Poor, Sick Thor

Thor Enjoying a Walk Through the Woods with His Friend

This past weekend was a stressful one.  Thor, our Icelandic Ram, became very ill.

It all started several weeks ago.  He had a runny nose.  I first dismissed it as a gross ram thing, but then started to speculate that something more was wrong.  With the high pollen count in the area this spring, I suspected allergies.  This was my going assumption until last Friday.  All seemed to be normal in the morning, but by the evening, Thor was acting very strange.  The mucus problem was much worse.  He had trouble breathing through so much mucus.  He was also acting lethargic and refused to eat.  I became very worried.  It was pretty late at night and so I didn’t feel it appropriate to call other, more experienced individuals until the morning.  I consulted my sheep books and went to work on a treatment that included a shot of antibiotics and some vitamins.  The next morning Thor was worse.  His breathing was so labored that it was painful to watch.  He also was starting to foam at the mouth.   I immediately called a good friend and great resource.  She suspected that he could have a serious case of bloat and possibly an infection.  Bloat is a very serious problem where unwanted gases build up in the sheep’s stomach.  This was a life and death situation that required immediate attention.  I administered the bloat medication and other medications that my friend suggested.  By the afternoon, Thor showed some signs of improvement.  I was hopeful.  But he quickly went down hill again.  By Saturday night, he was barely able to stand and couldn’t hold his head up.  The breathing was labored and he seemed barely conscious.  I resigned myself to the fact that I had lost my dear friend.  It was a very upsetting night.  I stayed with him for as long as I could, rubbing his back and speaking comforting things to him.  I gave him another round of medication at about 11:30pm and said a long good bye.  As I walked back to the house from the barn, I felt that that was the last time I would be with Thor.

Sunday morning came early for me.  I sat in bed for a little while thinking of the awful task I had before me.  I thought of a good spot to bury Thor and wondered if the soil would be loose enough to dig a deep enough grave.  I pulled myself out of bed and went out to the barn.  I first did a series of other chores before going into the barn.  As I fed the chickens and Juniper, I listened for Thor’s labored breathing.  I didn’t hear anything and my heart sank.  I stood at the barn door for a few seconds, preparing myself.  I opened the door and entered.  There was Thor, eating some hay and looking much better!  I was so happy to see him up and about.  I hugged him and then checked him over.  Although he wasn’t exactly healthy, he was much better.  I gave him some more medicine and sat with him for a little while.  I couldn’t believe how he had recovered.  The other animals looked on with what I thought were smiles.

Thor is still recovering.  Although every day I see signs of improvement, he isn’t out of danger yet.  I am keeping an eye on him and providing him with medicine a couple of times a day.  I will keep working with him and praying for him.

I am very mindful of the health of my animals.  Sometimes I worry too much about them, but I feel that they have happy, healthy lives.  Sometimes animals get sick, sometimes they die.  But it is a very nice occasion when you work so hard to save an animal and you are blessed with it being spared.  Thor is a great ram and I am hopeful that he will have many, many more years here at Piscataway Acres.