Animal Spotlight: Sadie
Sadie spent the first 4-6 years of her life on a dairy farm. She never knew her mom -
all dairy calves are removed from their mothers, generally right after birth. When she was 18 months old, Sadie was artificially inseminated. She would give birth to four calves, none of whom she would nurse. When she was five or six years of age, she developed mastitis, a common udder infection found mostly in dairy cows. She was sent to auction, where she was purchased by a veterinary teaching hospital. Poked and prodded, Sadie endured much at the hands of vet students. When the quarter had passed, the hospital planned to send her back to auction and eventual slaughter.
A vet student intervened. Strings were pulled and Sadie ended up at Animal Place, safe and sound. After enduring so much, she deserved a good life. It took two years to clear up her mastitis infection. She was now seen as Sadie, the individual cow, not a number or a production unit.
Unfortunately, during a check-up at the same vet hospital, she was loaded improperly into a chute, slipped and fractured her rear stifle. This has left her with a permanent limp. This would be a tough injury for a young animal, but for an adult, large mammal? It could be a death sentence. We gave her time and pain meds, and after a few weeks, she showed us her will to live, hobbling around the sanctuary.
She's turned twelve, six years longer older than most dairy farms would permit. Cattle can live into their 20s.
If she had sons, they were all slaughtered for veal. Her daughters would replace her in the dairy herd. All end up slaughtered well before their natural lifespan has ended.
Milk is not something most of us need to survive. We are the only species to consume the breast milk of another species past the age of weaning. Most of the world is lactose intolerant.
If you want to help Sadie and cattle like her, reduce and replace dairy products in your life. Use non-dairy milks in your cereal and baking. There are a lot of alternatives available, from almond milk to soy milk to rice milk. Many are fortified with added nutrition.
