Porthos

42% of TARGET

😢

42% of TARGET 😢

Porthos was one of 3 little boys who we took in back in October 2017.  All three were at a small holding up in norh Lincolnshire at a farm where we had managed to acquire quite a few cade lambs which we were hand raising (a cade lamb is the 3rd lamb in a set of triplets, the "runt" which is usually disposed of as the mother can only really rear 2 as she only has 2 teats & leaving all 3 with her would result in 3 smaller lambs whereas they need big ones for market.) 

So whilst collecting the lambs, we discussed the 3 boys who the farmer wanted rid of as they were not doing well and were all very underweight.  On arrival back home and worried about the 'state' they were in, we asked our vet to run some tests. It transpired that all 3 had BVD (Bovine Viral Diaorhhea) which whilst not a reportable disease is not good news. 

All 3 were treated and Porthos and Athos made full recoveries - Sadly it transpired that Aramis was a "carrier" of the illness and so had to be separated from the other cows. He didnt show symptoms but continually shed the virus. The vets said we could keep him - normally on farms carriers are always killed - as long as he wasn't with other cows. 

Carriers of this illness generally only live to 2 years old, but Aramis made it to 4 & a half before we lost him in 2021.  Very much loved by all who met him at the Asheldham site - Porthos is not a big cow and has tiny horns that curve down which he thinks make him look like a water buffalo !