I'm almost a farmer!
I feel like I need another Blue Peter Badge [smug smile.... Yes, I've already got one.] This new one would be for overcoming my fear of injecting my animals with necessary medicines.... Not entirely sure there is such a badge, but there jolly well should be.
Though he is up to his armpits in sheep, lambs and trees, our local friend and farmer came by with his brilliant sons to give me a lesson the other day (again!) in injecting creatures. The three soon-to-be ewes needed injections to protect them against pasteurella and clostridial yuckiness and an injection prior to lambing helps protect the lambs too. The alpaca also needed injections, as sanctioned by the vet, these to also protect against clostridial (bacteria in soil) infection.
Eventually we caught two of the sheep; Pink and Moon and Moon was chosen as the demo girl. Next it was my turn to inject Pink. I was useless. These injections are subcutaneous and so I needed to pull the skin taught in order to get under the skin. The first attempt and I managed to inject into thin air, my needle resting too far above the skin. My second attempt was equally flawed as I went through the skin and out the other side and the injection fluid was lost again. Moon wasn't bothered by my pants technique but at last (third time) I finally I got it.
Feeling confident (not) but conscious that our farming friend was so, so busy, I bravely smiled and assured him that I was fully competent: I could go it alone..... Well, alone with the Hubby that is.
The result:
- 1 errant sheep caught and injected. Yay!
- 7 alpaca injected (plus hooves clipped, fleece samples taken and A,D and E vitamin paste administered) yay!
- 1 husband injected -oops! and
- self administration x 3, .....sigh.
Just the sproglets to do then........ !
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