Daisey entered the kitchen door in excitement."Mom,
there is a lamb frozen to the ground!" I quickly instructed her to get the lamb and bring it to the house. She was a bit fearful at first to pick up a dead lamb, but with a bit of hesitation did as she was told. As she arrived in the kitchen, I could see this little black lifeless lamb lying limp in her arms. Upon closer inspection, I could see a faint breath as it's chest would barely rise and fall. I really did not think this little lamb had much hope for survival. We said a prayer for help and guidance and got everything ready to stomach tube the lamb. We put the tube in the mixture of milk replacer so that the tube would be lubricated and slide down the little lambs throat with greater ease. I ever so gently guided it and it seemed to go down with out any pause. This was a good sign, that fluid did not go into the lamb’s lungs. I slowly added the replacer and the little lamb still lay listless in my arms. We covered the lamb with a warm blanket. There was not any response from the feeding or the warmth that we had given her body. I quickly made a long distance phone call to some veterinarians that deal strictly with sheep. I explained everything I had done. They told me to place the lamb in our sink with as warm of water, as my hands could stand. My heart was racing, as I prayed for God to guide me, in what seemed to be the impossible. As I cradled this little lifeless lamb in a sink of hot water, I began to feel a heart beat. The heart rate became stronger and stronger. Her little eyes opened and our excitement filled the room. This was unbelievably. It was much like seeing Lazarus raised from the dead. We toweled her dry and placed a Woolover on her for extra warmth. As Daisey was holding the lamb, her eyes stared ahead at a box of raspberry tea. With a sudden burst, Daisey announced that the lamb should be named Raspberry Sue. We placed Raspberry down in a box and scheduled her feedings around the clock. She most definitely viewed us as her mom. She grew to see herself as one of the household. One morning, I awoke to feed her and did not find Raspberry in her box. I glanced around and found that she had decided on a much more comfortable accommodations for her bed. This is only the start of the many adventures of Raspberry Sue……………
C.A. Bresin
