Love and Healing
There’s something that I’ve learned since beginning this chapter of our lives. I suppose the concept has always been part of my life but never in as much obviousness as lately. Love has so much power to heal. Especially if you believe in it. Here are a few recent stories where it has become apparent.
Greta:
This past spring at Pholia Farm, during the thick of kidding season, one little 2 or 3 week old doe named Greta suddenly became VERY ill. She was trembling and jerking and turning her head to the left. She couldn’t fixate on us with her eyes and had stopped eating and ruminating. We noticed something wasn’t right around 6pm and brought her upstairs where it was warm and we could keep an eye on her. By 9pm, she was looking worse. I volunteered to stay with her through the night and was told to prepare myself to find her dead by morning. With the Fireview burning through the night, I slept on the couch, spooning her close under a blanket. It was not great sleep. She had mostly stopped shaking and every time I opened my eyes worried that she had passed, she gently turned her head and looked right at me. I would kiss her nose and keep thinking happy thoughts that she would be fine. .
We did treat this little doe with some real medication too. She was given a pain reliever, some penicillin in case it was Listeriosis, and B vitamins to boost her system. We didn’t discover what the true cause of her illness was. Stroke? Trauma injury from an accidental run in with a puppy? Listeriosis? Something else? Either way, I believe that if she was alone that first night, she would not have survived until the morning.
Sick Stella:
This happened again a few days ago when I noticed Stella not quite herself. She had a wet cough, tummy troubles, and fatigue. We quickly dosed her with a squirt of probiotics to help her tummy and sat scratching her neck for a long time. By night, the fog was rolling in, there was a chill and we thought it best to bring her inside where the air is warm and dry. We all ate dinner together and afterwards, parked her crate at the entrance to the bedroom. I wasn’t worried that Stella wouldn’t pull through. It seemed a fairly minor ailment at this stage. Regardless, we called out to her through the night letting her know we were there and we care. She would respond with a tiny mumble. After only two nights of this routine, she is back to her old self. Bouncing around and playing with her sister.
NOVAcaine:
Perhaps the most drastic heal of all came from Nova. Little Nova was not a social goat from the moment we met her. She had been partially dam raised and who could blame her for loving her mother more than us? Trying to show Nova how much we love her always felt like we were torturing her. She would yell and run away as fast as her little legs would carry her squatty little body.
Early April, she was about to kid and I suspected it would be a challenge if she needed me to help. I was terrified by the image of a kid hanging half way out while Nova ran around the pen trying to stay away from me. I was wrong.
The night before she kidded, it was clear that her kids could arrive at any time. Scott volunteered to stay in the barn with her (I had slept in the barn the night prior with Nutella’s impending kidding) but she kept her distance. We were too early and by the time Scott had to leave for work at dawn, the kids hadn’t arrived yet. He passed the torch to me and I sat accross from her in the barn ready for it to begin. Just a couple of hours later, the kids were on their way. To my surprise, she didn’t fuss at all! In fact, I’m not sure she even really pushed. With such grace and ease, one boy entered the world. I quickly wiped his face and guided him towards her head where she could kick into instinct and clean him up. But she didn’t… She took one look at him and turned her head. Anxiety filled me that Nova would be a horrible mother and reject them from the first moment. About two minutes went by pleading her to please look at him. “He’s your baby, girl! Look! He’s beautiful and he is yours!” Finally, she realized what was happening and began to clean him up. Such relief. She was in love at last. Her second boy arrived a few short minutes later and she loved him too.
Nova transformed into the most wonderful mother of her two boys. So protective, so nurturing. She even changed her opinion of us! It has been almost 6 months since we met the real Nova. Nowadays she sticks right next with us while we’re in the yard and if we sit down, she most certainly will sit herself down in our laps. The love she gained when she met her kids changed her for the better. It healed her and made happy and accepting.
I’ve always believed in optimism and the power of happy thoughts. I also believe in the true healing properties of natural medicine and veterinary medicine too. All I can say is that showing your love to those in need has a very obvious and powerful effect. Anyway, it couldn’t do any harm.