3 Day Old Cow Wont Eat

[LizHartley1991]

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".

I'll be talking to a vet as soon as I can of course. But I won't be able to talk to One until Monday. So I'm thinking giving her at least one dosage of LA-200 might be good to test her out? My concern though is that she weighs less than 100ibs and it says 4.5 for every 100ibs so I'm not sure how much to give her... I know I know I'm being ridiculous. But I gotta try something... If it could help her even just a smidge I'd feel better for her. Or should I just wait it out...

 

[farmerjan]

Give her 3cc. There is an allowance figured into each dosage, and tests are done to see at what overdose there are reactions. 3 cc won't kill her and it might help. Realize this, LA200 STINGS/BURNS when you give it. Give it subq (under the skin) on the side of the neck area where the skin is fairly loose. She is going to hate it. Rub the area so it won't leave a lump. And do not give her any other antibiotic until you talk to the vet. Using different drugs may negate one or the other.

 

[LizHartley1991]

Give her 3cc. There is an allowance figured into each dosage, and tests are done to see at what overdose there are reactions. 3 cc won't kill her and it might help. Realize this, LA200 STINGS/BURNS when you give it. Give it subq (under the skin) on the side of the neck area where the skin is fairly loose. She is going to hate it. Rub the area so it won't leave a lump. And do not give her any other antibiotic until you talk to the vet. Using different drugs may negate one or the other.

Okay. I can do that... It's so crazy how different taking care of Mira is compared to how taking care of my first calf - Hope - was. I didn't have to do any of this with her. She was 4-6 months premature and left in the baking sun and wet and covered in mud for probably about three days before we found her. We gave her a pill and a steroid shot and I bottle fed her like a baby for two nights before she was active and wanting to follow me around.

I really appreciate the help you're offering, by the way! All of this has become such a learning experience and I feel like Mira can make it and be okay... Just wow is this a crazy battle of nature.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

The first thing I thought when I saw her pic was she was blind! We have a bull calf that has teary eyes, like in your pic, and bumps into things (along with making circles). We worked with him for several weeks with his dam (who is an amazing cow), and he is now two months old and on pasture with his dam. But he is blind! His eyes always tear, and have a cloudy appearance in the sun.
Good luck with her. Our cow never gave up on her calf, so we kept working with them until I was sure he could do well in a pasture setting.

 

[LizHartley1991]

Update: Tomorrow we're gonna try to get our main vets opinion on what he thinks is wrong with Mira's eyes. Thing that sucks is that we don't have the money to spend oodles of cash on her for any surgery or large shots she might need. But it'll be nice to get some more solid ground and suggestions for what is wrong with her...

The next step will be to decide what to do with her if worse is worse... I won't be able to handle having her put down or shot. Not after spending so much time with her and basically fighting my ass off to make sure she lived... Can a blind beef cow be sold? I've never heard of that before if it's possible...

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

First, I have to ask, was the 2nd twin a bull or a heifer?
If it was a bull, this heifer will most likely NOT be able to breed. She would be called a "Freemartin". She gets too many male hormones from her twin brother and never develops her reproduction organs/track completely. About ??10%?? are breeders. A lot of time her clitoris is abnormal. Hairy, larger?
So, you might be saving her to become a feedlot animal. That is the fact of life on the farm. Things we have to face all the time. Many time we have to make dollar & cents decisions.

 

[LizHartley1991]

Update: Mira has had LA 200 sprayed around and in her eye by our very old farmhand. He suggested to try hitting the eyes directly with the stuff instead of forcing more inside her since she still has antibiotic running in her. I don't know about this working but he says it won't hurt her if it doesn't seem to work. Give it a day and see how she does.

We also brought her outside. We think the sunlight on her for a few hours will do her some good since she's been cooped up in the barn and is shivering and cold. She's still shivering but the sunlight seems to be warming her. Although she will just stand in one place and doesn't wanna move.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I know someone said not to put up a heat lamp - but I WOULD. I use them all the time for newborns.

 

[LizHartley1991]

Have only been able to get 4 and 1/2 Pints of formula in her today. She had medicine put in her eye so she's very much not feeling to active or wanting to take her third feeding. I'm gonna give her about three hours then try again. Just cause I know she's ginna be hungry. Still trying to make sure I don't feed her too much so she won't feel good.

She was curling up in a ball and not very happy. I know her stomach is hurting right now and I don't know if it's from the medication or something else. All I can do is watch her for now.

 

[M.Magis]

The shivering and not wanting to move don't sound good to me. Hopefully the vet can figure it out, but sometimes no matter how much we try it just doesn't work out. Good luck.

 

[LizHartley1991]

The shivering and not wanting to move don't sound good to me. Hopefully the vet can figure it out, but sometimes no matter how much we try it just doesn't work out. Good luck.

It concerns me too. The vet didn't seem too concerned by it. He was more focused on her eyes and if she's getting enough to eat. he hasn't physically seen her yet though so I'm hoping when I can take her in he will see what I'm meaning.

 

[LizHartley1991]

For future reference to anyone, I will not have her culled. I'll raise her in the cow lot and watch over her until she's older. I've had cows grow to old age and die on the farm before. I don't need her to breed. We have plenty of other cows for that. But if she can survive and if this possible by pink eye can heal, then she'll be raised and sold off later. If she ends up blind, I'll keep her in the cow lot and we'll watch over her and keep her alive until we can can sell her. Blind calves can still be used for meat afterall. For me, this is more about just trying to give this little cow a life and a chance to grow before damning her to the bullet right away.

 

[farmerjan]

Honestly, a blind beef cow is not worth anything to anyone and will go to slaughter. I won't sugar coat this. I have sat at the livestock auction and seen some calves go through that got pinkeye and weren't treated or not soon enough or someone who didn't know what to do or whatever. They could barely get them in the ring, they walked into the walls and doors, and they brought basically nothing. No one wants or has the time to baby along a blind calf/cow. You have to understand that 99% of the people who have cattle cannot afford to keep a blind calf for a pet. And not one of us is mean or uncaring... it is just a fact of life. They get bigger and then what. We had one calf that was blind at birth. We put the cow and calf in a small pen, the calf learned to nurse and followed the cow by sound. She was also a wonderful mother and talked to the calf all the time. We kept him until he was nearly a year, in a small pasture, and then butchered him. It was that or put him down as soon as we realized he was blind. He learned the extent of his "space" but we were lucky that she was also such a good mother. She never had anymore with any problems so have no idea of what caused it.

 

[farmerjan]

Reading your last post; yes blind calves can be meat. But none of the feedlots want them, they are a liability. The only hope you have of her being meat is to put her in your own freezer. The cow lot you mentioned will become familiar to her as she gets older. But, you must also realize that if you put her with any other animals, it is very likely some will pick on her, run her away from the feed or just butt her around. They are animals, you cannot "reason" with them and tell any others that they shouldn't pick on her. Nature doesn't work that way. So if it is not pinkeye, which seems unlikely for a newborn to be born with so to speak, then you are condemning her to a solitary type life so she won't get bullied, and then it would be very unfair to subject her to being sold say through a sale barn, where she would be pushed and shoved around because she can't see; and she will only go directly to slaughter then. I think if she is blind, and you want to save her that much, then you should also be willing to have her butchered for your own beef so she does have a life for however long you have her.

 

[LizHartley1991]

It seems the vet - who I finally was able to have a full explanatory conversation with - believes it is indeed IBR and a possible vitamin b defect. He believes she didn't get enough colostrum in time and so she's most likely gotten some viruses in her. So she's been given Draxxin, a Vitamin B shot, and another antibiotic shot. Note: I suck and I don't even think I got the Draxxin and VitB in her right because I've never given a shot before so that was terrifying and I cried.

I had to sit behind her and force the bottle down her today as well. I made her 2 pints with a well scrambled and mixed egg inside to thicken it up and add some protein in her bottle feed. She only got a pint and a half down before falling asleep on me. She's very tired and weak. I'm currently curled in the barn in the hay with her and just giving her pets and loves. It's very warm in the hay so at least I know I've been keeping her warmer than I thought I was.

This will probably be the last things I'm gonna try for Mira. The rest is up to the medicine and for me to just pray she can fight it. I'm sad there's really not much I can do besides make sure she gets these shots in and get food down her throat and hope she'll be okay...

 

[Rafter S]

Good luck. We're all rooting for you. To be honest, I don't generally get that emotionally invested in animals, but on the other hand I don't make any judgments about those that do (until they start equating them with people, at least). Be sure to keep the updates coming.

 

[LizHartley1991]

Good luck. We're all rooting for you. To be honest, I don't generally get that emotionally invested in animals, but on the other hand I don't make any judgments about those that do (until they start equating them with people, at least). Be sure to keep the updates coming.

I'm a bleeding heart. Animals and little kids tug at my heart strings and I just get attached really hard... I don't mean to. I just do. And my dad said the same thing and said I should just look at her as a hamburger that moves but that's not my nature... I know they're not people. But I don't like seeing anyone or anything suffer. I always have to try as much as I can...

But thank you for the rooting and luck. At this point that's all it is now. Luck and Mira. I named her Mira(cle) for a reason. Maybe it'll work for her? All I can do is hope now.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Good luck. You have put a lot of effort into the little girl. Hope it turns out good for the both of you.

 

[LizHartley1991]

Good luck. You have put a lot of effort into the little girl. Hope it turns out good for the both of you.

Thank you all for the help you tried to offer my newbie self. I'm very exhausted emotionally and physically from everything but I hope it's all worth the effort in the end. I may have to keep fighting to get food down her since she's stubborn but I'll take a fussy eater over the scary head stumbles and disoriented expression and lack of response she was giving me... She's showing more life than she has all day and she at least got actual food in her after not wanting to eat today... It's been rough for sure. But I had a cow on deaths door before and I'm not gonna let her die without trying to fight off the cow reaper lol

 

[TCRanch]

Good luck. We're all rooting for you. To be honest, I don't generally get that emotionally invested in animals, but on the other hand I don't make any judgments about those that do (until they start equating them with people, at least). Be sure to keep the updates coming.

I'm a bleeding heart. Animals and little kids tug at my heart strings and I just get attached really hard... I don't mean to. I just do. And my dad said the same thing and said I should just look at her as a hamburger that moves but that's not my nature... I know they're not people. But I don't like seeing anyone or anything suffer. I always have to try as much as I can...

But thank you for the rooting and luck. At this point that's all it is now. Luck and Mira. I named her Mira(cle) for a reason. Maybe it'll work for her? All I can do is hope now.

You've done all you possibly can; she may surprise you and pull through. First time giving shots is horrible but you'll never learn if you don't do it - it gets waaay easier. BTW no judgment here! My BFF got way too attached to a twin steer, somewhat similar situation. Norm is now 8; he'll live out his life on that ranch as a pet/yard art.