What's Killing Our Cows?

Week 23 of the Quarantine

SAN MARTIN, ARGENTINA – “You better come look at this,” said Elizabeth this morning.

Out in the field, a cow was lying down, bloated. Its legs were sticking out, not folded under, as they normally are.

We went out for a closer look, taking a kitchen knife with us (as instructed by our foreman), but hoping we wouldn’t have to use it.

As we approached the cow, we saw its legs were rigid and its belly was very swollen. “Hinchada,” say the locals.

But it was too late. We felt its neck. It was cold. Stiff. Its eyes rolled back, blank and motionless.

“We lost another one,” we told the foreman when he got here.

Not Normal

So far, four of the cows we brought down from the ranch have died. Up at the ranch, they die of hunger. Here, they die from overeating.

“He shouldn’t have died; it’s not normal,” the foreman assessed the situation gravely. “I’m going to get the vet to look at him. Find out what killed him. I don’t think it was the alfalfa. Not this time of year.”

In the springtime, the alfalfa is rich and fulsome. Cows are not allowed in the fields. It is too strong for them.

But in the winter (we’re in the Southern Hemisphere), the plants are dried out and, normally, pose little risk.

To be safe, we drove the cows into their corrals for the night.

Regards,

Bill