Cow won’t lay down

[GoWyo]

When discussion threads like these pop up, I occasionally take advantage of them to discuss what is allowed, what is approved, what is 'extra-label', and what is prohibited. I see recommendations on here, all the time, of 'give this', or 'give that'... and in some cases, those are good recommendations... other times, they are bogus BS from people who don't know the drugs and their modes of action, the condition at hand, or whether the thin they're recommending will really even work.

Kenny hit the nail on the head... misuse of some drugs in the past have led to them being prohibited. In some cases, it's just been a case of increasing knowledge base that has lead regulatory authorities to ban them.

Banamine (flunixin meglumine) - which may be the 'B' drug the OP's vet prescribed - is approved for use in cattle as an intravenous injection.
How many folks on this board, some of whom seem to use it like it was water, give it IV? It can be given intramuscularly, but that is an 'extra-label' usage, and projected meat withdrawal time changes from 10 days for IV administration to 60+ days for an IM injection. Multiple doses? Go past 60; Do not collect $200.
Banamine tissue residues are one of, if not THE top offender for drug residues in meat... mainly due to its widespread use in dairy cattle, with cull dairy cows going to slaughter every day... there are some 'frequent flyers' who are not allowed to sell cattle, because they've had so many violative residue incidents.
Yeah, lots of people give it IV because they can't or don't want to hit a vein. It's not innocuous... it does cause some muscle damage at the site of injection.
Bute(phenylbutazone) pretty much HAS to go IV (unless you're giving oral product); if you give it IM, you'll have a nasty necrotic mess on your hands.

There is also Banamine transdermal, which is a pour on down the spine. Withdrawal is 4 days if I recall correctly. A dose of transdermal seems to provide about 48 hours of pain relief just based on my observations.

 

[wbvs58]

Heifers can be real bitches when an outsider is introduced to a group.

Ken

 

[Ky hills]

I have seen heifers be kind of down in the back after being bred by a larger bull.
Most bulls don't seem to cause much problem this way but occasionally it can, had a bull a few years back that was bad about that. That said it never got to the point that any were completely down, just noticeably walking as though they were down in the back, they got back to normal after a few days.
Hopefully by her getting up in her own that's a good sign. Is she walking around much or just staying in the same position?

 

[sunnyblueskies]

I'm probably not going to be popular with my 5 cents, I also don't want to make enemies.
I get it, she is a 4-H heifer. Kids do get attached, but one thing you said in your original post is a red flag for me. 'You had to raise her with hiplifters for 3 days'
For me that would be reason enough to ship her with the next load going out.
Reason being, whatever is damaged in her back/spine/hip/legs....... was so severe to not let her stand up, now she doesn't want to lay down, probably because she fears not being able to get up anymore.
I'm not a Vet, I just say what my gut feeling would be. I'd be greatly concerned with her being bred because she has to carry a great deal more weight on her hind joints and I'd be concerned that whatever was damaged on nerves would flare up again and cause problems in late pregnancy or during birth. Suppose you don't really know what exactly happened to her, or what the damage really was. But she was down for 3 days and not out of the woods yet.
If it were my animal she would go on the truck, or keep her as a pet/lawnmower separated from the herd and not bred again.
I'd really be curious as to what happened to her, she must have been on her feet still coming back from the breeder? No?

 

[Katpau]

In 2002 we had a horrible year. We used a Simmental bull that was supposedly calving ease and ended up losing both cows and calves to dystocia. We had a first calf heifer that we found down with a calf halfway out. We managed to pull the dead calf, but the cow could not rise. Using straps attached to the bucket of the tractor, we lifted that cow repeatedly for days. I believe it was somewhere around day 5 that the cow finally was able to remain standing on her own. She recovered over the next few weeks and was good by the time the bulls went in. If she were mine today, she would have been shipped, but in 2002 we were trying to build our herd and I kept cows I maybe should not have. In her case, it turned out to be a good decision. She went on to wean another 10 calves before being culled for age. Never had another issue.

 

[greybeard]

maybe getting butted from the side by one when another was riding her???? It happens...

This! The girls are as bad or worse than the bulls sometimes and always gotta establish their own peckin order and keep the new girl in her place. If she just stands and takes it, they'll keep doing it as long as she's in the bunch.