Rescue & Adoptions

In Loving Memory

Calvin

Calvin was born at a dairy farm and abandoned at a livestock market as a young calf. Like countless other unwanted male calves born to milking cows each year in the United States, he was considered worthless because he could not produce milk, and because he could not be raised profitably for his meat. His "owners" didn't even care for him enough to put him out of his misery. Instead, they left him to languish at the stockyard. Were it not for his rescuers, he would likely have died there.

Although Calvin had a rough start in life, things started looking up for him as soon as he arrived at Farm Sanctuary. With tender care from our shelter staff, lots of exercise, and plenty of nourishing food, he recovered fully from his ordeal and settled in to sanctuary life. An active and sociable steer, he spent ten happy years roaming our green pastures, basking in the California sun, and hanging out with his friends. He especially loved making mischief with his herd mates and greeting visitors to the farm. Here, living in peace and security, he was free to be himself. Safe from the cruelty and apathy of the outside world, he thrived.

Calvin was a healthy steer throughout his time at Farm Sanctuary, until late in 2004. In December of that year, Calvin was found lying on the ground in one of our cattle pastures, unable to stand up. After that first incident, he was periodically found in the same condition in the barn or in a pasture, but each time we were able to help him recover his health and good spirits. At one point, doctors at the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital thought Calvin was suffering from an internal abscess; however, blood tests and other exams were never able to prove this definitively.

What was proven definitively in later months was that Calvin was suffering from a joint condition in his right hind leg. Radiographs taken at UC Davis in June 2005 revealed that the disk of cartilage separating two of the major bones in his leg (called the meniscus) had been torn and the joint had partially collapsed. When Calvin returned from the hospital, caregivers immediately started treating him with anti-inflammatory medicine and glucosamine injections to help preserve joint health. These treatments seemed to help and, despite his condition, Calvin remained happy and energetic throughout the summer and into fall.

Sadly, Calvin's condition began to worsen late in 2005. Hoping to discover what had made him take a turn for the worse, caregivers brought him back down to UC Davis for further diagnostic tests. The news was not good. The doctors told us that Calvin's left hind hip was dislocated. Given his size and his preexisting joint disease in the other hind leg, they felt there were no surgical options available to them to correct the problem. Deeply saddened by this news, we took Calvin home.

Despite his poor prognosis, Calvin actually seemed to perk up once he returned from the hospital and settled back in at the sanctuary. He seemed to be managing his pain well and remained a cheerful, participating member of the herd for quite some time. But then, suddenly, he became extremely unsteady on his legs and could barely walk. His regular treatments of anti-inflammatory medicine and daily topical joint cream were no longer controlling his pain. To spare Calvin further suffering, we made the decision to have him humanely euthanized.

It was a cool, still afternoon on the farm when Calvin left us. He fell asleep quietly in a pile of straw in the cattle barn while eating a huge bowl of his favorite grain. A few moments later, he died, surrounded by friends who loved him. Although we were all deeply saddened by Calvin's death (and we still miss him today!), we take comfort in knowing that his days at Farm Sanctuary were filled with joy and comfort. In truth, he could not have lived a better life, or had a more peaceful end.