{jcid s» -1 ■ r Roller Coaster Year For Top Guernsey Cow JOYCE BUPP York Co. Correspondent YORK (York Co.) Not many students get called out of class for a message about a cow. But that was the case when Terri Johnson was summoned to York Central’s school office from her eighth-grade classroom last May to learn that her prized 4-H show cow, Lily, was still alive. While that message the first the school’s secretary ever had to deliver about a cow eased 14-year-old Terri’s concern, Lily was far from being out of danger. Rutter Brothers Enhancer’s Lily is Terri’s 4-year-old Guern sey, one of nearly two dozen ani mals she owns. While Terri, and her 11-year-old sister Kelly, are very attached to all their animals, Lily may be a little more special than the rest. Classified EX-93 and currently number one in the Guernsey breed’s Cow Performance Index (CPI) measure of the genetic value of animals, Lily is a prized producer in the well-known Rut ter Brothers dairy farm herd. She was the Guernsey breed’s junior division grand champion at last year’s Farm Show, and has been unbeaten in the junior division show ring. The Johnson’s have photos of Terri in the bam when she was just a baby. She got her first 4-H animal December 1994, at age 7, when she helped her mother de liver a heifer calf from one of the herd’s show cows, Rutter Broth ers Pro Kings Leamay, VG-88. Terri named the calf Lydia, in honor of her then-best friend. “That was the first time I every really helped to pull a calf. It was just Mom and I here and there was no one else to help,” says Terri of her hands-on assist ance to the first calf she would show as a 4-H cloverbud mem ber. Rutter Brothers Perfectos Lydia, scored VG-88, is listed 83 on the current CPI list. On her second calving, April Fool’s Day 1997, Lydia delivered the heifer calf Terri named Lily, her first very own bred and owned ani mal. In May 2001, four years after Lily’s birth, the prized cow lay stretched out in the farm’s dry cow pasture, unable to stand. Lily had been dried off and turned out for her pre-calving rest peri od just one day earlier. During a chilling rainstorm, which had blown through overnight, Lily had gone down. Herd veterinarian Dan Pike was already away on another emergency, and unable to come immediately. Terri’s mom, herd manager Cindy Johnson, quickly treated the downed Lily for milk fever, while attempting to dry and warm her with towels. Once Dr. Pike arrived, he began intravenous treatment of Lily for shock and, eventually, she stood. His intent was for Lily to slowly return to the barn, a few steps at a time. The big Guernsey had her own ideas. She walked, non-stop, the whole way to the barn. Lily was found to be battling a Clostridial infection, a usually deadly condition. A battery of medicines was administered to absorb the toxins her body was producing and reduce her high Terri, right, and Kelly Johnson will each have three head from their junior show strings at the Farm Show, including Lily, Terri’s youth Guernsey champion from last year. fever. But, she was unable to get up, even after three days of con tinuous intravenous treatment. “My mom decided that we should try and float her,” says Terri in a heart-tugging story about the experience she recently wrote for her 4-H dairy project book. “Floating would let her stand in warm water, while only supporting 20 percent of her body weight.” Floating was recommended to continue for 12 hours, and the equipment was not ready until two o’clock that afternoon. Thus, at 2 a.m., the Johnson’s were out with flashlights, draining the float and holding their breaths with anxious anticipation. Lily walked out and headed to the water bowl. But later that day, the big cow lay down to rest and was, again, unable to stand. After two more days, the float equipment was hauled back for a second try. It was six days before Lily fi nally gained enough strength to rise back up on her own after resting. Meanwhile, she con tracted coliform mastitis. The A veteran of show preparations, Lily stands patiently while Terri trims her ears with the clippers. i 'it)ii ( it : i r lii | " kk I t < » >■*«.<.«£ iJhCfet* ultM