Odin is again showing signs of serious pain and neurological issues. He cannot walk normally, and is yelping in pain during the night and has to by physically lifted up by one of us when this happens.   It's absolutely heart-breaking to hear. 

I would like to formally address the ongoing turkey nonsense.  Frankly, I have had enough.  For weeks now, it has been nothing but turkeys, turkeys, turkeys.

Someone swallowed a ball bearing.
Someone is wearing a brand new sweater because of an “ouchie.”
Someone else is refusing to come off her nest at bedtime, requiring a full nightly search party like she is royalty lost in the wilderness.
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I would like to remind everyone that I am the actual royalty here.

Do you see me swallowing hardware? No.

Do you see me requiring outer garments?  Also no, though I would look stunning in emerald green.

Do I hide dramatically at bedtime so everyone has to come searching for me with flashlights and concern?  Absolutely not. I am exactly where I should be: near the food.

And now, because apparently they cannot manage basic social skills, they require an entire new barn. A whole barn.  Because they “can’t all get along.”

Imagine if I behaved this way.  “Excuse me, I require a second custom cow wing because Maisie looked at me funny.”

Honestly… now that I say it out loud, that does sound reasonable.  Perhaps I, too, need a private luxury suite. A peaceful place for reflection. A soft brushing station. Climate control. A dedicated carrot delivery entrance.

​This seems less like favoritism and more like fairness.

Though when I raised my concerns I did not receive the supportive response I was hoping for.  Meanwhile, the turkeys continue their chaos.

There is always a crisis.
There is always a vet bill.
There is always someone yelling.

I would like to submit my official request that we return to the natural order of things:
admiring me, bringing me snacks, and significantly less turkey nonsense.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

I will be accepting donations toward my private barn expansion immediately.

​- Jenna

So much going on here! We are trying to finish up all our projects before summer hits and Jenna and Maisie are doing "their best" to help.

This new and spacious barn will give Sherman and Lousia a permanent home (rather than their current temporary space in the medical barn).  

Poor Betty had already earned herself a ride to the vet after cutting her foot, but then it got worse. She became lethargic, struggled to seem like she was getting enough oxygen, and then her face began turning an upsetting shade of blue.
There are few things more panic-inducing than watching an animal you love struggle to breathe.

The back seat of the car became the sick bay with the oxygen tank in place, Betty bundled up with us as we rushed toward emergency care. Ryan came with me, despite the fact that his own knee has been in terrible shape. Three separate times on the drive, it locked up so badly he was left writhing in pain. Thankfully, I was able to drive while he sat in the back with Betty, cuddling her as she fought for her life. 

With clues but no definitive answers, we left our local vet's office and made the long trip to Stahl Exotic Animal Veterinary Services in Northern Virginia, desperately hoping for answers.

After more than $1,000 in vet bills by the end of the day, we finally got them.  Betty is very anemic.  That diagnosis, combined with the very suspicious BB-shaped object visible in her digestive system on X-rays, points strongly toward metal toxicity.

Turkeys, like many birds, are unfortunately fascinated by shiny things. It’s not hard to imagine Betty finding something interesting while out exploring, swallowing it, and accidentally poisoning herself.  The anemia explains everything: the exhaustion, the weakness, and most frighteningly, the blue coloring from poor oxygenation.

The treatment plan now is intense. Betty will need injections in her chest twice a day for the next 3–6 weeks to help bind the metal leaching into her body while we hope she passes the object on her own. If she doesn’t, surgery may become necessary - but we are hoping very hard it won’t come to that.

The good news is that if treatment is working, we should start seeing noticeable improvement within about 48 hours.  She is not out of the woods yet, but for the first time all day we are feeling very hopeful.  

And because apparently life enjoys dramatic timing, this all happened on our 5-year anniversary.  Not exactly the romantic anniversary celebration we had imagined.

Ryan also had to skip his own doctor’s appointment for his knee to make the emergency trip with me to Fairfax. By the time we got there, he was limping so obviously that even the vets took pity on him and brought him ice for his knee.

Not the anniversary we were hoping for, but there truly isn’t anyone else I could imagine living this wild, exhausting, beautiful life with.  Animal sanctuary life rarely cares about your plans.

Please keep Betty in your thoughts. We are very hopeful for a full recovery, but these next couple of days matter.
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I truly do not wish seeing your turkey love’s face turn blue on anyone.

If that wasn't enough, we noticed a large lump on Louisa's chest and added her to our already scheduled appointment the next day.  With Ryan's knee hurting badly from the long car rides the day before, I had to make the trip by myself with a goose, a chicken, and now a turkey.  

Louisa's previously infected but thought to be healed poke-injury on her chest had resurfaced - but this time was being closed in on by her body so that it had to be reopened by the vet.  She now has an even larger, open wound on her chest which requires cleaning and antibiotics daily, as well as pain medication, until it heals.  

And of course, Louisa wanted to clean and scratch it herself as it feels very uncomfortable, so she began pecking at it in the barn overnight.  Luckily we checked on her later that evening and were able to catch it in time - and fastened a particularly fashionable and effective shirt for her to cover the wound.  So far it seems to be working - please keep your fingers crossed for us!

We called an emergency vet out to the sanctuary and started treatment right away. She received charcoal, fluids, and medication to try to counteract the poisoning. Now we waited, watched, and hoped with everything we had that she would pull through. And fortunately, she is such a little fighter!

Edna has already fought so hard to be here. She didn’t deserve what happened to her before she came to us, and she doesn’t deserve this now. 

Luckily within a day or two she seemed back to her old self, but the poor girl had to drink charcoal and get 2x daily shots in order to even be able to keep anything down in her tummy.  Let's just say she was not happy about any of this. 

We immediately fixed the fence in the area that she had gotten out, so this shouldn't happen again.  We feel bad that Edna's wandering days are over but would rather have her healthy and at home!

Our little boy is a year old now (how fast the time flies!) and has started losing his baby teeth.  He now has an adorable gap in his teeth and we couldn't possibly love him more.  

Poor Elton passed away last night shortly after arriving at the Vet ER. He was fine yesterday morning and seemed off a little by afternoon and then just seem to be completely lethargic and losing his ability to stand by night. He was turning 8 years old but there is never enough time with any of our animals and we will miss is big personality, willingness to endure hugs gracefully, and fluffy feet.
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Indy is currently staying inside with us as she deals with the loss of her pal. So we will be giving her extra love and attention.

Here are the current health updates!

Tia the turkey - Tia was limping on one of her feet, so she went to the vet for x-rays and blood work.  We were so worried she might have what Quincy had (septic arthritis) but after sending the diagnostics off and waiting, we found out that most likely she just injured it from all the extra activity she has been doing since her adoptive babies Rachel and Betty came along.  I have to say, I can't remember the last time I saw Tia fly for fun in the last couple of years, but she has been running, flying, and jumping along with the kids maybe a little more than she should!  A couple of weeks on activity restriction has helped quite a bit so we are hopeful that if she takes it a little easier she will be on the mend. 
Louisa the turkey - Since our turkeys are determined to give us gray hair, last week we found a big swollen lump by Tia's ear, and an infected small wound on her chest. We have no idea how she managed to make these happen but after two vet trips, she is on antibiotics and both are healing up. She was very stoic about these things and never let on, but we hope she is more careful in the future.
Elton the rooster - Elton struggled with the cold weather and has been spending the night inside on very cold nights. We were worried because he seemed to be breathing hard and his comb became floppy, but being inside in the warmth really perked him up and he is back to his old self - and even crowed when it warmed up!
Fiona the dog - Fiona is doing better now that she is on medication for her liver and gallbladder issues.  She has more energy and her appetite is better (though not perfect) so we are cautiously optimistic. She won't be able to take one of her arthritis medications anymore because of her liver issue, but fortunately, she hasn't seemed to be more painful without it.  So it was likely things other than her arthritis that were causing her lethargy and exercise intolerance. 
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Finally, one of Sebastian's eyes opened and his head started to heal.  He was becoming restless inside, so we let him have some time in the sun with Jareth.  

It's hard to believe we almost lost our boy. Jareth already experienced losing his long-time companion Billy, and we would hate for him to go through that pain again.  But today, both Sebastian's eyes are open and he looks almost completely normal!  One of his eyes (the last to open) is slightly misshapen, but it's barely noticeable and if that's the worst to come out of this situation, then so be it! 

Hi, Jenna here…

I don’t really understand why everyone doesn’t automatically get me as their secret Valentine this year. I mean, what’s better than secretly knowing you’re getting a Valentine while also secretly knowing it will be me?!? 

Exactly.

I would be an excellent Valentine. I am warm, loyal, emotionally available when not distracted by carrots, and I show up every single day needing hugs. The surprise alone would be worth it. You’d spend everyday wondering who your Valentine is and then BOOM it’s me. Best day ever.

I have been told, however, that Valentine’s Day is about sharing love, and that I cannot keep all of it for myself. So fine. I will reluctantly agree. And mom and dad tell me this is very wonderful for me to do. They seemed surprised… likely because they know how right I am about my original thinking.  

Still, let’s be honest with ourselves. In spirit, I am still everyone’s Valentine.