Cheese has the flu!

It was a pretty uneventful week. Elaine does her power line stuff from the house on Fridays. Elaine called the store Friday afternoon.

Elaine: Can you and Ivy close the store and come home early? Me: Why? Elaine: I think Cheese (the yak) is sick. Me: What makes you think that? Elaine: He is breathing hard and he won't eat. Me: Did you call the vet? Elaine: I didn't want to call him until you guys are home. Me: Call him and we will be home before he gets there.

Elaine has had a couple wrestling matches with Cheese, with Cheese winning both. Elaine used crutches for a couple weeks after one of their matches. No matter how many times that yak apologizes, Elaine won't forgive him.

Ivy and I arrived home about two minutes before the veterinarian arrived. We have known the vet and used his services since he was a student at Colorado State University. By the time he arrived, Cheese was eating and breathing fine.

We watched Cheese for a couple minutes.

Vet: Well, I'm here, we might as well take his temperature. Me: I'll get a bucket of grain. Vet: Do you have a halter? Me: He might not like that, he seems like he's getting agitated.

Taking the temperature of a yak is not like taking the temperature of a human. The first difference is the size of the thermometer. Secondly, a yak will not keep the thermometer under his tongue. Thirdly, you do not need to move and hold a tail for humans.

I was kind of proud of Cheese, he didn't seem to mind. He just stood there in the middle of his pen. Dr. Richard announced, "Cheese has a fever. A couple of antibiotic injections and he will be as good as new!"

As Dr. Richard sticks the syringe in Cheese's neck, Cheese decides this is not fun any longer. Elaine was seeing crutches again. This time the crutches were going to be mine or Dr. Richard's.

Dr. Richard and I avoided Cheese and he ran to a corner of his pen. We trapped him in the corner long enough for him to receive the antibiotics. Elaine and Ivy helped with the trapping. It was the first time Elaine was in the pen since the wrestling matches.

This morning Cheese was in the pasture with Mac and Franks eating grass. Elaine still won't forgive him. I guess she's just like that.

Our crazy lives!

Monner