Annabelle's snake bite

Meet Annabelle. My favorite mess of a Jersey cow! This weekend she conveniently showed up at milk time with a huge swollen face and jaw. Thankfully, my veterinarian, (who is close enough to my family that we call him Pops,)  was visiting at the time and knew exactly what had happened.  He was fairly sure it was a copperhead bite. Being a Yankee, I know nothing of snakes or reactions of bites and this was a huge learning experience.  We gave her an anti inflammatory and I was up every couple hours throughout the night to make sure swelling didn't go underneath her throat and around to the other cheek and cut off her breathing.  Also kept watching for signs of shock and labored breathing.  The next day the swelling had increased up into her ear, down to her muzzle and further back to her neck. I loaded Annabelle into the stock trailer for a ride to Pops house for an antibiotic.  At this point preventing an infected abscess is our main priority. If you ever want to get your entire dairy herd riled up just take one away from the herd, put in a stock trailer (all cows know what a trailer is and the possibility friends don't return) and drive out of the pasture with them all bellowing at each other. Upon leaving the gate I actually spoke to the remaining girls and told them she'd be back after a trip to the vets. That did the trick. They understood.  All cows know that word.  Vet.

Upon returning there were licks and lots of sniffing between the cows, but I kept my word and she returned. It's amazing the bond they carry between them.  I'll write another post sometime about Annabelle's accident with a huge wild cat that took off a piece of her upper right lip. You can see the scar in the pics. She's had some hard knocks, but she's stubborn as a mule and tough as nails and I love her with all my heart. She's currently milking 6 gallons a day and she's raised three of her own calves and adopted another one in her short 5 years already. 

The following morning her swelling had decreased 90%  and I was thankful.  Three more days have passed and she's recovered completely and is back to whacking me in my face with her tail every single time I milk her. And yet, I will cry for days when someday I have to say goodbye forever to her. I'm so relieved that wasn't this weekend.