Dusty

Dusty was rescued when we got a call from a farmer about an hours-old lamb whose mother had passed away. We picked him up, and he seemed like a happy, healthy baby boy. After about 3 days, he started to have trouble walking and was limping on one leg. Luckily, he was scheduled for a physical the next day at UC Davis Vet Hospital. His joint became swollen and more painful by the next day. They took a sample to confirm it was a joint infection in 2 joints. They started him on antibiotics immediately and flushed his joints, but within 1 week, it had already spread to 6 joints. They continued him on a strict antibiotic schedule, flushing his joints when his pain was controlled enough to do so. I visited him every single morning at 6 a.m. before my shift started. At first, he could not stand. I would pick him up and hold him in my arms. He would get so excited to see me; he would start baaing and wagging his tail. After about a week and a half, he started to stand when he saw me, and I knew he was a fighter. After a little over 2.5 weeks at UC Davis, they started to get concerned that he wasn’t getting worse, but he wasn’t getting better either. I continued to visit every day. About 3 weeks in, he started to walk over to lay on top of me to cuddle. It proved to me he was a fighter, and I had to keep going. UC Davis told me the improvements I was seeing were not the whole picture. The lamb they saw was not walking or standing, was very depressed, and was suffering. They recommended we euthanize him due to the permanent damage that could be caused to his joints and his overall lack of will to live. I knew I saw a lamb ready to fight when I was there, and I needed to find a way to bring him home so he could thrive. Based on the hospital's records, our home vet didn’t know if we could have a better outcome, but she was willing to try. We were actually able to get him seen by two different mobile livestock vets who were shocked that the lamb they were seeing fighting to live was the same one described in the reports from the hospital. They agreed he had a will to live, so they were able to create a plan that included some experimental, off-label medication treatments that the hospital was not able to try. He was able to get outside time and Vitamin D. We were able to add some natural remedies for immune support and try some added comfort items, like a PEMF mat, along with lots and lots of love and attention. He started walking more and more, and his blood work showed he was finally fighting the infection. One month after he was discharged from the hospital, he was only on medications to help control any pain he might have as he grew more and more active. The joint infection did cause permanent damage to his joints. We are able to keep him mobile with an herbal joint supplement mixture, and very rarely, when he has really active days, he needs additional help with pain medication. He is 2 years old now and has a sheep buddy named Meadow. Because he was inside being doted over by people, he much prefers the company of humans. But Meadow loves him very much and follows him everywhere. We will have to keep a very close eye on his joints and pain as he ages, but right now, he is a very happy and active guy.