A few days of summer, followed by rain starting Friday evening and looking to go all night. The grass will be thrilled, but it looks like my hay won't be going into the shed yet again this weekend.
It's been a few days, one of which was a terrible day, more on that later.
I picked up my first prescription of liraglutide, an injectible weight loss drug along the lines of Ozempic (which is a seragludite but same mechanism). It helps turn off hunger signals that PCOS and perimenopause have set at permanent snack mode. It's a daily injection, whereas Ozempic is once a week.
I have to address habitual eating (like wanting something to chew on when typing or looking for something when having a cuppa) myself, but this will assist in slow weight loss. If you lose weight too fast the body's set point doesn't move and you are likely to put the weight back on. But if you lose it slowly enough the set point is tricked into lowering along with the weight and it helps avoid bouncing back.
I had to go back the next day to get needles, as I didn't realise the pens didn't come with needles. But those are only $16 per hundred. I have a sharps container for livestock needles, and I can use that apparently. It does seem like a terrible waste to discard a needle every day.
Also on the health side of things, Charles Heart Clinic confirmed by phone that they have received my referral and will be booking me in the new year and I will get a letter with the date soon. So progress on that front. I also booked in for my follow up menopause appointment in Jan.
The broody hen seems to be ready to get about her business and can come out tomorrow. The calves are into the routine of waiting for Annie to be milked and then getting on the feeder really well. The new ones aren't quite into the habit of coming when called to the pellets and muesli, however, that will take a few more days I think.
I had an interview with Dorset Employment Connect, they will be keeping an eye out for interesting jobs for me. And I sent my resume and reference to NRM North and Biosecurity Tasmania. Next will be Sheep Connect Tas.
Ashleigh, the vet student who recently did a placement here, came back through on her travels with her Mum. It was lovely to meet her and Ash and I gave her a farm tour. Joey sucked on her fingers and Annie gave her a good licking, people are always delighted to get to pat cows and calves. On most farms they are much more flighty. They have enjoyed Tassie and are planning to come back and really tour.
So, the terrible day. Back in July Leigh's old ram got in with a couple of my ewes. Or they got in with him, not sure who did what. But Suzie got pregnant and I was expecting her to lamb late in Dec. However, it appears the lamb or lambs have died in utero and went toxic. Sheep, as prey animals, are very stoic and a sick sheep sitting down chewing her cud will look like every other sheep sitting down chewing her cud right up until things go pear shaped.
I found her off on her own sitting under the pines in a bad way. The vet came very quickly, she was here within 15 mins of me finding Suzie and realising things were going wrong. The benefit of being close to town and that town having a good sized clinic with lots of large animal vets. Anyway, Rosie the vet quickly realised things weren't going to be getting any better for Suzie and we euthanaised her immediately.
Suzie was, of course, my favourite. The grumpy old bags that hate you never get sick and outlive everyone else. Suz was always the first to come over for a scratch, and if I called I could rely on her to come and bring everyone else. I will miss her on all levels, and it was such a sad loss of both her and her lambs. The price of loving animals (or people) is grieving their loss.
Jules Witek, Saltwater River, Tasmania.
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