Kelvin Fletcher and his wife Liz feared the worst for their cow Elizabeth on Sunday's episode of Fletcher's Family Farm, but vet Hugo delivered reassuring news that the animal was suffering from laryngitis, not pneumonia.
The former Emmerdale actor had been dreading the vet's visit, worried that Elizabeth might suffer the same fate as Cherry, their cow who had died of pneumonia the previous year. Ahead of Hugo's arrival, Kelvin explained the situation, saying: "With the whole flock out enjoying the fresh pasture, there's a bit more space in the barn, so we brought Ruby and Elizabeth in to join the boys, as we're keen for our young heifer to have a vet check, as she sounds like she's still fighting an infection."
He added: "She's got a real wheeze again, which is not a good sign. We had it early on, but we tackled it. We treated her, and she recovered. But it's kind of come back again. So, anyway, we've brought them all into the shed. So we're going to first of all check Elizabeth, see what this wheeziness is. We're hoping our vet Hugo can give us some answers on how Elizabeth is doing."
Vet's Assessment Brings Relief
Vet Hugo noted that Elizabeth had previously suffered from pneumonia but offered reassurance that this ailment appeared to be an "upper respiratory thing." He told the Fletchers, "Her temperature's top end is normal. It's still normal, but a full day like this, you'd expect it to be sort of bottom end of normal."
Reflecting on the loss of Cherry, Kelvin said with emotion: "Last year we lost Cherry, and we lost her suddenly last year to pneumonia, and it came completely out of the blue. She was fit and well, we thought, and you know, she was in calf, and it was a massive surprise and just devastating, really. I think, and I think it felt even more when you've only got two breeding cows, and you're trying to establish a little herd, to lose your matriarch. It was a big blow. So, I think that's just in our subconscious."
Good News for Elizabeth
Fortunately, Hugo confirmed that Elizabeth had laryngitis. "It's not pneumonia, so it's all concentrated up in her upper airway," the vet explained before adding, "The lungs are clear." He continued, "So it's normally caused by something scratching in the throat as it's swallowed. She's fine apart from that. She's growing well. Nice condition. So she needs a couple of injections, and I'll get that for you."
Kelvin and Liz were relieved and joked that Elizabeth had been singing with their daughter, Marnie. Liz commented afterward: "It's really good news. A bit of laryngitis we can recover from, and we're just so glad that it's not pneumonia because Elizabeth is really important to us because she's our heifer that we'll be breeding from next." She added, "So yeah, I'm glad it's good news. I'm glad she's good. She's looking good."
Fletcher's Family Farm is available to watch on ITVX.
