New Lambs and a Heart Attack on the Farm

As you may recall, fall is not the normal (or best) time for lambs to be born. However that is what my husband and I have been going through for the past few weeks. Although Diamond sheep was the biggest, Girlie had her lambs first, and then Blackie did. Thank heavens it was only the three ewes that got bred in the spring, but we still were waiting for Diamond sheep.

On Wednesday, October17, Diamond had twins. My husband found them outside in the afternoon and got them into the barn (they were in a shelter in the pasture). She had one large white lamb with black tips on his ears, nose, and legs, as well as a slightly smaller, but still large, black lamb. 

My husband had to pick me up from work that day and upon returning home I went out to see the lambs and sex them; the smaller black one was a female, and the larger white one was a male. I was putting the tarps back on the bales of hay, as they had blown off, and my husband came out to say he suddenly was not feeling well. It had been such a good day and this puzzled him, I told him to go inside and I would finish with the tarps.

When I came in from fixing the tarps my husband said he still did not feel well and actually thought he was having lung problems from the wind, but asked to go to the hospital, about 40 minutes away.

When we got to the hospital they said it was a heart attack and that he would be sent to a hospital in Edmonton (over 1 hour away) by Ambulance.

To make a long story short, the hospital determined that his heart attack was probably stress related and not due to diet or other things. But what I must point out here is a warning to all readers. My husband was able to walk around and talk while in pain. My daughter was puzzled saying “That cannot be a heart attack because on television the heart attack person cannot walk.” This is very true and a problem in that many people do not think they are having heart attacks when they are.

Many people can even continue working after having a heart attack only to drop dead later. If you experience chest pain it should be taken seriously and women are at risk too. Do not assume a heart attack is like what you see on television, tv goes for the dramatic.  In life a heart attack may be only a sharp chest pain, my husband thought it was his lungs.

My husband made a great recovery and was just released on Sunday, however his hospitalization delayed me from being able to share the pictures of Diamond's lambs until now.

Both her lambs are already bigger than those born earlier, Diamond was so big we thought she was having triplets for sure (as she often has in the past). 

Her white lamb is plenty spunky, but her black lamb and week fetlock joints in her front legs making it hard for her to stand and walk. I spent a few minutes daily stretching these joints out (and my daughter did too) and today she is showing great improvement and is eager to play... too bad it snowed!

*Update - the lamb's fetlocks are now strong and they are going outside for the day.