Bran

Blodeuwedd's calf Bran didn't nurse today. There are several thresholds a calf must pass to survive -

1. Being born without getting stuck or injured
2. Breathing without aspirating fluids
3. Getting dried off before hypothermia sets in
   
4. Nursing a belly full of colostrum before intestinal wall become impermeable to antibodies
   
5. Pooping the meconium
   
6. Getting the GI tract in gear without enteritis

Bran went through the first five without any problems, but today he didn't nurse which indicates he might have either constipation or enteritis. Other possibilities which seem less likely are:

1. Pneumonia - lungs are clear
2. Rhinitis - breathing through nose easily
3. Cord infection - the umbilical vein is not enlarged
4. Septicemia - eyes and gums are not inflamed

This threshold is just as critical as the others, as there is little reserve to carry him through not feeding, and enteritis can rapidly overwhelm him with toxins. When I left him this evening, he was not worse than this morning, and he is alert and able to walk, but he's clearly not feeling well. He gritted his teeth a couple of times which is a sign of pain, he is not in the usual curled position when lying down, and when you stroke him he stretches his neck out on the ground instead of lifting his head up. He should be nursing aggressively and running on his fourth day. I milked Blodeuwedd into a bottle (what a great disposition she has!) but couldn't entice him to take any.

Possible interventions are antibiotics, Banamine, mineral oil, and tube feedings, but I feel that perhaps I will let nature take its course with him. He got a good dose of colostrum which is nature's defense against infection, and it's possible that treatment might just intensify and prolong his suffering - the best intentions also have risks. By tomorrow we will know one way or the other. At least the weather is mild for him.

When the young ones suffer I especially reflect on my actions and responsibility to them, as I have caused them to come into this world. Aside from the pragmatic questions of what preventative husbandry and interventions are best, there is the deeper mystery of the suffering of any sentient being, and of animals which have limited knowledge and control over their fate. We all live on the edge between our longing for a just and kind world, and the reality of nature which may dictate otherwise. I know that these animals are closer to nature than I, for better or worse. I have learned not to force my desire to avoid grief and my nonacceptance of nature onto them by prolonged intervention which may only prolong suffering. Nonetheless, the immediate suffering of the mother and calf, and the grief of the mother on it's loss are profound, and cut with a knife edge the illusion that there are degrees of sentience when it comes to suffering.

The healthy ones running and playing in freedom just down the hill - Noisy and Arianhrod - show also that there are no degrees of sentience with respect to joy either:


What a sterile world it would be without these creatures, but what profound questions their lives raise for us. Let us not let the ubiquity of their suffering diminish our reverence for their lives, each and every one.