Rescue & Adoptions
Healthcare with Heart Stories
Herd Healthcare at our California Shelter
 Each
cow and steer living at our California Shelter is a unique individual.
Rescued from cruelty and neglect, each has his or her own story
to tell. The 41 members of our herd range in age from just over
two years old to more than twelve years old. They come from auction
yards, dairy farms, and trucks bound for slaughter. Once considered
incapable of feeling emotion or pain, some were beaten, some starved,
and others dumped and left for dead. Each faced a very bleak, unhappy
future, indeed, until Farm Sanctuary came to the rescue.
Now
enjoying all the peace, comfort, and happiness our California Shelter
has to offer, each of our cattle friends has been given the chance
to start a new chapter in their lives. Here they receive nourishing
food for their bodies, plenty of exercise, and warm affection from
their caregivers. As Farm Sanctuary residents, they also receive
quality healthcare on a regular basis, which enables them to live
long, healthy, and happy lives.
To
insure the well being of our cattle, each member of the herd is
given a complete health check-up once every six weeks. During these
health checks, all of the cattle are examined for signs of cuts,
swelling, or abnormal lumps. Caregivers check their legs and joints
for swelling or inflammation and observe them while walking to determine
if they are limping. They also carefully examine each animal's eyes
for injuries or for any indication of cancer, such as inflammation,
bumps, asymmetry, and light pigment. After all of these examinations
are completed, caregivers delicately clean out each cow or steer's
ears with mineral oil and water and apply a topical oil to their
backs to deter flies. In addition, once a year they are vaccinated
and have their hooves trimmed.
Although
these cattle health checks take only a few hours to complete, they
serve as an effective early warning system for our caregivers and
are crucial to the health of our herd. If any cow or steer appears
to be ill or shows signs of an injury or more serious ailment during
health checks, he or she is separated from the herd for a short
time and housed in a private pen until a veterinarian can come out
to the farm. Thankfully, though, serious illnesses and injuries
are rare. Here at Farm Sanctuary, clean barns, rolling pastures,
nutritious food, and plentiful sunshine come with the territory
-and as you'll see if you visit, happy cows do too.
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