05/02/2026
From Jen-
Today has definitely been one of those days. We were blessed with 2 beautiful doe kids from Ruthie and a new heifer calf.
Unfortunately, I had to make the decision that no farmer ever wants to make. Cella sustained an injury we thought to her foot 2 weeks ago. After taking her to a hoof trimmer and having a block put on her hoof, we thought we were on the road to recovery even though she was still limping.
Cella started to swell in her stifle, which is like a person's knee. A stifle injury in an animal that size is never good. After days and days of pain meds and rest, she no longer wanted to walk at all, was having difficulty standing to urinate, and it was obvious that she wasn't getting better. You could tell she was in a tremendous amount of pain by the way she held her leg to keep all weight off of it and it shook. She wasn't eating like she should and was starting to get really sunk in. After working with our vet who confirmed what we suspected, we decided the best thing to do for her was to euthanize her.
I try not to get too attached. I try to remember the rule that if you have livestock, you have dead stock. This one hurt. She was just one of the special ones. Telling her goodbye and walking back to the barn with an empty halter is an absolutely horrible experience.
I am so thankful for the memories made with Cella. I just wish I could've made a few more.