Low Lows

I do not understand it, but it seems that lately my days are either terrific or terrible with no middle ground.  I do not normally experience such frequent highs and lows; it is emotionally exhausting.

Today Ava tried to kill Violet.

Violet and Poppy a few days ago.

For the past several weeks, Ava has been spending her days in the sheep paddock keeping watch over the sheep and now the ewes and lambs.  We know from experience that Charlie the donkey behaves poorly with lambs and so one of the main reasons I got Ava was to protect baby animals while Charlie is separated from them.

This morning I walked Ava over to the sheep paddock from the goat barn where she sleeps.  She was leashed on a three foot tether which I was holding.  As we entered the sheep paddock Violet and Poppy came over.  Violet reared back to bunt in our direction to warn us to stay away from her lamb.  This is typical mama ewe behaviour.  I stepped in between them so that Ava did not get a bunt to the head since she was standing close on my side on the leash but it was too little too late. 

Ava went ballistic.  With me still holding the leash, Ava lunged onto Violet's back and sunk her teeth into Violet's shoulder.   I screamed at her to stop and tried as hard as I could to pull Ava off of Violet but it was completely impossible.  It was like a switch went off in Ava's brain that Violet was a threat and she would not let go.  The three of us rolled around on the ground for what seemed to me like forever with me trying to pull Ava off of Violet, Violet trying to get away, Ava trying to rip out Violet's throat and poor Poppy running around us in circles screaming for her mama.  It was easily the most traumatic thing that I have ever experienced.

I have no idea how but I finally managed to get Ava off of Violet and I dragged her into a crate.  However, by this point Ava had ripped two large holes in Violet's shoulders down to the muscle.  It looked so bad and bloody.

Ian and I immediately disinfected Violet's wounds with iodine spray.  Our vet came out this afternoon to assess and clean them properly and give Violet antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory shot.  I will have to continually flush the wounds out daily with saline until they heal and pray that she does not get an blood infection.  I am miserable.  What a terrible thing to have happen.

I have no idea what I am going to do about Ava.  I am livid, scared, frustrated, and so, so sad all at the same time.

What a horrendously awful day.

A photo from last week.