It was springtime again, the grasses are tall, the trees have bloomed, the fields were full of poppies.
One morning heading back to the house after working the horses, I noticed one of our does give birth to a little one. The little one was no larger than a small cat, still wet, with mom right next to her.
I went to work a full day at the office, when I arrived at home, the doe was anxiously running back-and-forth at the site where that morning she had given birth. This was not a good sign. Normally, mom stays within a few yards protecting her young. So this time I decided to look for the newborn and sure enough, the little one was in distress with agonal breathing, her ears and extremities were stiff! It was obvious this little one was probably septic and dying. I picked her up to make sure mama saw me carrying this little one inside the house. I then forced fluids using a large 50 mL syringe and gave her sugar water and injected her with two different antibiotics, one on each shoulder. I kept her in a cardboard box and repeated the hydration three or four times throughout the night. Early in the morning, you can see the ears moving around outside the box. She made it! In the meantime, Mama doe is still running back-and-forth nervously, anxiously in front of and around the house. I take the little one placed her on the ground and we witnessed her taking her first steps wobbling towards mom and nursing. This was a great moment when the mom accepted her baby. This may have been mama doe’s first baby. Normally, these little ones are not accepted and left to die. Both, mama and little one, eventually disappear down the hill. Within a week or so the little one now with mom reappears in the morning ritual continues to this day. She was given the name Lalex and every morning she comes by to say hi in her own way, still very wild but at the same time very appreciative. We recognize Lalex from the rest of the bunch because she has a small tear towards the top of her left ear. She has no fleas nor tics like the rest of her kind because she accepts frontline treatment. On weekends she comes over and enjoys raisin bran. She loves her raisin bran!
