Dr Kathleen Davis is being hailed a hero for her efforts in helping a cow that had a tin over its hoof, painfully cutting into its leg.
Gquberha, South Africa (05 January 2024) – An injured cow was spotted around Christmas 2023, walking with a large tin can over its hoof. After spotting it again recently, local vet Dr Kathleen Davis tracked down the herd in an effort to help ease the heifer’s pain.
Dr Davis, along with the help of Tanja Smith and Nikki Pollak, searched the surrounding community after news came in that the herd was in the area. Following a few leads, they tracked the herd to a nearby open space and began assessing the situation.
“This poor cow had been spotted since Christmas with a can stuck on her foot. No owner or shepherd came forward and she kept disappearing.
We heard about the situation on Facebook this morning and thought we would take a drive to see if we could locate her. Luckily due to some quick thinking by Tanja Smith and with directions from local Atlas guys we found the little herd taking a nap.
Stray cattle are not tame and without crush facilities and herdsmen, it is very difficult to treat them.
Darting with sedation was the only option.This heifer took quite a bit to get down but she eventually slept and we managed to successfully remove the can which had been stuck on her foot for over a week and had caused a deep cut around her fetlock.” – Dr Kathleen Davis
Dr Davis started treatment on the hoof, ensuring all the bases were covered regarding fighting infection and ensuring a speedy recovery.
“She was treated with pain medication, antibiotics and an anti-parasitic to treat for ticks and give her body a well deserved boost while she heals.
The foot has been bandaged with a light weight bandage that will easily fall off on its own in a few days.”
To ensure her herd didn’t leave without her while she slept off her medication, they were given a delicious bale of lucerne, enough to keep them in the field while “Miss Daisy”, as she has been dubbed, woke up.
Nikki Pollak took to Facebook to share a story she calls the “rescue of the year.”
“Thank you to Dr Kathleen Davis from Davis Veterinary Services for reaching out to me to help the cow this morning. Dr Kat went out with Tanja Smith and they found the heifer cow and darted her. She was extremely stubborn and Dr Kat had to dart her 3 times before we could help her.
THANK YOU once again, Dr Kat, you are an amazing star for helping Miss Daisy. Please support Dr Kat if you can. Her compassion for animals is real.” – Nikki Pollak