small

I read this book when I was a kid, and it made a big impression on me. In fact, "veterinarian" was my career plan for a long time (pretty much until I failed calculus in my first semester of college).

As my brother points out, my life has twisted in such a way that I have ended up as a de facto vet anyway.

We currently have two animals in the sick bay, in addition to one of the sheep who I had to treat in the field yesterday. (The chicken who was losing her back feathers just finished up her treatment and seems to be on the mend.)

This is Midge, one of the barn kittens born in May.


She has been sneezing off and on, but when I found her on Sunday she was laying in the barn, not caring about much of anything. She didn't put up too much fuss when I picked her up (a bad sign for a barn kitten) and I could feel the wheeze in her chest.

She is in the basement ward, getting antibiotics and food that she doesn't have to fight for. She is on the mend, judging how squirmy she is getting when I hold her.

This guy, however, is not doing well at all and I am very worried.


Charlie is our faithful farm dog, of indeterminate age. He hasn't eaten for the last 36 hours, and he is throwing up every few hours, in a very loud and dramatic fashion. It was so bad last night that we finally put him in the basement ward too, so we could get some sleep.

Then he started to bark.

He has slept under our bed since he came to the farm 6 years ago. He saw no reason why that changed last night. I finally gave up and took my pillow and a comforter downstairs, and slept next to him on top of a couple of lawn chair cushions.

Of course, he did not throw up once. The kitten could see me, however, and cried off and on all night.

Needless to say, I am a little stiff and tired this morning. I am calling the real vet in as soon as I can.