Diane asked:
>What are we coming to when bottles for cows appear on TV as the norm!

Hard to believe, but dairy calves who get bottles are the *lucky* ones. In
the dairy industry calves are merely a by-product to milk production: cows
are bred to lactate (to make milk--and "the other stuff") for humans. Some
of you know I used to have dairy goats. The ranch where I obtained my stock
was located adjacent to a cow dairy. The goat rancher obtained all of the
newborn calves, and she had them nurse from goats (who had weaned
kids--which is what goat babies are called, lest you get the wrong idea).
The calves were sold as veal. Believe me, these were fortunate calves
compared to most. Cast-off calves are denied any sucking, and their urge is
so strong that they often injure themselves (and each other) by sucking on
their own tongues, fences, other calves, etc. And veal calves are kept in
dark pens so small they cannot turn around. It is heartbreaking to have a
lonely little calf lunge at your arm hoping to latch on! Switched to calf
feed many  suffer horrendous diarrhea (called "scours") while their gut
adjusts. And when confined they stand/lie in it...

Meanwhile, mom cow is busy making milk to feed our human babies who can't
get their mamas' milk, either. Crazy?

Margery Wilson, IBCLC
Cambridge, Massachusetts