#and my body temperature had a rapid decline in like the last 30 minutes we were there + i forgot to cover my chest so 👍💥💥💥

[keeps-ache]

ouuu __(xox _| )\_

[daintymechas]

Update: It's taken me a few days to work through the grieving process in order to write this properly. Unfortunately, Little Foot has passed away. On July 21st @ 0050. Just a day and a half after taking her to her last vet visit.

I already wrote a eulogy post dedicated to her on my FB for friends and family to be made aware. But I'm writing here to dump my more personal thoughts that I don't want to burden them with. It's just... very traumatic stuff. So, TW: death of a pet

Since the moment I noticed the signs that Little Foot was at end stage renal failure, I knew this was going to be difficult. But this hit me so goddamn hard.

Since my last post, her condition had gotten worse. I did manage to get her to eat a little bit. I had some leftover wet food in paste form and mixed it with water to help her eat more comfortably. The following day, I begrudgingly had to go to work. That was the longest 8 hours. Whenever there was a lull between tasks, all I could think about was getting back home. The idea of walking into my apartment and seeing that I was too late... that would devastate me. I wanted to at least be there with her in her final moments. It's the very least I could do for her.

When I finally got back home, I was relieved somewhat to see she was still breathing. I say somewhat because her health was still in rapid decline, though... At that point, she wasn't able to move from her torso down at all, as if she was paralyzed. Her body temperature was lower, too. Every now and then, she'd struggle to raise herself up on her front paws. At first, I thought that her doing that was just her fighting to pick herself up to eat/drink. So I braced her up, grabbed her water bowl, and brought it close to her face to help. And that's when I noticed her front paws were slightly twitching. She wasn't fighting to get up. She was actively having seizures. Fuck. I lost my shit at that point. I wish I had picked up on that sooner. This is really fuckin' bad. At this rate, I just knew she wasn't going to last much longer.

I decided at that point that I was going to lay by her side. I grabbed a pillow and large blanket, tucked both her and myself in, and just comforted her by talking to her and petting/kissing her. We laid like that on the floor for 4 hours. At some point, exhaustion finally got to me, and I dozed off. I don't remember how long. When I woke up, she was still breathing but didn't seem very responsive when I would pet her. I remember wondering if she could even hear or see me. It was so hard to tell. I stayed there for another 30 minutes, monitoring and comforting her. Finally, I sat up and told her, "I'll be right back, sweetie. I promise. Okay?" and kissed her forehead before leaving the room. I took that moment to go outside to smoke and decompress real quick, trying my best to calm down. After that, I came back inside, laid down next to her, and while grabbing onto her paw and stroking it, I vividly recalled saying, "I'm back, sweetheart. I'm right here. It's okay."

And that was the moment... right after I said that. What happened next is something I'll never forget. It's burned into my memory and still fuckin' haunts me... She tilted her head back slightly as if to stretch. Paused. Then she jerked back with an exhaled wheeze... and she was gone. I can't tell you how many times I've cried throughout this whole process. I've honestly lost count. However, this was the most intense bout of grief by far. I broke down in tears. Went into shock. Deep down, I rationally knew she had just passed away, but my mind was still functioning in full denial mode. All that could escape my lips with was "No no no no" and crying out her name over and over. There were moments... where she exhaled afterward in spurts. 6-8 times total. Each time, it terrified me. But I thought she was still there... I couldn't see her chest move through my tears. I couldn't feel it with my hand on her... maybe because I'm shaking? But maybe she's still alive? I pressed my ear to her side to try and hear a heartbeat. She exhaled again, scared the shit out of me, and I flew back and cried harder. I knew what that was... that she was already gone... but my mind just couldn't accept it. The realization didn't hit until I had to move her in order to properly wrap her up. And even then... I found myself hesitating when I had to put the blanket over her face. I didn't want to. I thought, 'But what if she can't breathe like that? She'll suffocate.' It took a long time, but I had finally managed to gently wrap her and move her to the front door.

That night felt like it dragged on forever. I couldn't just bury her. Even if that was legal in Japan, I don't like the idea of one day having to leave her there when it's time to come back home. I won't abandon Little Foot like that. So I had to wait 8 hours until the pet funeral home opened so I could cremate her. It was hard, having to pass by her like that in the apartment while I waited. I was lucky enough that the funeral home was able to take her in that morning. But fuck, having to pick her up to get her there was heartbreaking. She was stiff... I will never get used to that feeling. It freaks me out so much. And it only served as a reminder that my sweet bean is gone.

I am grateful that the staff at this funeral home were very nice and accommodating. I didn't catch his name, but this guy saw I was in distress when I had to pick her up out of the passenger seat of my car. He rushed over and carefully took her out of my arms to carry back inside. We went into some kind of prayer room where I got to say my final goodbye. When I came back later to pick up her remains, she was given a very traditional yet beautiful white box to place her urn in. While it felt final, seeing her in that way now, I strangely felt at ease. The hardest part for both of us is over. Little Foot can finally be at peace.

When I took her home, I made it a point to clear off an entire shelf just for her. I still need to get a few decorations, mementos and a picture frame for her little shrine space. But in the meantime, I figured "when in Rome" and laid out some offerings of food/water and a bag of kitty treats for her. I'm starting to warm up to the idea of doing that often. And Obon is coming up soon. So I'll celebrate that in her memory too.

It's been 4 days now since Little Foot has passed on. The grief still hits me every now and then. But it's slowly starting to get easier. And even though it was the most saddening and, frankly, traumatizing thing to witness her in her final moment. I'm so glad I was able to keep my promise and be there for her. Knowing that she wasn't alone. I know it might be silly for me to say this... but while part of me tries to rationize that coming back in when I did was merely coincidental timing, I would rather give into the hope that Little Foot could hear and understand me. That she held on long enough for me to come back, and my words assured her that it was okay now to move on. I sincerely hope that being there was able to help her in any way. I love and miss her. So, so much.

[luciddeparture]

Is sleep for the weak?

If you had spoken to me a few years ago about sleep, I probably would have told you that sleep was for the weak. In reality that was just an excuse. I couldn’t sleep and even if I wanted to I couldn’t. When I did it would often lead to me waking up from sleep paralysis. Throughout high school my average night of sleep would last around 5-6 hours. That’s when I could sleep. When I couldn’t, it would be far worse, leading to me having pretty severe concentration issues and regular naps. To maintain energy levels at school and work I pursued a healthy diet of constant caffeine followed by an excessive amount of sugar.  When the weekends came around, I would regularly go out till ungodly hours of the morning, often leaving myself with the equivalent of jet lag. I used to think it strange that people went to sleep before 12am as I felt like this was when my own brain finally started to wake up. 

Flash forward to where we are now and sleep is something which I prioritise. I aim to have no less than eight hours a night (albeit with a few exceptions). Such a dramatic shift in my priorities came in part to being sick of constantly feeling like I didn’t have enough energy to do the things I love e.g. to write. Being constantly lethargic comes at a cost. I know that most people don’t have these sorts of problems with sleep, which is fantastic for you! Although infuriating at the time, having these issues caused me to try and work out some solutions to help improve my sleep. I think that some of the points which I came across may help the everyday reader. It is only now that I can appreciate in hindsight that neglecting sleep killed my creativity and learning ability. 

Whilst researching my own sleep, I came across a book called Why We Sleep written by Matthew Walker. A book which Bill Gates has recommended stating - “It took me a little longer than usual to finish Why We Sleep—ironically, because I kept following Walker’s advice to put down the book I was reading a bit earlier than I was used to, so I could get a better night’s sleep.”

Matthew Walker is an English scientist and professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California. He is one of the most high-profile public intellectuals focused on the subject of sleep. Who better to accept advice on sleep from than him?

We still know surprisingly little about why we sleep. Walker has been studying for 20 something years, publishing over 100 scientific studies. He is a New York Times best selling author. He states that 1 in 3 people are not getting enough sleep as the average adult requires 7-9 hours a day.

This is because when we sleep there are two different sorts of sleep which we switch between over the course of the night. Too little of either can negatively impact us. The two sorts of sleep are NREM (Non Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. 

In NREM sleep, our respiration and heart rate slows down, our body temperature drops and our brain waves slow down - for reasons that we don’t yet know. The purpose of NREM Sleep appears to be to consolidate information learnt, and transfer it throughout the brain into long term storage. This captures recent memories making you far less likely to forget them. It also improves our immune system. In later stages of NREM sleep there is a cacophony of waves before you switch into REM sleep. 

In REM sleep brain waves are much more rapid than NREM sleep. Parts of your brain in REM sleep are actually up to 30% more active than when you are awake! It appears that REM sleep acts as a free overnight therapy session for our brains in the form of dreams. It helps us processes the information taken in throughout the day by comparing, testing and connecting recent memories. 

Now that you know a bit about sleep, I though for the rest of this article I could share with you the points which I found to be most interesting and useful with the aim of boosting your knowledge and sharing what has worked for myself - and what I still find to be difficult. 

The points are as follows: 

Regular bed time and wake up time: Having a regular bedtime, ideally with a bedtime routine e.g. read, drink tea, meditate, helps you be able to fall asleep quickly when it is finally bedtime. Waking up at the same time everyday helps to not disturb the cycles, as your brain switches between REM and NREM sleep. Your brain also creates melatonin - the chemical which helps you sleep on a 24 hour schedule, by regulating what times you do certain tasks.

No coffee: As we all know caffeine keeps you awake. What most of us don’t know is that caffeine has a half life which can last five to seven hours! This means if you have your cup of coffee around 7:30pm, by 1:30am you may still have 50% of the caffeine in your system preventing proper sleep. 

Reduce blue light before sleep: No phones. No screens. Ironically you might be reading this article on your mobile phone. The problem with having such addictive little machines at our fingertips is often we will end up scrolling, reading or watching before sleep. It is important for us all to prioritise reducing blue light for an hour prior to getting into bed. 

Chill: When your body temperature drops, you have a better sleep. An easy way to do this is by having a warm shower before sleep. Once you get out of the shower your body temperature drops, leading to… you guessed it: better sleep!

Nap time: Nappers out there, you are in luck! Having a short 20 minute nap some time before 3pm, can actually boost your creativity. Studies have been done in places like Italy where they regularly have “Siesta’s” - a daytime nap after lunch. 

A lethal experiment: 1.6 billion people across 70 countries twice a year participate in a simple test to see what the devastating effects can be when losing only an hour of sleep. Have you worked out what it is? Daylight Savings. When we lose an hour, there is a 24% increase in heart attacks. When we gain an hour we see a 21% reduction in heart attacks. We also see a reduction in car accidents and suicide. That’s only one hour less sleep! 

Alcohol: Many individuals believe that alcohol can be used as a night cap. Ironically like most sleeping pills, alcohol actually sedates the prefrontal cortex. Sedation is not sleep and prevents REM sleep. Which as we have previously discussed is crucial to process what we have learnt throughout the day. 

But what about Saturday night drinks? Here I have included a direct story from the book. 

“Framed practically, let’s say that you are a student cramming for an exam on Monday. Diligently, you study all of the previous Wednesday. Your friends beckon you to come out that night for drinks, but you know how important sleep is, so you decline. On Thursday, friends again ask you to grab a few drinks in the evening, but to be safe, you turn them down and sleep soundly a second night. Finally, Friday rolls around—now three nights after your learning session—and everyone is heading out for a party and drinks. Surely, after being so dedicated to slumber across the first two nights after learning, you can now cut loose, knowing those memories have been safely secured and fully processed within your memory banks. Sadly, not so. Even now, alcohol consumption will wash away much of that which you learned and can abstract by blocking your REM sleep.

How long is it before those new memories are finally safe? We actually do not yet know, though we have studies under way that span many weeks. What we do know is that sleep has not finished tending to those newly planted memories by night 3. ”

- Excerpt From: Matthew Walker. “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams.”

Further Reading 

If you liked this article I recommend reading the entire book, as it’s full of fantastic snippets of information. Changing my sleep has had such a huge impact on my memory, concentration and creativity and I truly hope that reading this encourages you to continue to prioritise it. 

If you want to read the book, you can access it here: 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XSzFZ5

Audible: https://adbl.co/3ioUa9j

Or you can even undertake Matthew Walkers new Masterclass “The Science of Better Sleep”: https://bit.ly/3oZ9Q5t

Unfortunately I’m not sponsored by any of these links, I’m just trying to help! 

[tireping20-blog]

Hifu London

the Best Cryotherapy In London.

Content

Lip Volumizing New therapy.

The Better Skin clinic.

Hifu Face as Well As Neck Lift

So What functions Better, Cellulite Creams Or Treatments?

amazing!!

It is a naturally taking place sugar that exists in almost all living organisms. Its crucial duty is to absorb water and also transports nutrients to the skin making certain that the structure and volume is maintained. The beauty of this item is that the results are noticeable promptly after the treatment. Because of this, most of our people will return for a leading up every 6-12 months approximately. We have many different therapies and also procedure that we can make use of to improve your skin, and also offer an extra Visual look. We can assess the level of skin ageing and also photo-damage your skin has experience, and also begin a Skin care regimen to correct the damages. We advise a high SPF for daily usage, and there are preferred products we can suggest to you.

As the ultrasound exam surges are really concentrated throughout the treatment places, you will definitely experience really little quantities of electrical power sent out with to precise midsts beneath the skin layer. The treatment functions much better on skin layer of light to light indifference where it is actually starting to really feel and likewise show up a whole lot less company along with grow older.

http://paradecoil72.nation2.com/how-to-utilize-a-femiwand Volumizing New treatment.

Around 50 % of ladies will certainly experience virginal looseness because of Menopause. The vaginal canal wall includes collagen fibers, these with time normally stretch. Consequently, the vaginal area wall surface begins to loosen and also lose its flexibility. This can result in a decline in contentment of sexual intercourses. Genital Canal Tightening Up Up with FemiWand ® is a non-invasive, non-surgical therapy created to tighten vaginal canal tissues without surgical procedure or anaesthetic.

The Better Skin facility.

A 2017 research study involving 32 individuals offered that HIFU Buckinghamshire significantly improved skin layer versatility of the jowls, minimal abdominal locations, in addition to upper legs after 12 full weeks. HIFU isn't very recommended for people together with contaminations and likewise readily available skin layer sores at the intended area, severe and even cystic acne, as well as also metal implants in the treatment place.

Is cryotherapy better than ice bath?

Cryotherapy gets down to -184-degrees Fahrenheit, while an ice bath doesn't make it below 50-degrees unless you were to sit in it for close to 30 minutes! 3. Cryotherapy uses dry cold to reduce the skin's temperature while an ice bath uses wet cold which can cause muscle tissue to congeal making them pretty immobile.

Hifu Face and Also Neck Lift

Elder individuals in addition to extra detailed aging, extreme skin layer indifference, or perhaps fairly sagging skin layer on the back might not be superb prospects as well as additionally may need to have surgical operation. Individuals together with photodamaged skin layer and even a greater level of loosened up skin layer may need a number of treatments right before observing outcome. The surge in collagen results in tighter, more powerful skin layer together with far fewer lines. As quickly as the cells in the targeted region fulfill a details temp, they experience cell harm. While this could show up disadvantageous, the damage really promotes the tissues to create much more collagen-- a healthy protein that supplies construct to the skin layer. HIFU utilizes focused ultrasound assessment energy to target the levels of skin layer merely listed below the area.

It creates focused thermal house heating to the internal layers of genital location cells when this is used. Just lately, HIFU Buckinghamshire has actually been adeptly made use of for aesthetic therapies, such as skin laxity. As we age, collagen fibers within the genital canal beginning to reduce rigidity.

If your flow of pee is weak or slow-moving after your catheter is secured, speak to your physician or nurse.

Much less of the healthy cells is harmed throughout focal HIFU than whole-prostate HIFU so some specialists think it might cause fewer side effects than whole-prostate HIFU.

You might see some blood in your pee while the catheter is in place.

If you are anxious or see signs of an infection, speak with your doctor or registered nurse immediately.

Yet we require extra research study before we know if there is a difference in the danger of negative effects.

You could additionally see some little pieces of prostate cells in your pee for six to eight weeks after HIFU.

You may have discomfort in the location between your testicles and back passage, however you'll be offered pain-relieving drugs to take in the house.

Avoid any difficult activity or exercise for about 2 weeks and genital intercourse for around 4 weeks. • Loss of elasticity in the Vaginal area can cause vaginal infections. • The Relentless impulse to pee is also an impact of the loss of genital loosening. After childbirth, the vaginal area walls come to be overstretched, lowered level of sensitivity and also rigidity. The ageing procedure creates an all-natural collections breakdown leaving the vaginal muscle mass loosened up, adding to helping to loosen of the Vaginal canal.

Does Body Sculpting really work?

Yes, body sculpting gets rid of fat cells and reduces the appearance of fat on targeted areas of the body. Whether using heat, cooling, or ultrasound, body sculpting treatments kill fat cells that are then excreted over the next couple of months, which is when you'll see full results.

So What works Better, Cellulite Creams Or Treatments?

CryoPen ™ Buckinghamshire therapy is quick, effective, and risk-free. CryoPen ™ makes use of freezing temperatures, to securely remove, benign skin imperfections such as verrucae, marks, warts, cherry angiomas, skin tags, and also milia. The cryopen is developed to reduce any type of damage to bordering skin tissue to the skin. blemish. The cryopen utilizes its freezing modern technology to get rid of skin blemishes in minutes. The Cryopen does not make use of harmful gases, liquid or anaesthetics. It has an unique innovative innovation utilizing freezing temperature levels to remove skin flaws.

Nonetheless the additional fat is removed from the location, the skin might not tighten up as wanted. Speak with along with your physician concerning whether Lipo Sculpt Buckinghamshire can aid you to accomplish your best ambitions. Also, people with ageing skin might see decreased advantages in some components, as ageing skin loses its elasticity. Possible clients that have considerable excess weight as well as intend to reduce their loose skin might not see the outcomes they want from Lipo Sculpt Buckinghamshire. The device is for usage on excess fat pockets, not cellulite or skin toning as it takes care of surface area fat.

outstanding!!

Buttocks as well as the external rear of your thighs, the "bags" that many women want to change, must be evaluated on a specific individual by person basis. Thousands of customers can affirm our service and also therapies are second to none as well as this is why consumers return to us over and over again.

Is Cryotherapy the same as coolsculpting?

Like Coolsculpting, Cryo T-Shock uses very cold temperatures to kill adipose (fat) cells. But Cryo T-Shock takes it a step further. While Coolsculpting can indeed kill body fat cells, it is really only effective for larger body areas such as the abdomen, back, and legs.

exists any Type Of Downtime?

You might observe a quick tightening up result after therapy, in addition to the complete training in addition to firming occurring over around 3 months as the skin layer's all-natural bovine collagen establishes. The boosted collagen will certainly in cause tightening up of the skin layer reducing the indicators old via reinforcing skin tone as well as additionally flexibility. In Bodybuilding for Weight Loss of the procedure ultrasound evaluation thermic power is actually used to generate deep blue sea layers of the skin layer and additionally make certain the natural production of bovine collagen.

Clean and sterile thin needles with absorbable, great barbed string dipped in stem cell liquid are inserted under the skin of the area to be treated. They are taken out together leaving the thread inside the skin Collagen is promoted when the needles are taken out and this increases skin tone. A threadlift, or stitch lift, treatment is an anti-aging treatment where special absorbable and also unnoticeable threads are used to enhance the features of the face and also hold the skin and also facial cells in place. The threadlift procedure is long lasting compared to anti-aging injectables. The treatment boosts drooping eyebrows, sunken cheeks and also sagging dewlaps and also necks.

The HIFU spruce up is really currently covering the expenses as one of one of the most very discreet as well as likewise practical makeover ever. It is in fact consequently rapid that you can conveniently receive one throughout a lunch time breather. HIFU targets the specific same finishing of skin layer attended to in plastic surgery, travelling through the structure level of your skin layer.

The ultrasound electrical energy causes the cells to warm up rapidly. Normally, the method operates most efficiently on people much older than 30 in addition to mild-to-moderate skin. A cooling head is placed in a place any place you wish to eliminate the sagging fat. The device delicately targets extra fat cells under your skin as well as crystallise them. Also, this procedure is non-surgical which represents that no incisions are required.

Aircast Cryo Cuff cooler.

My skin really felt impressive after both therapies and also looked greatSharon, UK, I have had a Superhigh Frequency Facial and an Optiphi Peel. The salon is so calming and the staff are very expert and helpful.

Because excess fat cells are even more vulnerable to cool temperatures than skin cells, the process generates apoptosis as well as progressively eliminates body fat over a range of weeks. Our new treatment can develop excess fat burning in individuals that targets areas utilizing cool to gradually eliminate and also get rid of fat over a 6 to 12 week duration. The fat cells that were as soon as "drawn out", only recreate and at times return with also uglier issues. Allow's state you are having trouble changing fat from your tummy or upper legs with your regular exercises. We target this area of the body's fat cells by placing the Lipo Sculpt machine at that target location for about 1 hour throughout which time the fat cells start to die.

How often should you do cryotherapy for weight loss?

Many participants find that to maintain these benefits, they need to do cryotherapy 2-3 times a week. Depending on the person and the condition being treated, it could take seven to ten treatments initially. After this initial loading period, maintenance treatments should be once or twice per week.

The HIFU therapy works through infiltrating the skin layer along with ultrasound evaluation power to advertise bovine collagen production in deep blue sea facial along with subdermal amounts, leading to mini injury to that cells. Additionally called 'Ultrasound Facelift', 'Ultherapy' and even '3D SkinMed', HIFU facials Buckinghamshire have actually become among the best popular as well as good training procedures for the skin and additionally back. Post-treatment, you'll find a visible enhancement in general face contouring, alright lines, as well as folds. Great deals of people uncover the end results will certainly last for around a year, nevertheless you can conveniently have finest up treatments should certainly you need every one of them.

As we grow our skin layer drops its very own suppleness as well as type, much like our preferred apparel. This modification begins in the fundamental coatings which aid our skin layer-- which is in fact simply exactly how skin layer sagging as well as likewise wrinkles establish.

[thecoroutfitters]

If you have cows or goats for milk, you’ve most likely ran into times when milk production goes down.

There’s always a reason for this, but it doesn’t always mean that something’s wrong, and you can’t do anything about it. Many times you can, though. We’re going to talk about how to increase milk production when things slow down.

How Much Milk to Expect

Many new farmers read lots of articles about their milk cows and have preconceived notions about how much milk they should be getting, then think something is wrong when they get less. Rule number one: know your cows. There are many factors that affect how much milk your cow makes: age, temperature, environment, diet, and cycles: there’s no exact answer.

Understand, too, that your cow or goat isn’t going to give milk every day all year round. You need to give her a couple of months off. Actually, she’ll TAKE a couple of months off no matter what, so expect it. Assuming she’s bred back, she’ll stop lactating during the last couple months of her pregnancy in order to give her udder time to heal and get ready for the calf or kid.

Also, for about 4-5 days after she calves or kids, there will be colostrum in the milk, so you need to let the baby have that. You don’t want to drink it. After that time period, though, it’s fine to resume the milking schedule.

Discover the golden days’ practice for getting all you can eat food without buying from the supermarket!

Tips to Count on for Increasing Milk Production

Remember that milk production will ebb and flow even for the same cow, so her production won’t be the same over the course of her lactation period. What you need to watch for is a sudden decrease. Here are steps that you can take to make sure that you’re providing optimum conditions for top milk production.

Water

This is one of the top factors that can affect milk production in your animals. First and foremost, you need to make sure that your animals have plenty of water. A milk cow will drink 30-50 gallons of water a day, and if it’s really hot (or cold) that may increase. It can actually double. A dairy goat needs 2-3 gallons per day.

If she doesn’t have enough water, she won’t produce as much milk. The best way to make sure she’s drinking enough is to provide ready access to a constant supply of clean water.

Diet

What your milk animals eat is important. A lactating cow will eat a hundred pounds of food per day, once everything is included. Even if they’re getting a ton of roughage, they need to eat both forage and concentrate. For cows, the percentages of forage vs concentrate varies depending upon where she is in her lactation cycle, but she should be eating about 3.5 percent of her body weight in food daily between forage and concentrate.

Dry forage is grass, quality alfalfa or alfalfa-grass mix hay, or straw. Wet forage, or silage, is fermented forage and consists of corn, barley or alfalfa. You can feed either or both, as long as they’re getting enough. Concentrate is cereal-based grain/pellets that provides the energy, fat, minerals, and protein that they need.

Finally, minerals are critical to milk production. For goats, the primary minerals that they need are calcium, sodium, and phosphorus. Cows need a wider variety. The easiest way to make sure that your cow is getting enough minerals is to feed quality concentrate and provide a mineral block that they have easy access to.

On the flip side of this, if your cows are overweight, that can reduce milk production, too. Know your cows, know what they’re supposed to look like, and make sure that they’re getting enough but not too much.

Lack of Space

Cows need to have plenty of space to roam and lie down. Standing in an over-crowded, free-stall operation can limit production because, among other things, standing for too long causes fatigue stress. Same thing with goats. They need plenty of room to wander.

Stress

If the cows or does are stressed, be it from heat, a disruptive environment, or illness, their milk production may decrease. To combat heat, provide barns or at least a lean-to if you don’t have plenty of trees so that they have shade. Enough water will help, too.

If the stress is environmental – too much noise, dogs, predators, etc. do what you need to do in order to provide a calm environment in which they feel safe and can get enough rest.

Also, if you’re stressing her during milking, she may not let her milk down.

Health Problems

If your milk animal gets sick, her output will decline. Take care of her teats so that she doesn’t get mastitis, keep her on an effective parasite program, and make sure that the pasture is free of toxic weeds. Also, make sure that her hooves are in good condition and that she’s just healthy in general. A health cow or doe produces optimal milk.

Improper Milking Techniques

You need to know how to properly milk your cow or goat so that you’re getting all of the milk out in a manner that’s not stressing her.

For instance, we have one cow that we can literally milk in the field if somebody holds her halter. Another needs to be in the milking stall with the head gate locked, but she’ll stand there patiently even if she runs out of feed to occupy her. And our problem child is a young cow. It’s her first year and if you don’t get in and get out in five minutes or so, you’re done, even with the kick stop on.

Now, you need to milk her dry, or as my dad says, strip her. If you leave more than a pint of milk in each quarter, for a cow, then you’re asking for problems. Both cows and does need to be milked completely in order to optimize production.

In summary, your goal is quiet efficiency. Start milking within a minute or two of getting her into the stall, get her milked in 5 or 6 minutes, then let her out before she has a chance to get fussy.

Video first seen on The Flip Flop Barnyard. 

Psychological Trauma

Yes, you read that right. If one of your ladies has had a negative experience sufficient enough to traumatize her, she may have a problem letting down her milk, which means you won’t be able to milk her sufficiently. There’s not much you can do other than provide a calm atmosphere now and don’t make matters worse by being mean to her for misbehaving.

Don’t do anything in that stall other than milk – it’s not the place where she comes for shots or veterinary appointments because you don’t want her to associate it with anything painful or scary.

It’s not that hard – make sure that your dairy animal is healthy, well fed and watered, has plenty of space to move, and is relaxed. And make sure that you milk her properly. A decline in production is going to occur a couple of months after giving birth, and again as her dry cycle nears, but a rapid decline in production is cause for concern.

In short, if you want to increase milk production, take care of your animals. Follow these tips and take one step toward family independence!

If you have anything to add, please feel free to do so in the comments section below. There’s always more to be said on topics like this!

This article has been written by Theresa Crouse for Survivopedia.

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag