Cold weather doesn’t just threaten people — animals can suffer from frostbite and hypothermia too, which is exactly what one Indiana farmer discovered on his property one snowy morning in 2015, in a scramble that ended with a decidedly unconventional rescue.
A Newborn Found In A Snowbank
Dean Gangwer, a third-generation farmer who raises cattle and grows corn and soybeans at Gangwer Farms in Carroll County, Indiana, was making his rounds when he came across a calf he hadn’t been expecting. One of his cows had given birth overnight without his knowledge, wandering off alone to do it — common behavior for cows, Gangwer explained, since many prefer privacy when giving birth.
The problem was where she’d chosen to do it: directly onto a snowbank. By the time Gangwer found the newborn, its body temperature had dropped dangerously low. The calf was barely breathing and struggling to even keep his eyes open.
An Unlikely Bath
Gangwer got the calf onto his ATV and rushed him back to the house. Drawing on what he knew about warming newborn calves, he needed a fast way to bring the animal’s body temperature back up — and he had exactly the right tool sitting in his backyard: his hot tub.
Without stopping to change, Gangwer climbed in fully dressed, holding the calf steady so he wouldn’t slip under the water.
“I jumped in fully dressed, held Leroy up so he didn’t drown, and him and I had a nice bath for an hour,” Gangwer told WRTV-TV. “We both came out warm and I think the end story’s gonna be great for him.”
Wrapped Up And On The Mend
After their hour-long soak, Gangwer dried the calf — whom he’d named Leroy, following his habit of naming all the animals on his farm — off and wrapped him in electric blankets to help his body temperature climb the rest of the way back to normal.
Within a day and a half, Leroy’s temperature had stabilized and he’d begun to nurse. In the days that followed, he and his mother bonded fully, after she had initially seemed to abandon him following the difficult birth. Gangwer said Leroy grew stronger by the day and was soon ready to rejoin the rest of the herd.
A One-Time Arrangement
Despite how well it worked out, Gangwer made clear the hot tub wasn’t about to become a regular feature of farm life.
“Leroy’s officially done hot-tubbing,” he said. “Some sunbathing is definitely in his future out in the grass, but definitely his hot tub days are done.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the calf in danger after being born in the snow? Newborn calves are highly vulnerable to hypothermia, especially in cold, wet conditions. Because the calf was born directly onto a snowbank and wasn’t discovered right away, his body temperature dropped to dangerous levels before help arrived.
Is putting an animal in a hot tub a recommended way to treat hypothermia? This was an improvised solution based on the farmer’s cattle-raising experience, not a standard veterinary treatment. Farmers dealing with a hypothermic newborn animal should generally consult a veterinarian, though gradual warming methods like heated blankets and warm (not hot) water are commonly used in livestock care.
Did the calf, Leroy, fully recover? Yes. Within about a day and a half, his body temperature returned to normal and he began nursing. He later bonded with his mother and rejoined the herd.
Why did the mother cow initially seem to abandon the calf? According to Gangwer, the difficult birth and cold conditions may have contributed to a delay in bonding, which is not uncommon after a stressful birth. The cow and calf successfully bonded within the following days.
Where did this rescue take place? The rescue happened at Gangwer Farms in Carroll County, near Rossville, Indiana, where Dean Gangwer raises cattle as a third-generation farmer.
Sources: Associated Press (via WRTV-TV/RTV6 Indianapolis), reprinted by Drovers and multiple regional news outlets, cited above.
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