Oh Benny Boy

Benny and Jett have continued to provide us great amusement and joy. Part camel, part cow, part ‘poodle’, completely quirky, curious and socially awkward. We tried to make them the star of our Christmas card, yep, that didn’t go well.

Every day I go to work and come home. As for most people who actually get to go to work during Covid, that is the norm. Except for last Tuesday….I was getting a haircut, which was greatly needed. During said haircut, I connected with My Loving Spouse. He needed me home! Now! As in immediately.

He was sure Benny had broken his leg. It was dark. Alpacas don’t like to be touched and they don’t like to be separated. Oh, and I was ‘mid haircut’…the perfect storm. Can you come? Could I come? Ahhhh, no… Mid-hair cut means my bad hair was currently worse and if I left…worse was going to be ‘worser.’

The second phone call informed me that our neighbor was able to help and I was to meet up with all alpacas and husband at the Vet. I encourage hair cutter to cut quicker, but ah…. nicely please.

More times than I would have ever liked, I have been at the mercy of Pediatricians and Vets who stay after hours until all their sick patients have been seen. The love for their patients is a gift to any of us who need them.

Alpacas are very quiet animals. They make a small humming noise very rarely, so to hear our Benny Boy crying out in pain, broke our hearts.

X-rays, leg clipping and a fiberglass cast. Gorilla tape on the bottom to keep the dirt out. Vet tape on the top to keep the cast on this animal who doesn’t understand at all.

We wait for Benny to come around and make a plan to return home and keep him (and Jett) safe and dry. The Vet tells us that animals and casts do not always do well.

We get Benny back into the trailer where Jett is relieved to see him, making humming noises to his ‘herd’. The boys spend the night in the extra horse stall in the barn where they are safe and dry.

Benny and Jett roam the barn during the day. They have plenty to eat and drink. This helps us keep Benny’s cast clean and dry, and yet…as the Vet said, ‘Animals and casts don’t always do well.’

Tonight Benny’s heavy cast is coming off and he is in pain. We tape the cast up to his leg some more and listen to him cry. We don’t know if he will make it. We hate to have him hurting. Tomorrow we will call the Vet and tackle step two, whatever that is…

We want our Benny boy to make it, but not in pain…

and so we wait….and hope.

Where would we be without ‘hope’?

‘Hope’ in all times…keeps us blessed.