A Day In The Life Dairy Farm Veterinarian

Hello and welcome to a family-owned dairy farm. The place where these beautiful female bovines spend their days feasting on an endless supply of a well-manicured diet, all while being chaperoned by their farmer friends who both are proud to share with you the fruit of their labor, 97% fat-free whole milk. We'll be discussing that more in the next video. So for now, let's get to the rear end of this intro. You want to know why in the world I stuck my arm up a cow's butt. I got to stick my hand up a cow's butt. Exactly what I came here to do. On this episode of Once a Stranger, a series where I explore human connection all through the power of a simple hello, I spend the day with Dr. Katherine Claxton, a mixed animal veterinarian, and follow her along for what's called a her-check, and share with you why the rear end of a cow is used when performing the checkup. Hi, I'm Dr. Katherine Claxton. I'm a mixed animal veterinarian. So that means I do large animal work, including cows, pigs, sheep, and goats. And then we also do small animal work, which is cats, dogs, bunnies, and some other animals. And today we are doing her-checks where we're going around to my different farms that I visit either once or twice a month. And we do pregnancy checks on the cows, as well as address any sick animals, and just kind of do a whole herd health plan for each place that we go to. Okay, she is safe. She is safe, safe. This girl is pregnant. So we're going through and confirming pregnancies. We're diagnosing new pregnancies right now. What you see Katherine performing is called a rectal palpation. By going into the rectum of the cow, she is able to feel the uterus to determine whether or not the cow is pregnant, as well as address any abnormalities. But modern technology allows her to see the baby calf instead of having to feel for it. So this is an ultrasound with goggles, they call it. You use the ultrasound probe just like you would with a human. But the image, instead of being on a screen, shows up inside of the goggles. So I wear the goggles on top of my head, and it's virtually hands-free, so that way I can be climbing over fences and other things while I'm able to still preg check, and I don't have to cart around a big computer with me. The advantages of an ultrasound also helps Katherine understand the general well-being of both the mother and baby at an earlier stage, giving her and the farmer time to address any issues before birth. Oh my gosh. It stood up. A two-hour-old calf just stood up. Can they stand up right away? Holy cow. Sometimes I go with Grandpa to the mixer, and when Grandpa comes back, I drive the tractor. Ah, what? I steer it. So you drive the tractor and the mixer? And then you told me that you also water the cows? Yep. You keep all their water clean? So what do you like to do for fun? Um, I don't know. Ride the wagon down the road. There you go, that's a lot of fun. And what is your job here on the farm? Get water and spray. While filming this episode, I couldn't help but notice all of the children taking responsibilities that you would imagine being done by grown adults. It was the same story with the other cow. She lost it. She had a calf one time and I asked her to check if she lost it. Oh, where she's at. From keeping the drinking water clean to organizing which cows needed Katherine's attention, these children are just as important as their parents in maintaining order on the farm. To them, this is one big playground and their sense of pride was really something incredible to witness. Isaiah, what is a herd check? Um, it's big. Okay. Speaking of but, it is now time for me to perform my first rectal palpation. As I gear up for this, I'd like to know how many of you watching have ever done this before or learned something new today? Comment below and let me know. During my three-week stay here in Pennsylvania, I've really gained a new respect for the farming community and I hope you have too. That keeps your hand nice and wet. You grab with this hand on the tail. Okay. Lift it up in the air a little bit and you go right in there. Yep. All right. See what I came here to do. In case you missed it, Catherine mentioned that it feels like nothing more than a fly on their back. So I decided to give it a few more goes. There you go. Just to make sure I left feeling like a pro at this. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a rectal palpation. And that's what it looks like once you're done. High five it. All right. What'd you think, Isaiah? What'd you think? It looks funny. Catherine, thank you so much. No problem. For spending some time with me. And remember, all this started with a simple hello and now we both got to learn something new about what it's like being a veterinarian on a farm. See you later.