Page 34 of Second Chance with the Rancher
“It’s rare but it could be early onset mastitis. We normally don’t see it with actively nursing mares, it’s usually toward the drying out period when weaning, but it does happen. He’s favoring the right teat which has caused the left to get engorged and,” he attempted to milk the left teat, then clucked his tongue, “clogged.” Jake ran his hands down Callie’s legs, put his stethoscope into his ears and listened to her heartbeat, then he checked her teats again. She tried to move away from him when he attempted to milk her once more, then she turned her head and went to bite her flank.
“So antibiotics?” Asher asked, scratching his chin scruff which brought attention to the big white scar running down the length of his jaw and chin. He’d taken a piece of metal to the face during an explosion while in active duty. Luckily, all he had was the scar as the reminder. The scar and a big tattoo of angel wings on his back to commemorate all of his fallen brothers. Nate had a tattoo on his back, as well, but it was different.
Jacob nodded. “I’ve got some in the truck. Brought it in case. We’ll also do a warm compress to help unclog the duct. But we need to encourage this little guy to not play favorites.” He ran a hand over Chance’s back while the colt nursed. A second later, Jacob gently reached down and encouraged Chance to unlatch, then he guided a frustrated colt around his mother to her other teat. He milked Callie, much to her annoyance and encouraged Chance to nurse from the clogged teat.
It took some finessing but eventually Chance latched. He suckled a bit, but didn’t stay latched for long before pulling away and trying to get back to the other side to reach the non-clogged teat.
Jacob let him, then began to gently hand milk Callie. She wasn’t too happy about it, but eventually, he got her expressing and she seemed to calm down.
“Still only coming out of one duct steadily,” Jacob said, still expressing. “Ash, want to run to my truck and bring my big medical bag to me? I only have my small one here. Nate, can you get some warm compresses?”
Nate and his brother grunted, then took off to do as they were told.
When Nate returned to the stall with the warm compresses, Asher was already back and Nate was administering the antibiotics as well as applying a salve to Callie’s swollen teat.
Nate handed the vet the warm compresses and Jacob applied them, holding them to Callie. “I’m not too concerned. She’s not feverish, and there isn’t any blood in the milk. We caught it early. It’s really rare for mastitis to happen this early, when the foal is only a day or two old. I’m guessing the traumatic birth may have caused her some stress which can affect milk production. Or he just favors one side and isn’t nursing the other side as much, which can cause engorgement. But you caught it early, so I’m confident we’ll get this nipped in the bud in no time.” Jacob nodded at Nate, who came around behind Callie, careful to keep a distance in case the mare kicked out, then he took up Jacob’s spot, holding the warm compress against her.
“Thanks, man,” Nate said, rubbing Callie’s side affectionately.
“No worries.” Jacob gathered up his supplies. “I’ll give Ash the lowdown on the antibiotics. But I might as well check out the little fillies you just had, as well, while I’m here.”
“I’ll show you,” Asher said. “Skipper and Daria. Both beauties.”
“Good to see you,” Nate called out, over Callie’s body.
“You, too,” Jacob replied.
Nate pulled the compress away, then tried milking Callie again to see if the other duct could express. Still no luck. He put the compress back on.
“Can I help?” came a voice like pure honey and velvet. She let herself into the stall, paid attention to a curious Chance, then circled around Callie to stand beside Nate where he was crouched. “Is she okay?”
He blew out a relieved and exhausted breath. It wasn’t even nine o’clock in the morning and yet, he was ready for bed. “Engorged and a clogged duct, but Jacob thinks we caught it before it turned into full-blown mastitis. Thank fuck.”
“So you have to stay out here all day and hold the compress against her?” Mieka asked.
He nodded. He didn’t have to. They could get the ranch hands to rotate doing it, but he would stay. Callie was a good horse and she’d already lost one foal, he couldn’t bear the thought of her undergoing anymore stress or pain. So he’d stay with her as much as he could. He would probably get a ranch hand to relieve him when he needed to piss, but otherwise, he’d hang out with Callie and Chance until Callie started to show signs of improvement.
She slid down to her knees and moved her good hand without the cast next to his where he held the compress against Callie. “I can do this for a while if you have other things to do.” Their fingers touched and electricity raced from his hands right down to his balls.
“Just need to grab something quick to eat,” he said, moving his hand away. As if on cue, his belly rumbled in protest and his back and knees cracked when he stood up. “You eat?”
She nodded and got more comfortable on the ground. “Triss made us fried egg sandwiches.”
“Ooh, that sounds good.”
“She’s still in there, made one for you and Asher.” Her gold-flecked brown eyes blinked at him, fanning those lashes that had to be extensions; they were just too long to be real. But they weren’t too gaudy or thick to make them look unnatural. They were just long and only enhanced her beauty.
“I’ll bring out a stool when I come back,” he said, closing the stall behind him.
He ran to the house and scarfed his breakfast, then grabbed a couple of stools and high-tailed it back to the barn.
She was chatting with Callie and Chance when he arrived back at the stall.
“You’re such a good mama, Callie,” Mieka said softly. “Taking such good care of your baby boy. He’s going to grow up to be strong and beautiful just like you.”
Grinning, Nate opened the stall door and stepped inside, setting the two stools down in the stall, and handing Mieka a to-go mug of coffee. “Figured you might need a second cup since you slept sitting up on the cold ground last night.”
Her moan of appreciation and their fingers once again touching when she reached for the mug sent another electric charge down to his nuts.
