Week old calf just up and dying?

[Big Cheese]

We had a week old calf just up and die yesterday. Its momma was a crazy one and kept it way off by itself since its been born and would barely let us get close to it so we weren't able to tell if it was sick or not. We have had bad weather of late as well. Different then usual for this time of year. We've had an ice storm and snow and very cold temps. What do you guys think could have caused this? We also had another die yesterday from pneumonia as well it was 3 days old and born right before the ice storm. I'm hoping its just a weather thing and not something bad and we don't keep losing calves. Just thought I would ask this question.

 

[inyati13]

This is tough weather for a newborn. Bound to stress their ability to produce the energy to stay well.

 

[Big Cheese]

That's what I was thinking and I'm hoping thats all it was. We had a problem like this last year and it turned out to be BVD but our vet got it under control for us and we haven't had a problem since. All of those calves were born dead though so I don't believe that was the problem this time.

 

[dun]

If your weather is as screwy as ours is, pneumonia would be my guess. I'm surprised the cows are still (knock on wood) healthy

 

[Big Cheese]

That's what I'm hoping and not anything serious.

 

[branguscowgirl]

That's what I'm hoping and not anything serious.

Loosing 2 calves in one day is pretty serious! (At least it would be to me.)
Do they have any shelter? I would be tempted to check/temp all that I could, and start treating those a little off.

 

[Big Cheese]

None of them are off at all. Yes they do have shelter and they are all healthy. The one we found dead had a crazy momma and she wouldn't ever bring the calf up to the hay pile. We found it just laying up against the fence. She didn't take the calf to the shelter during the cold weather. I'm blaming that calf's death on her and shes going to the sale ASAP. The one that died last night was born when it was 60 degrees outside then the temp plummeted and we had an ice storm then snow back to back.

By saying nothing serious I'm meaning a disease that could start affecting everything in the herd. Not saying pneumonia couldn't but it is treatable. Believe mw losing two calves in one day is serious and we are trying to make sure it doesn't happen again. Its being blamed on the weather as of now.

 

[Lucky_P]

I open every calf that dies - but I'm a veterinary pathologist.
If you don't look, you don't know.

Sure, it could be extreme weather conditions - but could be any number of other things, plugged teats on the cow, dumb calf that never figured out how to suck, congenital anomalies(some heritable, some not), then, you gotta consider infectious causes.
Hope you don't lose any more, but if losses continue, how many can you stand before you make an effort to find out...why. And how to stop it.

 

[milkmaid]

I open every calf that dies - but I'm a veterinary pathologist.
If you don't look, you don't know.

Sure, it could be extreme weather conditions - but could be any number of other things, plugged teats on the cow, dumb calf that never figured out how to suck, congenital anomalies(some heritable, some not), then, you gotta consider infectious causes.
Hope you don't lose any more, but if losses continue, how many can you stand before you make an effort to find out...why. And how to stop it.

Where's the little thumbs-up emoticon when you want it? ;-)

 

[fitz]

I open every calf that dies - but I'm a veterinary pathologist.
If you don't look, you don't know.

Sure, it could be extreme weather conditions - but could be any number of other things, plugged teats on the cow, dumb calf that never figured out how to suck, congenital anomalies(some heritable, some not), then, you gotta consider infectious causes.
Hope you don't lose any more, but if losses continue, how many can you stand before you make an effort to find out...why. And how to stop it.

Good post. Only a guess, but I'd wager you've lost two to pneumonia. My situation I don't much blame the cow. I was the one that decided when she would get bred. Can't go back and change that now. This is just bad weather for calving. I have my heavies penned up and my fingers crossed. Sorry for your lost and luck to you going forward.

 

[angus9259]

Sure, it could be extreme weather conditions - but could be any number of other things, plugged teats on the cow, dumb calf that never figured out how to suck, congenital anomalies(some heritable, some not), then, you gotta consider infectious causes.
Hope you don't lose any more, but if losses continue, how many can you stand before you make an effort to find out...why. And how to stop it.

dumby calf was my bet. but if you can't get near the cow you won't know he nursed. as lucky said, when you saw him dead you could open his gut.