Toggle

Yesterday I walked to the dairy farm with Lily, and as I arrived Rachel the farmer was on the way to the maternity barn with her toggle kit. "What's toggling?" I asked. "It's what you do when one of the four stomachs of a cow (the main one) gets twisted and out of place and fills up with air. This cow gave birth a week ago to twin calves and is now showing the symptoms."

So I watched as Rachel's brother and father put a rope around the cow which was then attached to a post in the barn. They draped another rope over the cow in a few places; shoulder, stomach, leg, so they could move her down and turn her over on her back. This was amazing to see. A cow on its back with hooves in the air just like my dog does all the time! Apparently the stomach moves to the right place in this position. Rachel gave the cow's belly a fillip, listening for a ping sound "like a basketball." After a few tries, she checked one spot with a stethoscope, and then inserted the toggle, tacking the stomach like a big staple to the side of the cow so it won't move. Very quick!