Dairy farmer Dnyaneshwar Patil is in a tizzy when we meet him on a weekday afternoon at his cow shelter in Shelar village, Bhiwandi. This writer and mid-day photographer Sameer Markande travelled nearly 50 km from Mumbai city, to find themselves walking straight into a medical emergency. Moments ago, veterinarians from the animal husbandry department of the district, Dr Ajit Hirve and Dr Ali Asghar, had arrived. 

Everyone is waiting for Yashoda to appear. She is Patil’s six-year-old cow who has begun to show skin infection symptoms including nodules on her body, which Patil alerted the authorities about. She has gone out grazing with the other cattle, and is expected any moment. When finally at 12.30 pm, Yashoda ambles into the shelter, her pace is slow. She has also developed high grade fever and seems to be in discomfort.