A Sad Day On The Homestead

Death on the homestead is never easy. Today I lost a beloved old lady of a sheep. "Mystery" crossed the rainbow bridge and is now grazing peacefully with her mother. Mystery got her name because when she was very small her mom died. She was a spunky little snot and I seriously could never get my hands on her to try and bottle feed. She must have snuck milk from other moms though I can't say for sure and so it was a mystery of how she survived.

If you read my blog you know that last Saturday I found her off to herself in the woods. She was supposed to retire this year at the ripe old age of 10. She apparently had other plans and somehow was bred. I thought I had the retirees separated early enough. I brought her down to the barn to keep a close eye on her. She was doing ok, still drinking but not eating a lot. She was huge and I was afraid she may be carrying triplets. Wednesday afternoon I couldn't get her to get up. Yesterday the vet was called. Since she was still very alert and seemingly ok he was optimistic. This morning I could tell she was very uncomfortable and I still couldn't get her up. I have had sheep for 22 years. I know after one has been down over 24 hours odds are not good they will get back up. I could also tell she was starting to go downhill. After a tearful conversation with my vet and a lot of soul searching, I made the decision to take her in the morning, have her sedated, try and save the babies that were going to be at least two weeks early and then humanely have her put to sleep. Otherwise all would be lost. Late today I was finishing up chores and trying to get her to drink a bit more water. Mystery had a seizure and died. I am heartbroken. Life is not always easy on the homestead.