Take a closer look at Greta in this photo and see if you can spot why this was a very special calving!

Here's the answer!

Early in May, 13 year old pregnant Greta broke her leg very badly. A rare occurrence and we do not know how it happened.

The vet who came out understandably felt that she should be put down. When I insisted we try to save her and the leg, a phone call to the senior vet confirmed... put her down!

I insisted we try to save her and the leg, and failing the latter, to amputate.

After setting the break, itself a major event for Greta, we discovered a few days later that infection had spread, as the vet feared it would, into the bone.

Amputation meant anaesthetic and that meant risking the loss of the calf. Better that, than the loss of Greta, however,  so amputation became Greta's next great trauma - that and the endless sessions of bandaging, re-bandaging, rubbing in of creams, injections etc, that followed ...

But she withstood it all nobly - the stump healed quite quickly, she speedily adapted to getting around on her three legs , and - not two months later - the final tribute...
...A fine baby girl! We have named her  Bonnie.

Mother and babe are doing well.