Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner
☆ July 18, 2012
Tweet from July 15: Sir Baby is feeling better ~ he gently tossed Mike into the water tank tonight. SO FUNNY.
Why did Sir Baby toss Mike into the water tank? Because he could! I took it as an enormous compliment, because Baby never pulls that kind of stunt with me. And he could, if he wanted to. And it shows, yet again, just how intelligent and clever these animals are. It was SO deliberate. A gentle plop. God, I love him, and Mike, too, for being such a good sport.
He didn’t hurt Mike at all (except for a bruised ego); he simply hooked his head under Mike’s left ass cheek, lifted him up – ever so slightly – then tilted his head and Mike was in the water tank. And I burst out laughing. And Baby calmly looked at me to say, “Who’s your Baby? Who’s your Number 1?”
Baby is healing well. Part two of my homemade hoof treatment is a salve ~ I’d never made a salve before, but once Sir Baby’s infection finished draining, I wanted something else to put on the wound to keep it soft and protected and to aid in healing. Back to the internet to learn from the masters.
I infused cold pressed organic olive oil with comfrey and calendula, then strained the oil and mixed it with beeswax and added a little lavender oil and calendula blossoms. I slather this on Baby’s wound twice a day. It has kept the cut from scabbing, allowing him to heal from the inside out ~ a slow process but far better in the long run.
I dabbed some on a nasty barb wire cut I had on my hand (that had already scabbed over), and the next day, the scab fell off, and the day after that, the cut was closed and pink. Now I can’t even find a scar. Miraculous stuff. And it smells DIVINE.
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July 18th, 2012 @ 12:31 pm
Shreve,
Will you do me a favor, and add your salve to the list of stuff you sell? I’d love to try it :). ~ liz
July 18th, 2012 @ 12:33 pm
… but Baby can put Mike in the tank!
Funny story– thanks for sharing.
July 18th, 2012 @ 1:01 pm
E ~ I honestly don’t think I have time to make enough to sell (Baby uses a lot!) but click the “learn” link in the post and check out her shops ~ her products are great and the herbal arts is definitely her calling.
July 18th, 2012 @ 1:02 pm
This just scares me… the bull tossed your boyfriend, and you are laughing. I know you know your animals, but you take a bull that can easily kill a person… and make it into a pet. You think of him as a pet, but does he? I would think he hasn’t a clue what a pet is, and is thinking he is a BULL. He is young, he hasn’t acted out… until now, and you laugh about it. It makes me wonder how much you really understand the mature male breeding bull and their instincts and hormones. Maybe it acts fine with you, but everyone else it comes in contact with may be in danger. Do you know Lyle Lovett? Not KNOW him, but know who he is? Check out the story on him and his pet bull. He’s around cattle. He rides in rodeos, you’d think he would KNOW his pet bull.
I just see this with a very bad ending, and I hope you don’t need your first aid skills in the future regarding Mike and Sir Baby.
I realize I probably sound like one of those typical fruit cakes, trying to tell you what to do with your animals, but being a farmer for years, and understanding breeding animals, I feel it gives me a a good insight. What you see as playful play, I see as a bull testing his dominance, and winning. I sure hope I’m seeing it all wrong.
July 18th, 2012 @ 1:03 pm
Why that little stinker…. Bulls and cows are just amazing creatures.
And you come up with the BEST websites! Loved reading both the links.
Now – what do you put on brusies that are stubborn to heal? I have three (one is heart shaped, aw) that are hanging around too long. One is TWO weeks old and was a DEEP ohwie.
July 18th, 2012 @ 1:22 pm
@Farmer Lady, Shreve is perfectly capable of answering you herself, but I recall she addressed this topic in her “A Lot of Bull” post (http://honeyrockdawn.com/2010/05/a-lot-of-bull).
As a casual reader, like yourself, we only know the information she gives us. What stands out to me is that she seems to put an extraordinary amount of thought and love into caring for her animals – she doesn’t view Charlie as a pet, for example. I’m sure you know a lot about bulls, but you don’t know her bulls or any of her other animals, for that matter, and I expect she’s the expert on all of them.
July 18th, 2012 @ 1:45 pm
P ~ Arnica! Either internally or cream applied on the bruise.
FL ~ I suppose I didn’t make it clear that while Baby deliberately tossed Mike into the water tank, he deliberately did it GENTLY. It was like an uncle tossing a nephew into a water tank. Does the uncle have the capacity to beat the shit out of his nephew? Yes. Do some uncles beat the shit out of their nephews? Yes. But when an uncle roughhouses with a nephew do people automatically jump to the conclusion that the uncle will turn into a child abuser? No. Same with Baby. He is a mature bull – he’s been breeding cows for two years – and none of the older bulls on the place have turned against us or hurt anyone. Amy correctly links to a post where I discuss the bull prejudice in more depth. Not everyone agrees with me, nor has to.
July 18th, 2012 @ 1:54 pm
I just wish you had pictures of Baby dumping Mike in that water tank or better yet video.
July 18th, 2012 @ 2:03 pm
i’m fascinated with baby’s healing process. thanks again for sharing the technique you are using as well as keeping us updated on his process. much love to you all.
silly, but honest question…do bulls and cows smile?
July 18th, 2012 @ 2:13 pm
HHN ~ yes, when they’re eating! :) for serious ~ they really do look like they’re smiling when they eat.
July 18th, 2012 @ 5:44 pm
I do not want to see a photo or video of Mike being gently tossed into the water tank. I do not need to see even that he was a good sport about it (I assume that he is a good sport because he agrees to your sharing a good bit about him and he wouldn’t still be in your life if he were not a good guy).
No, I do not want to see those images because you have given us every reason to believe that he is a very private person and I don’t want the whole world–not knowing the whole story–to be invited to laugh at him. He is a man with gravitas who still can take a joke made by one of your animals. I couldn’t possibly like him any better after seeing such images than I already do.
July 18th, 2012 @ 6:56 pm
Believe it or not the scab stops it scarring, so if you don’t want a scar left behind you want to encourage the scab. The open wound is really good for draining but it’s unprotected so needs to be kept very clean. I would expect Baby to get quite a decent scar with some pretty big keloids (I presume bovines skin keloids like a humans).
@FarmerLady, I’m not sure if you’re a troll but for what it’s worth you didn’t make mention of the coyote sleeping on the bed with the numerous cats, dog and variety of other animals, was that because it highlights these ordinary animals are in extraordinary circumstances.
July 18th, 2012 @ 8:15 pm
I read years ago about comfrey’s amazing ability to assist in wound healing, but IIRC there’s also some concern it contains a carcinogen. Don’t get carried away with it, is probably the best take-home message.
July 18th, 2012 @ 8:54 pm
Wonderful to hear Baby is doing well (and being such a pip!)
I have a question for you–and feel free to ignore of course–but you talk about how clever your bovines are, and I too have observed similar intelligence in the very small span of time I was around bovines as a teenager…so I was surprised to hear my mother tell me today she heard on the radio from a rancher in one of the areas dealing with a lot of fires who said he had to go out and round his herd up ASAP when a fire neared because “cows don’t fear fire and they’re too stupid to get out of way before it’s too late.” I know many people repeat the “cows are stupid” stereotype, but it sounded like this guy had personal experience that led him to this idea.
Have we as humans just bred survival instincts out of some of cows? Or…what? I can’t imagine your clever guys or the bovines I’ve known being as smart as they seem(ed) but not fearing fire and smoke, of all things!
Or am I missing something here?
July 18th, 2012 @ 9:11 pm
Baby undoubtedly realized how blazing hot it’s been. Heavens, the poor bull walks around in black fur. (Hide?) So he undoubtedly realized his Male Human was hot too so a helpful dunk in the tank was almost altruistic, dagnabit.
July 18th, 2012 @ 9:19 pm
A ~ HAAAAAAAAA!
B ~ They know to run. In bad fires you can cut fences and cows will GO, they’ll round up calves and run for it and you sort it out later. BUT, that “dumb cow” stereotype lives strong and hard in the minds of some. The day we went to check out the fire there was a small group of cows just on the other side of the creek from the fire, and the fire was approaching and the cows gathered their calves and started walking calmly but quickly away from the smoke to the far end of the pasture they were in AND YET the rancher who owned them said flat out that it was a COINCIDENCE and that cows are too stupid to know to avoid fire. I kept my thoughts of who was stupid to myself.
July 18th, 2012 @ 11:29 pm
Brilliant!
July 18th, 2012 @ 11:51 pm
animals never cease to amaze me because when you treat them with obvious respect they will often respond with intelligence and display and emotion far beyond what they would show some one who doesn’t. in other words, by your interaction you have proven to them, the animals, that you speak their language. as you can see, they speak back. pretty funny, great story.
July 19th, 2012 @ 8:30 am
I hate when a gentle story becomes a heated debate, must take the wind out of your sails when that happens. As for that cream you are putting on scabs, my accupuncturist gave me a liquid version years ago when I had my bunion removed and because I kept the scab soft while the foot healed I have a visibly scar free foot. Sadly she has passed away and I can’t get this miracle treatment anymore. I will check out the site you gave and hope that the recipe is on there or I will use the same that you did for Baby. Were there any other ingredients?
July 19th, 2012 @ 8:50 am
Not surprised that Baby has such a great sense of humour! Great story — thanks for sharing — I too was dying of curiosity :)
July 19th, 2012 @ 9:01 am
Just wanted to share that under veterinary guidance (and prescription actually) we just healed a horrible wound in my dog’s leg with Manuka Honey! She had had surgery which was healing well but objected to the bandage on her leg and ripped a big hole in herself by tearing the fibres until they cut into her leg – horrible, when i first saw the damage I thought she would need a skin graft – the wound was a good 3 inches by an inch and half – the vet applied the honey with a temporary bandage and then I applied honey two, three, four times a day leaving the wound open to the air- 2 weeks later the skin has grown back and the wound is healed – AMAZING! Anyone else used Manuka honey?
July 19th, 2012 @ 9:58 am
I’ve heard Manuka honey hovers in the realm of magic! And all honey and beeswax is antibacterial – I think that’s an important aspect to these salves.
I always wondered how the old timers kept wooden butter churns from getting nasty and then learned they coated the inside with beeswax ~ easier to clean, and the beeswax kept it free from bacterial growth!
July 19th, 2012 @ 11:06 am
The picture of Mike’s and Sir Baby’s face would have been priceless. Can a bull smirk? I bet Sir Baby could.
What did Mike Say? I imagine…’Shreve, this damn pampered steak on hooves has gone too far this time. He did that on purpose in front of you..’
July 19th, 2012 @ 11:08 am
Could Sir Baby be angling for his own blog?Hmmm
July 19th, 2012 @ 11:35 am
I’m so happy to hear Sir Baby is better. I’m not surprised your concoction worked at all. I learned of the healing power of charcoal (albeit, City / store bought kind) when I nearly died from a spider bite! After multi rounds of antibiotics, a homeopath told me about icthammol. It saved my life!
—-
And on the bulls as pets… good grief! Really??? My aunt had a bull when I was a child. I adored him and he adored me. We played chase in the pasture and he would “tag” me oh so gently! Some animals, you just have a bond with!
July 19th, 2012 @ 11:41 am
I love your blog. It is always entertaining AND informational. It doesn’t get any better than that! So glad to hear Baby is healing nicely and I’m sure Mike’s ego will heal just fine too *O*
July 19th, 2012 @ 7:08 pm
YES YES ON SELLING THE SALVE TO US HUMANS. I would love some.
Sir Baby rocks. Mike does do.
July 19th, 2012 @ 7:10 pm
Shreve, speaking of Manuka honey, it is used in New Zealand hospitals to treat all kinds of wounds. I believe you have to use a strength above +12 though.
July 20th, 2012 @ 10:56 am
The idea that cows are stupid about self-preservation seems to date back many, many years. I recently read “Life on the Mississippi” by Mark Twain, which includes a description of a Great Flood in 1880 or so, and the rescue attempts of people and livestock. (We’re used to seeing people in modern floods taking their dogs with them, but back then people also worried about cows, horses, mules, pigs, chickens, etc.)
The comment was made that the cows needed to be placed on flatboats or rafts, because while horses and mules would head for higher ground on their own, the cows would just stand placidly in their flooded pastures until the water rose and drowned them.
I wonder if it’s the naturally calm nature of the bovine species that makes people think they are “stupid.”
July 20th, 2012 @ 1:05 pm
Girl, you ARE amazing! And I LUV ur bulls.
On scabs, I need to do some homework. They would seem to be nature’s way of protecting, but then if they get torn off accidentally, there’s new blood to deal with. hmmmm
I just learned some people up the road here in the Catskills have some cows. I must go visit.
July 20th, 2012 @ 5:29 pm
What a joker that Sir Baby is.
Glad to hear his hoof is so much better.
I use manuka honey on my dog bite. Not practical for animals as they’d probably just lick it off.
It was a pretty deep wound but it didn’t get infected and it eventually closed up. Now I’m using Mederma to try to reduce the scarring as it finishes healing. I figure another month or two as it’s still pretty pink.
What has the vet said about your homeopathic treatments?
July 20th, 2012 @ 5:38 pm
I discovered long ago that cows are far, far, FAR from stupid. They are every bit, or even more, intelligent as a horse, or even a dog. The difference is that a (good) horse or dog will try to please you and wants your approval. A cow prefers peace and consistency, but, unless and until you’ve developed a relationship based on trust and mutual respect, doesn’t really much care whether you are pleased about it all or not :)
An impatient person can easily mistake intractability for stupidity.
As far as bulls? Testosterone complicates things, but it does not make any being inherently evil or dangerous. There’s a lot more that goes into evilness or dangerousness than just balls.
That said, I do believe that the readers here are smart enough not to go recline with random bulls. ;)
July 21st, 2012 @ 1:10 pm
W ~ You bring to mind a good point (testosterone, reclining with random bulls) ~ a cow with a newborn calf can be far FAR more dangerous to a person than a bull. People should never assume because an animal is female, that it is harmless. We have a few cows around here who we know to give a wide berth when they’ve just calved. They are pets for 51 weeks of the year, but that first week after birth, they’ll roll anyone who comes near their baby. PSA: befriend the caretakers of any animal before you try to befriend the animal!
M ~ my vet has been super into the alt treatments I’ve been giving Sir Baby ~ he’s known of them long before me, but I think I’m a case study of actually applying them.
July 21st, 2012 @ 9:35 pm
Shreve, we were in Yellowstone NP this week, and one evening we sat & watched a herd of mama & baby elk for a while. There was one yearling male in the bunch, with pronged, velvety antlers, and I watched as he leaned waaaaay down and finally kneeled on his front legs to nurse. It reminded me of your post about Frisco (or was it Baby?) doing that with Daisy. Absolutely ridiculous looking, and as a mama who’s nursed hefty toddlers myself, I could definitely sympathize with that patient mama!
July 23rd, 2012 @ 10:45 am
manuka honey – I had a friend who had cut her leg VERY badly, all down the shin and gaping wide open, 5 days old and weeping. She had fallen on rusting metal.
She had some hospital drugs but it was not good.
She had come to stay in a hotel with a big bunch of people from all around the world – I found it hard to believe that she had not stayed at home – I wanted her to find a doctor and she refused but 2 NZ nurses who were there went out and bought Manuka honey and poured it in to the wound.
It worked.
I was amazed, I thought she would lose the leg if she did not get “proper” treatment.
July 23rd, 2012 @ 8:56 pm
Thanks for keeping us updated on Baby’s progress. And many kudos to Mike for his humor and dignity; I completely second Anitanola (comment #11).
July 24th, 2012 @ 8:37 am
Me again re Manuka Honey
Lesley – yes this was ‘vet quality’ and only a tiny amount – very strong and pure – I’m in the UK and I’m pleased my vet used this
Mary Laiuppa – The dog did not lick the honey off at all and coped much better than having a bandage with anti bacterial crud on it
Sue C – it is from NZ where I guess it is used and trusted widely – I was amazed too!
I used Bee Propolis on ‘wet dermatitis’ – ‘hot spot’ on my other dog and it cleared it immediately, agin no desire to lick it off! I also use it on my own skin where I have burns (oven accidents!) or other scrapes, love the smell and its gentleness.
July 25th, 2012 @ 4:04 pm
Shreve, I just read your post on your herd/beef and when I glanced at the title of this post again…click! That’s a line from “Dirty Dancing” right?!
Clever you!
July 28th, 2012 @ 7:54 am
Re: #38 That’s a line from “Dirty Dancing” right?!
Not Shreve, but Oh yeah! I wondered why it sounded so familiar!
July 29th, 2012 @ 4:33 am
Cool post, I will be adding your news feed to my list.
August 5th, 2012 @ 7:03 pm
Will you be “processing” him soon?
August 5th, 2012 @ 8:29 pm
It’s so freakin’ hot here in CO, Sir Baby can dunk me in the water tank any time he chooses! Now there’s a truly “practical” joke – cooled Mike off and gave you a good laugh. BTW, testosterone had nothing to do with it; his love for you and Mike clearly outweighed his “bull-ness.” It took more effort to effect a gentle toss than it would have to hurt Mike. Serious control there. :)
Ok, am I dense and misinterpreting aLISON’s (#41) post, or was that a profoundly mean thing to say? Wow… hope I’m wrong. We’ve had an awfully good run of mostly-good posts; let’s hope we can keep it that way. It just wouldn’t do to unleash the fierce protective instincts of the many loyal and loving followers of Shreve and the farmily. Ahem.
August 13th, 2012 @ 9:29 am
So sweet about Baby!
I think what Karen is referring to about the comfrey is the fact that it RAPIDLY speeds up the healing of the cells. Some people worry its a possible carcinogen for that reason. And maybe if you have other issues, it could speed up your cells in an unhealthy way. But the biggest disclaimer I’ve found with comfrey is that it will speed up the healing on the outside of a wound, but if the inside is infected you end up with an abscess.
A lot of people here mentioned honey. I used to work as a veterinary assistant, and we used sugar and honey to dress wounds all the time! It really can help those difficult to heal wounds.
Again, thank you for everything you do for your animals. It restores my faith in the world to read about your animals.
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