9-year-old girl takes the reins to save dying calf’s life against the odds

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW/Gray News) - A calf dying from tetanus has a second chance at life, thanks to a 9-year-old Kansas girl and her family.

When 9-year-old Ainsley Hastings got a call about getting an Angus bull calf, she saw potential, WIBW reports.

“I was like, ‘I want him. I want him,‘” Ainsley said. “He’s sassy, too. He’s kind, nice.”

However, her new calf named JB came with a challenge: he was dying after tetanus attacked his nervous system, a condition with a survival rate of only 20%.

“When we got him, he was not even able to move up off of his sides,” said Kylie Hastings, Ainsley’s mother. “He was very rigid. We had to hold his neck up manually to get him to eat.”

The Hastings family, with Ainsley in the lead, took the odds and the recovery process into their own hands.

“So, I actually took two old sawhorses and some ratchet straps and kind of built a sling out of it to keep the pressure off to help him build strength on his own feet,” said Caleb Hastings, Ainsley’s father.

After weeks of feeding, building strength and physical therapy, JB was up and walking.

“Really, it was him and me together,” Ainsley said. “Because if he wasn’t there and I was just doing it to do it, then I wouldn’t be able to do it.”

“Ainsley’s very stubborn, so we know whatever animal is in her care, she’s not going to give up,” Caleb Hastings said.

Although they don’t know what the future entails for JB, Ainsley has big plans for her new friend.

“My dad says, We’re going to eat him,’ and I said, ‘No we’re not,‘” she said. “4H or maybe just keeping him as a pet.”

The experience was perfect for Ainsley, who has dreams of becoming a veterinarian to help other animals like JB.