now that's COLD!!!

Right now it's cold here, I don't know exactly how cold but cold enough that when I went out to do the barn chores tonight the snot in my nose froze. Needless to say that I was not excited to be out there much longer than necessary but I do need to feed and care for my animals so I bundle up and go out and try to ignore the cold. Dakota, our llama has an abscessed tooth which I am in the process of treating. Not to worry, he's responding well to treatment and from what I understand this is quite common for both llamas and alpacas, considering this is our first one here I think I'm doing alright. Other than being over the moon disgusting treatment isn't that bad, a course of antibiotic and flushing the draining pocket of puss until it heals. By pocket of puss I mean the first time I drained it there was well over a tablespoon of thick, white, slightly chunky puss that came out of the hole in his face! Gross is not the word for it! In some cases I understand the tooth can be removed but the risk is a broken jaw neither of which sounds good to me.

Dakota is learning that when I come into the stall without food I'm coming after him for treatment, he has been taking off to the far end of his pen requiring me to follow, now he's realized that treatment isn't going to kill him and he feels better and is followed by grain - which he loves! Now he steps away just a few steps as if it's an attempt to remain defiant in front of his herd but secretly just giving to the temptation of grain...

Tonight after most of the chores were done I popped back into the house to draw up the syringe of antibiotic and the flush and went back to the barn to treat Dakota. When I got to the barn I placed the syringes on the mini shelf of the stall, went to fetch Dakota and tie him up because he does not enjoy the dose of antibiotic and by doing this it's less space for him to move and dance around in which allows me to use both hands. Got him tied and grabbed the syringes. Feeling around under a ton of thick warm fiber for a place to pinch up a bunch of skin is not exactly an easy task, after this was accomplished I pushed the needle into his skin. I was not able to press the plunger down, I was sure I was in, but the plunger would not move, so I switched out the needles and tried again. The liquid in the needles was frozen! OMW!!! The flush was warm too! I couldn't believe it! I warmed them up so they would thaw and be given but I could not believe in the three minutes they were on the shelf they'd gotten cold enough for the liquid in the needle; which was covered, to freeze. Yup! That's COLD! After the antibiotic was given and the abscess was flushed (and bonus tonight I didn't get any of the puss or flush splashed back onto my face tonight! woohoo) Faith led Dakota over to his bowl of grain which he devoured almost as fast as Andrew eats pesto!