Horatio goes to the vet!

When I got up yesterday morning, it quickly became clear that all was not well with Horatio, B’s soft and cuddly cat. He couldn’t put his near foreleg to the ground, though an inspection failed to reveal the cause: no heat, no swelling, no obvious injuries, no bites or cuts… He still wasn’t using it by the time I’d fed the dogs, had breakfast, done the washing up etc, so I bundled him into the cat basket, drove to the farm and fed all the animals, and then took H to the local vet.

Typically, when he came out of the basket, all four legs seemed to be in perfect working order, though the vet did point out that the adrenalin from the shock of the car journey would have helped him there.

She took his temperature and said it was a unusually high, so gave him a couple of jabs (painkiller, anti-inflammatory and antibiotics) and sent us both away with a course of antibiotics.

I gave him the first tablet this morning and we’re no longer talking, mainly because he sank his teeth into my finger. Git.

Still, get better soon, H!

Horatio - 29 April 2009

Straw thieves!

Having bought some new straw on Sunday, I cleaned out the piglets’ ark, a necessary task every few days as they’re still being toilet trained. Although they tend to go to the loo outside, they do go inside as well, presumably at night – especially with all this rain bucketing it down!

So, having cleaned out the wet straw, I gave them about three-quarters of a bale, and left them to it, playing in the suddenly much bigger bed, eating the heads of barley, throwing it about and generally enjoying themselves (their fun was abruptly halted when Pinky and Curly saw what was going on and booted the piglets out so that they could play!).

I then took a second bale down to the sows and gilts, nearly slipping in the mud en route but thankfully managing to stay upright! I only intended to give them about half of the bale, topping it up again later in the week but, being pigs, they had other ideas. I put the bale in the ark, pulled the old straw to the front, which is where the rain comes in, cut the string, carefully removed half, and put the half I wanted to keep in the corner, and set about shaking the sections up. That done, I turned round …. and saw that Perky and Scrumpy had taken matter into their own trotters and had done the same to the other half! I thought they were enjoying the straw that I was shaking about the ark but no, they were making sure they got the whole bale, not half.

So they got the whole bale, though I did tell them that this means they won’t be getting a top up for at least a week.

I don’t think they cared…

Perky in the pig ark - 15 November 2009

That’s my dog!

I had to get some more bales of straw yesterday, and after a bit of rearranging, managed to fit three on the back seat, leaving the dogs in the boot (sans parcel shelf, worry not!) and me and my crap in the front.

On the drive back to the farm, I was puzzled by the strange looks and wide grins that other drivers were giving me, especially those at various set of traffic lights.

It was only when I arrived at the farm and got out of the car that I discovered the reason:

Snipe - 15 November 2009

*shakes head sadly*

Time is flying by

Drat, it’s raining again. Note the use of the word “again”. Imagine it six-foot high in neon lights. Hmph.

Sorry it’s been quiet here of late – I am around, just shattered. After months and months of no work, I could (if I wanted) work 40/50 hours a week. I don’t, so I’m sticking to a neat 36. Or 38, as this week’s total will be. Maybe 39…

It wouldn’t be so bad, only I don’t start until 6pm and I’m working 6 days a week. And then have to get up the next morning to do the animals. I’ve pushed my alarm clock back an hour to 7am and some mornings, I reset it for 7.30!

The end result is that I’m tired and simply can’t think of anything blog-worthy. Well, that’s not true, there’s loads to write about, I just can’t seem to put pen to paper, as it were.

Normal service will resume soon. I hope!

In the meantime, the pigs, chickens, dogs and cats are all healthy and happy … apart from the rain. They’re not happy about that. Join the club!

A blustery November!

It’s a windy but sunny day today, what a change from all the rain we’ve been having. I’m seriously thinking about buying some lifejackets and arm bands for the pigs, just in case!

Mind you, the rain did hold off long enough earlier this week for me to move both the piglets and the adults onto dry, fresh and green ground, though how long it will stay like that is anyone’s guess (for what it’s worth, mine is ‘not long’).

The adults couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw where they were going and haven’t stopped grinning (or stuffing their faces) since then:

Tia, Brini, Perky, Fergie and Scrumpy - 3 November 2009

The break in the weather didn’t hold for long:

Dark clouds over the field - 4 November 2009

And here’s the cutest piglet photo ever:

The piglets - 5 November 2009

But this is the funniest:

Don't ask. Just don't ask!

If they’re like this at 6 weeks, what will they be doing at 6 months?!!

Six weeks!

I’m feeling rather sleepy and not really with it, so here’s a photo of the piglets from Sunday:

Pinky feeds her six-week old piglets - 1 November 2009

My, but they’ve grown in the six weeks since they were born!

Pinky's piglets - 20 September 2009

And they’re naughty, too! And smart, but there’s a story to be told there… another time, when I’ve woken up!

Autumn

I’ve been doing silly shifts at work (t’is the season and all that), hence the lack of posts recently.

In lieu of having to engage my brain, I decided to cheat and took some photos this morning that I thought Lec and Jan would appreciate!

Leaves - 29 October 2009

Snipe - 29 October 2009

The pigs continue to play happy families!

If I’m honest, I’ll admit that young Master Curly is a pain in the backside and I spend half my time wishing I’d sent him off before Bailey, instead of waiting for the freezer to empty so I can fit him in.

However, I spend the rest of my time marvelling at how gentle he is with his piglets:

Curly and his piglets - 23 October 2009

Pinky is, of course, as doting as any sow:

Pinky and her piglets - 23 October 2009

If you look closely at the photo, you’ll see that she even dropped down in a large pile of pig poo to feed the piglets when they started telling her that they were hungry!

Good times

A law unto themselves

As you would expect, our three cats have differing and distinct personalities.

Queenie keeps herself to herself, fighting off unwanted attention but never able to get enough … when she’s in the mood!

Horatio is a softie, gentle, loving and sweet.

Mac is a hunter, as much of a cat’s cat as it’s possible to be.

Mac (with his head popping up over the fence), Horatio (on the fence) and Queenie (on the top right on the wall) - 29 April 2009

At night, Queenie sleeps in her own bed and woe-betide anyone who gets too close.

Horatio would love to come under he duvet but is scared of the dark (!!) so instead curls up at the foot of the bed.

Mac is actually banned from coming under the covers on the grounds that he’s a sadistic little git who thinks that human feet exist to allow him to hone his hunting skills – stalk, pounce, disable using teeth and claws!

The ban worked well over the summer but now that it’s getting colder at night, I have discovered a fatal flaw. The so-and-so waits until I’ve fallen asleep and then climbs in beside me! So far, he’s been more interested in snuggling up than feet-baiting but that doesn’t stop me waking up whenever I feel his soft fur brushing up against me, just in case I have to call an ambulance or something!

Cats! Horatio would be the purrfect (sorry!) feline hot water bottle: why do I get the psycho?!

Corn flour rules OK!

One of the runts of Pinky’s litter of piglets, Rufus, has had a touch of the runs all week but I wasn’t too concerned until yesterday when “a touch” became something more, well, there was more of it!

Scour (as diarrhoea in animals is known) can be fatal to piglets so it should never be taken lightly or dismissed but there is, I believe, a time and a place to call the vet and I didn’t think this was it.

The reason I didn’t seek veterinary advice was quite simple. Although he was clearly having poo problems, his eyes were still bright, he hadn’t lost his appetite, he wasn’t spending all his time alone or asleep and he wasn’t dull, listless or insipid. Yes, he was understandably more hungry than usual, which meant he spent more time eating and less time playing than usual, but he was still himself, if you see what I mean.

So, I decided to give him one more day and instead, I used an old remedy that hasn’t yet let me down: corn flour (or corn starch as it’s also known).

You simply make a runny paste and use a syringe to get as much as possible down the piglet’s throat. In my case, I ended up wearing half of it, which was much more preferable to what I ended up wearing from the other end of him…!

I gave him a dose at lunch time and then another in the late afternoon, deciding that if he hadn’t dried up by morning, then that was that and we’d be going to the vet’s.

But I was all smiles this morning when I lifted his tail and saw that all was dry. I cleaned his bum before I left last night, not just for his comfort but also so I could easily tell if he’d scoured again. But he hadn’t! I last checked him an hour ago and all was well, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it stays that way.