Rue: A Tribute

Life is fleeting. Seasons come and go, different interns rotate through the farm, change is ever present. Some changes can be tough to accept, especially when they come suddenly.

We have just been faced with a major change at Third Way that has all of us heartbroken. Our little lamb, Rue, has just passed away. For the last two weeks he seemed out of sorts, staring aimlessly into the distance, not coming over with the rest of the flock when we brought out hay, and ultimately just not being himself. With this drastic change in disposition, we knew something had to be seriously wrong.

It was important for us to keep a close eye on him; however, it was tough for us to see his health continue to go downhill, especially for Michelle and Muriel. Rue was sadly rejected by his mom when he was born, which meant he had no one to nurse off of. So Michelle and Muriel bottle fed him multiple times a day for many weeks. They both formed a strong bond with the little guy and gave him a new nickname, Baby, to exemplify the love they had for him.

Last week the vet came because Rue was not seeming to improve. They suggested that they take him to the animal hospital since there was not much they could do for him on the farm. Now, from a business standpoint, we wouldn’t normally take an animal to the vet simply because of the steep cost. But Rue was more of a pet for us due to the bond we all formed with him. 

Without going into too much detail, Rue was in pretty critical condition. He had a hernia that had created other complications which would have unlikely been successfully corrected with surgery. Ultimately, Rue was put down.

We lost a friend when we lost Rue. And again, it was an especially tough loss for Michelle and Muriel. This is just another reminder of how fleeting life is. We don’t know what’s coming our way and we cannot predict the future. It is sad to face loss, but it is also something we need to expect as farmers. 

Unfortunately, we are facing another challenge with one of our pigs. He has been very lethargic for the last two weeks. I noticed him one Monday morning when I was doing the daily animal chores. I walked into the pig paddock and was bombarded by all but one of the pigs when I came in with their breakfast. Seeing that this little guy was not interested in the food I immediately knew that something was not right.  

I let everyone in our farm group chat know that this pig could be sick and to keep a close eye on him. When he wasn’t getting better or eating much by the afternoon we got worried. The vet came the next day and she thought the pig had a respiratory infection due to the changing temperatures we have been experiencing. Apparently this has been a common issue with pigs this winter.

After that visit, we thought the pig was improving because he started showing a bit more interest in food, particularly apples. He was up and moving a bit more and we were hopeful. Sadly, he is regressing and we will take further measures to help him out. He is still struggling and we are praying he gets better. 

May you all as our loyal readers, customers, and friends please join us in our prayers for Rue and our little pig as well as the rest of our animals so that they remain healthy and strong. God reminds us on these tough occasions that life is short and to stay grateful in the present moment. We never know what challenges or good fortunes may come our way.

Until next time,
​Kate