Kelvin Fletcher and his wife, Liz, feared their cow Elizabeth had pneumonia after she developed a wheeze, but a vet confirmed she only had laryngitis on the latest episode of Fletcher's Family Farm.
The former Emmerdale star was worried Elizabeth would meet the same fate as Cherry, who died suddenly of pneumonia last year. Ahead of the vet visit, Kelvin explained that he and Liz brought Ruby and Elizabeth into the barn to join the boys, as they wanted their young heifer to have a check-up.
A worrying wheeze returns
Kelvin described Elizabeth's condition, saying: "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."
Vet Hugo examined the cow and asked Kelvin what he had noticed, with Kelvin replying that it was "just the wheeziness." Hugo noted that Elizabeth had pneumonia previously but reassured the couple that this illness sounded like an "upper respiratory thing." He added that her temperature was at the top end of normal, which he considered acceptable for a full day.
Reflecting on losing Cherry
Kelvin reflected on the loss of Cherry, saying: "Last year we lost Cherry, and we lost her suddenly last year to pneumonia, and it came completely out of the blue."
He continued: "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 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."
Relief as diagnosis confirmed
Hugo confirmed Elizabeth had laryngitis, stating: "It's not pneumonia, so it's all concentrated up in her upper airway. The lungs are clear." He explained that it was likely caused by something scratching the throat when swallowed and that Elizabeth needed a couple of injections.
Liz expressed relief, saying: "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."
Fletcher's Family Farm is available to watch on ITVX.
