Calf died over night.
Maybe very early this morning (2-3 am?) I checked him at 9 pm.
14 days of battling the bloat!
Whatever it was, clearly, just wasn't going to get better. I gave him the best chance possible!
So, just so we are clear...
1-calf was on mid-quality grass hay
2-calf was provided a sweetlix bloat block
3-calf was given Therabloat 1 or 2 times per day
4-calf was relieved of bloat every 12-18 hours via stomach tube (or as needed)
5-calf was given probios paste daily
6-calf was given yogurt on 2 occassions
7-calf was given 2 gallons of rumen fluid from a healthy cow
8-at 4 pm yesterday calf had rumen function, a temperature of 102 degrees, and normal stool
9-calf died 5-6 hours after he was last checked.
Sometimes, you are just SOL. While it sucks because I lost the money and the work I put into him, if this was going to be his life until he grew out of it I could not baby sit him around the clock for as long as that might have taken. He was going to get a fistula tomorrow if the refaunation did not work. Apparently, he did not want one!
