3 Day Old Cow Wont Eat

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Rather the4n antibiotics you might ask the vet about B12 and selenium.
Still curious about where in MO you are located. North/south/east/west/central
 
dun":3pz5aejn said:
Rather the4n antibiotics you might ask the vet about B12 and selenium.
Still curious about where in MO you are located. North/south/east/west/central
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What is B12 and Selenium? Sorry... Just never heard of those before. And I live in central. Sorry, didn't see that you had asked that.
 
Sorry if I'm driving everyone nuts with updates... It helps me feel better and I feel like I get more help if you all are aware.

Mira wasn't shivering as much when I came to check her out. Have her some of the electrolyte Gatorade stuff (I can't recall the name right now) to help her get some hydration and other helpful booster stuff in her. She didn't even get a pint down and only got a few suckles in but I'll take that for now.

Her nose isn't wet and she's still fighting me on the bottle in her mouth. If she keeps it up her next feeding I'll try a mild tube house on her. She was doing good but now she's fighting again...

She did stand up on her own again and didn't seem as weak. I'm hoping the thicker formula helped her out along with the new hay and warmer bed. She's active just not wanting to take anything but then again she did get a thicker setting in so that might be a contribution.

I'm gonna call a vet tomorrow for some advice. You all have been offering great advice and I'll rum those by the vet to see what he says. If he thinks I'm gonna need any of the stuff you all suggested then I'm off to the vet.

She wants to live. I know it. I want her to live. Just that both of us aren't sure what we need to do. So I'm hoping the vet tomorrow will offer a final diagnostic...
 
I don;t recall who it was but there is a post about using a turkey baster for feeding rather then tubing. Might be able to search for turkey baster and find the post
 
dun":2mb4jmxz said:
I don;t recall who it was but there is a post about using a turkey baster for feeding rather then tubing. Might be able to search for turkey baster and find the post
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That's genius! OMG thank you! I have a whole bunch of unused turkey bastard around here I can use! I don't wanna tube Mira. I'm scared I'll hurt her because of my lack of experience and no one to help me... But a turkey baster I can do! I found the post and read about it and that sounds manageable. If I can't get Mira to feed at her next offering then I'll try the baster.

Everyone has been so helpful and I can't thank that enough. Im not giving up on Mira. I know she can live. I just gotta keep trying...
 
I'm not sure on this, maybe dun can confirm or not, but how often are you giving the electrolytes? Are you giving them so often that it's keeping her full to where she doesn't want the milk?
 
Craig Miller":2pzogz1y said:
I'm not sure on this, maybe dun can confirm or not, but how often are you giving the electrolytes? Are you giving them so often that it's keeping her full to where she doesn't want the milk?
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No. I give it to her once a day so far. And she won't really drink the stuff. She sucks a little then stops then sucks a little then pushes it away. I can't get more than maybe like a tiny bit in her at a time. Like three tablespoons tops. She hates the stuff.

Can a calf drink water? I was thinking of giving her like half a pint of water to see how she does but I don't wanna if it'll hurt her. I don't want her starving or dehydrating either...

I'm also worried I'm over feeding her and that's why she's fighting sometimes. I feed her 2 litters every 4-5 hours. She had probably Between 16-20 pints altogether yesterday. Is that too much?
 
So I'm kind of crazy and have been writing down how much I feed Mira, at what time, what I feed her, and how much she drinks.

I added up and yesterday from 1AM til 11:pM, Mira drank over 13.41 pints (6.7 quarts) of formula and barely 3tbsp of the electrolyte stuff.

Today she hasn't drank anything yet. So I'm wondering if I overdid it? I know calves are like human babies and can be over fed so I'm wondering if that's why she's not wanting anything?

She's also been cold. Shivering pretty hard and she occasionally makes a deep, hollow breathing sound. Like she just ran a mile and is trying to catch her breath. It's deep from within her. But she doesn't do this often. Last night was only the second time I've heard her do that.

It's almost 7AM for me. Tried feeding her at 6AM but she wouldn't eat and the last full time she's eaten was at 11PM. I went outside at 3AM to check on her and give her some electrolyte but she was freezing and shivering and wouldn't drink and she fought me with the bottle.

She could've been to cold to drink or she was still full but also cold? I'm starting to worry it's pneumonia... I don't know...
 
2.5 gallons of replacer? She's full. You can get Vitamin B Complex/B12 from your vet or local farm store (Tractor Supply, Orschlen, Atwoods, etc), Selinium from your vet. You don't need a special thermometer; dig one out of your medicine cabinet or run to Wal Mart. In the meantime, stick your finger in her mouth: if her tongue is cold, she's cold. 101.5 is "normal" temp.
 
I don;t know about now, but bagged milk replacer used to be more or less suggested feedings was for a 100-110 pound calf (think Holstein). 2 quarts twice a day was the recommended amount. Could be you are trying to over feed her if she's really small.
 
Ya I think dun is right on the recommended feeding. Also tc is right that she's probably full. I always keep fresh water available free choice in a trough or bucket of some kind and minerals as well.
 
After 12 hrs of not wanting to eat, Mira finally took the bottle again. She drank almost two full pints and that made me happy. I'll try cutting down to two/three meals a day for now. I don't wanna hurt her belly

I've fureently brought her outside. Gonna let her get some sun treatment for awhile and try getting her to walk around a little more. She needs exercise.

I am starting to wonder if she's blind. If I run my hand by her eyes - not touching but just waving it - she blinks. But she can't seem to understand where she's going? She walks into stuff and nudges her face against things and pokes them with her tongue. And she didn't really react to being in the sunlight. She seems to like it but she's still shivering up a storm... She also still has a hard time keeping her head up.
 
LizHartley1991":ajogo55j said:
So I'm kind of crazy and have been writing down how much I feed Mira, at what time, what I feed her, and how much she drinks.

I added up and yesterday from 1AM til 11:pM, Mira drank over 13.41 pints (6.7 quarts) of formula and barely 3tbsp of the electrolyte stuff.

Today she hasn't drank anything yet. So I'm wondering if I overdid it? I know calves are like human babies and can be over fed so I'm wondering if that's why she's not wanting anything?

She's also been cold. Shivering pretty hard and she occasionally makes a deep, hollow breathing sound. Like she just ran a mile and is trying to catch her breath. It's deep from within her. But she doesn't do this often. Last night was only the second time I've heard her do that.

It's almost 7AM for me. Tried feeding her at 6AM but she wouldn't eat and the last full time she's eaten was at 11PM. I went outside at 3AM to check on her and give her some electrolyte but she was freezing and shivering and wouldn't drink and she fought me with the bottle.

She could've been to cold to drink or she was still full but also cold? I'm starting to worry it's pneumonia... I don't know...
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You're giving her too much. I haven't raised any baby calves in a long time, but I raised a lot of them years ago. I'm pretty sure every kind of powdered milk I ever saw said to give them 2 quarts per feeding and feed twice a day. Remember what I said in the very first reply here?

"You won't be doing the calf any favors by giving it more than what's recommended."
 
Finally got a really good look at Mira's eyes. One is glazed and the other is whitish with a white spot... I think she's blind. She's eating just fine now but she can't see... I shone a light at her and have been looking at her eyes today because I'm concerned with the stumbling.
 
LizHartley1991":3dfdhpp7 said:
Finally got a really good look at Mira's eyes. One is glazed and the other is whitish with a white spot... I think she's blind. She's eating just fine now but she can't see... I shone a light at her and have been looking at her eyes today because I'm concerned with the stumbling.
Click to expand...

I (fortunately) haven't had any experience with IBR but the following recent thread sounds familiar. If Mira was my calf I'd be making another trip to the vet. And I'd also follow the thread. But at least she's eating! Sending the best of luck!
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=112682
 
Have to agree. You are feeding her too much. One of the reasons why she has loose manure. I've got 4 calves on bottles now; they get NO MORE than 2 qts at a feeding. The smaller jersey crossed calves get about 3 pints per feeding for the first 1-2 weeks. I want them "hungry" and wanting to eat. Then they will get up to 3 qts a feeding by the time they are a month, with the jersey cross calves getting a little less. They should be starting to eat some grain and pick at hay. In fact, I have 8 that are on nurse cows that are eating grain and hay right out of the feed bunk at about a month. They are also drinking water out of the water troughs as well as nursing the cows.

If her ears are cold then she is cold. And possibly getting sick. I can't comment on the eyes, I really think that the vet needs to look at her at this point. Antibiotics might be the prescribed course; but since you are "new" at this, trying to decide something like that on your own isn't wise.
Cut back on her milk replacer. If you want to give her 3 feedings a day then no more than 3 pints a feeding. If she is drinking the milk replacer good then I wouldn't bother with the electrolytes. Let her have water free choice during the day, and she will drink it if she is thirsty.
 
Also, the hard birth and rejection by the cow maybe because there is something wrong with her. There might also be a little nerve damage from the difficult birth and that could be causing some of the weakness and stumbling. Even causing some of the eyesight problems.
 
farmerjan":ajtlurvx said:
Have to agree. You are feeding her too much. One of the reasons why she has loose manure. I've got 4 calves on bottles now; they get NO MORE than 2 qts at a feeding. The smaller jersey crossed calves get about 3 pints per feeding for the first 1-2 weeks. I want them "hungry" and wanting to eat. Then they will get up to 3 qts a feeding by the time they are a month, with the jersey cross calves getting a little less. They should be starting to eat some grain and pick at hay. In fact, I have 8 that are on nurse cows that are eating grain and hay right out of the feed bunk at about a month. They are also drinking water out of the water troughs as well as nursing the cows.

If her ears are cold then she is cold. And possibly getting sick. I can't comment on the eyes, I really think that the vet needs to look at her at this point. Antibiotics might be the prescribed course; but since you are "new" at this, trying to decide something like that on your own isn't wise.
Cut back on her milk replacer. If you want to give her 3 feedings a day then no more than 3 pints a feeding. If she is drinking the milk replacer good then I wouldn't bother with the electrolytes. Let her have water free choice during the day, and she will drink it if she is thirsty.
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"Also, the hard birth and rejection by the cow maybe because there is something wrong with her. There might also be a little nerve damage from the difficult birth and that could be causing some of the weakness and stumbling. Even causing some of the eyesight problems."

I have cut down to 3 serving of 2 Pints a day. I was definitely over feeding her and I realize that now. Especially after talking with you all.

I'll be trying to talk to a vet soon to get his opinion. Would giving her Liquamycin LA-200 (ocytetracycline injection) be okay? If she has pinkeye at least that might be a start to helping her? I don't wanna overdue anything on her...

And I know that her eyesight and stumbllingbis possibly from the traumatic birth she was abandoned for a reason. I don't believe cows just drop their infants without either the cow having issues or the calf having issues... I wish I could just drag you all to see her at this point!

I'm trying not to get to upset and understand that I'm giving it my best and that might not be enough. But I believe in trying everything I can before stepping back... For you farmers that do this year round, Jesus! I salute you :clap:
 
TCRanch":32h15w1l said:
LizHartley1991":32h15w1l said:
Finally got a really good look at Mira's eyes. One is glazed and the other is whitish with a white spot... I think she's blind. She's eating just fine now but she can't see... I shone a light at her and have been looking at her eyes today because I'm concerned with the stumbling.
Click to expand...

I (fortunately) haven't had any experience with IBR but the following recent thread sounds familiar. If Mira was my calf I'd be making another trip to the vet. And I'd also follow the thread. But at least she's eating! Sending the best of luck!
http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=112682
Click to expand...
My bad! Wasn't paying attention that you were the author of that thread.
 
LA200 won't do her any harm but I still would talk to a vet before getting into too much self-diagnosing of drugs. I would think that due to some of her issues, he might go with something like Draxxin. Vet prescribed.... it is more powerful than LA200. It will cover a few more things and does work well on pinkeye/ other eye issues also. Also, if she is drinking the 2 pts per feeding 3x a day, for the next several days or so, and the weather is getting colder, up her to 3 pts per feeding so she has a little left in her tummy when the next feeding comes around. At least at the night feeding so she has a WARM FULL tummy to help her through the night.

Sadly, yes some cows will just drop their calf and not care, but there aren't too many of them. And practically every poster on here will send a cow like that to have a Big Mac Attack. But it seems that sometimes, some instinct will push a cow to abandon a calf that they feel isn't "right".
 

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