ALEX McPHERSON of Drove Veterinary Hospital continues his journal about life as a new farm vet.

As the rain lashed down, I maintained my steely grip on the side of the tractor as we slithered our way up the hill, tilting precariously as we slipped up the gelatinous mud.

The farmer, in the relative comfort of the cabin, seemed oblivious to my fate and concentrated on yelling to me the recent clinical history of the downer cow' over the deafening din of the engine.

I thanked my lucky stars that I had had the sense to leave my little Corsa in the safety of the yard, as if I had tried to come along this route, I'm sure all that would be left is my aerial sticking out!

It is quite common for sick or injured animals to be away from the herd.

Quite often, I find them in either an inaccessible location or an area bereft of shelter and open to the elements.

In this case the downer cow' had managed to do both, being half in a drainage ditch at the top of a hill and being chilled by the wind and rain.

In situations like this, TLC is as important as any medicine I could give, and we quickly gave her as much shelter as possible by moving her out of the ditch and erecting a screen of straw bales around her, as well as putting some hay and water within easy reach.

After a good clinical exam and finding out she was in the early stages of calving, I gave her some calcium and glucose in the vein, but resisted the temptation to try to pull the calf out.

In the early stages of calving, to attempt to pull a calf out too early can lead to tears in the cervix.

The correct approach is to make sure the calf is coming normally (head and feet first) and give the cow some time alone for her cervix to dilate fully, and then she can attempt to calve naturally, all by herself.

In this case, after half an hour and with minimal assistance, a healthy calf was born - which was last seen suckling determinedly from its mum.

The other major news of the month is that I have just performed my first cow caesarean by torchlight!

Yes, the moment that every vet dreads arose when I was plucked from my warm, cosy bed and into the elements.

This certainly has been my biggest challenge to date, as making sure all the equipment you need is close by and performing the surgery under gradually waning torchlight is a tricky affair.

The experience has really focused me on the bare essentials I need, as well as making sure I always have a couple of fully charged torches to hand.

The rest of my time this month has been mainly taken up with work for the Ministry, with there being plenty of TB tests and blood testing for bluetongue to be done.

This is important for farmers. If their animals have a clear test, then they are free to sell their animals all over the UK, where they will command higher prices.