I saw him in Grocery Store. I just had to ask. The day and the night before there had been a terrible blizzard, "You calving yet?" "Yes, we had seven yesterday. I came in for a quick lunch and went back out and there were three babies born in the snow bank. I just threw them in the back of the pickup hoping I would remember who belonged to who." Last year was terrible, and this year.....worse because the negative temperatures. I can't imagine caring like the ranchers do about their animals and knowing what they face. I said, "It's hard to get any sleep." He said, "That's not what keeps me awake at night. It's the mounting debt."
I called a neighbor who had been out in the weather as well. He had eleven out in that blizzard. I asked him if he had slept "No I sleep in my pickup." They don't sleep.
When I drove home I ran into a rancher moving his herd to their birthing pasture. While they were driving them with a pickup, a side by side, a snow mobile, a dog, and a pickup with a hay bale. They came to the newly paved highway and the cows were instantly confused. They had never walked on a highway before. They started going in every direction. The dog was running in circles trying to get them to follow the pickup with the hay bale. I waited on the other side of the bridge for the cows to get moving in the right direction. The cow dog met me when I drove to the left of the herd. He tried to stop me from going forward, but the ranchers told me to go ahead. They were moved just in time, because that night was the coldest night this winter.
No rancher really wants to be interviewed during calving season. They're too tired and their focus must be on survival. So, I asked Erica Chauvet. I tried to interview her, but road conditions made it difficult for me to get to town. So, I interviewed her over the phone and she answered my question. What is it like to be a small town's only veterinarian and a mom with three children during calving season in the worst February on record?
"Veterinary medicine, like everything else, becomes more challenging with these bitterly cold temperatures. The stress to the animals and producers alike is easily evident."
Calving calls in the extremely cold weather presents unique challenges but being a Montana girl she will still function at -40/-50, but like everyone else she would prefer it to be moderately cold. Erica said, "I have to be very aware of not letting my drugs freeze while I'm out working. I often times have trouble keeping water/disinfectants from icing up, let alone warm. I dress appropriate for the temps but due to the nature of the work I often cannot wear gloves, beyond my latex exam gloves. I can't wear thick coats for many of the calls and I usually don a rubber obstetrical suit to keep myself clean and dry. Bovine obstetrics is one of my favorite aspects of veterinary medicine so maybe it's my excitement to help a struggling cow that keeps me warm?
Cattle are very resilient but when they are stressed and debilitated with calving difficulties we have to keep that in mind and work accordingly. I remember a particularly cold c-section I performed in a barn in Choteau. I would use a surgical instrument and set in on my sterile drape. Moments later when I would pick it up, it would already be frozen to the sterile drape. The cow's open abdomen was steaming making it hard for me to see. We work very efficiently doing these calls to prevent loss of body heat for the cow. Cows with uterine prolapses will routinely go into shock before I can get to them.
One of the biggest challenges with calving season is the unpredictability of the emergency calls. It's not a problem for me personally, but the challenge is finding childcare at a moment's notice for my three young children. Thankfully, my husband and in-laws are willing to watch the kids so I can work. Without them, I wouldn't be able to take emergency calls. I am very grateful for Shane, Darrell and Betty Jo. The children are able to go with me on some routine veterinary calls, but calving calls are much too unpredictable for my children at ages 3-5. Plus, it's too cold to safely take them out when the temperatures hover this low."
