4 day old calf will not suck

[devonian]

Also - the Selenium has had time to kick in. It is amazing how quickly they figure out how to nurse when the sucking reflex kicks in.

Yep difficult to know what happened don't think I was wrong to bring the cow in given the evidence and its history it was probably a combination of the cow and calf being in close proximity (as opposed to the cow standing way over on the other side of the field all day doing nothing as was happening) and the selenium (and possibly me feeding it) that allowed the calf to get what it needed. The cow might even get another chnace now we'll see. Thanks all for the help and encouraging messages.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

The calf acted like classic SE deficiency - dumb sucker. They cannot control their tongue to curl and suck. Takes a few days for it to kick in. I used to get a lot of dumb suckers. Always gave SE at birth. If not sucking after 24 hours, would give another full dose. Cornell Univ got me on that program.

 

[Katpau]

We have low selenium in this area and can buy a prescription mineral at our local Farmers Coop, that is higher in selenium than what is allowed in over the counter minerals. The Coop has a Vet on their payroll for this. It must work, because I can't recall a "dumb sucker" in recent history. Your post gave me a chuckle Jeanne. When I was a kid, "You dumb sucker" was an insult usually delivered to a sibling or cousin in anger. I never really thought about where that insult came from until I read your post. I was raised around dairy cattle and I do remember the frustration when one was slow to suck.