Cup Of Tea

Sunday mornings are not always like this one. I am sitting here with a nice cup of tea and I am relaxed. The reason why I am relaxed is because I woke in the middle of the night with a migraine. I don't get migraines very often any more but one time I got them often. Last night, I got a migraine in the middle of the night, and even tough the migraine is almost gone this morning, I am staying home from church in an effort to not bring it back. If I stay very quiet for a few hours this morning it probably will go away. If I head off to church or do serious work it will come back in a way that I would rather not experience. The reason why I had a migraine headache is because I woke in the night positively panting for water. The reason I woke positively panting for water is because I was cold and turned up the furnace quite high before I went to bed. The reason I was cold was because I was outdoors yesterday working with the animals and I got a chill.

We cut the alpaca's teeth, toenails, and gave them their shots yesterday. It was a very busy day. I did things that were just plain nasty. Like lancing an abscess on Eddie's ear. The alpacas have been fighting... a lot so it seems. They are all nicked and scratched and in hard shape. Eddie has been fighting more than the other animals and we discovered a huge abscess on one of his ears and it was just plain hot, which means infection. We opened it up and cleaned out the puss and poured on some iodine. Hopefully it will heal. this is the type of thing that I wondered if I would be able to do it.

Here's an example of how it goes with the alpacas when we do the caring in the spring and fall.

First we have to corner them and catch them one by one.
Then Hubby holds them while I put on the halter.
Then Hubby keeping his arm around their neck and me leading them on the lead walk/drag them to the table where we work.
Then Hubby lines them up and lifts them onto the table. The girls hold their legs while I hold the head and Hubby ties legs and head to the table.
Then if it is spring we shear them.
Then I get the shots ready. With a hypodermic needle I give Ivomec 1.5 m and Tasvax 8 2 m. the Tasvax is just in the spring.
Hubby actually gives the needle to the alpacas because I always have trouble getting the needle through the skin. They have very tough skin. We give it in the armpit.... foreleg pit.
Then we clip any hair around the face that we missed in the spring.
Then we clip their nails and even them up with the pad of the foot.
Then we stuff a leather pad in their mouth and while Daughter #2 lies on the alpacas feet, and Daughter #1 grabs the alpaca by the ears like bike handle bars, Hubby begins cutting the teeth with a Dremel tool cutter. Meanwhile I hold the leather in place and that helps to keep the cutter from cutting the palette. Then when the smoke starts to rise I squirt water on the teeth to keep them cool. It is a horrible job. We have to keep goggles on because chips of enamel fly everywhere.
Then slowly after all that we have to gently slide them off the table and back onto their feet and then pull/drag them back to the paddock.
Then we have to take off the halter and let them go.
We usually stand around sweating at this point.

I think Benny is starting to figure out that we are trying to help him and he does not make it as difficult. But Dexter, whose never had his teeth trimmed before, was not very happy about the process and fought us all the way. Then he snorted and growled and squealed and made every noise that he is capable of. Eddie and Axton did not need their teeth trimmed. We actually did Axton on the ground since he wouldn't get up and walk. Argh!

Anyway here I sit with a cuppa and I am happy to have some time to sit and relax after yesterday's ordeal. Today???? Later, if my headache clears up.... I think I might try to tackle the closet. Finally!!!