5 week old bottle calf is bloated.

[TexasJerseyMilker]

It's Willow, the precious Jersey calf. Shes been drinking two feeds a day of a half gallon each of medicated milk replacer and calf starter free choice, which she does eat some of. She drinks water. Also, I think some of her straw bedding has been disappearing. She was fine up until this evening. She only took half the bottle thats how I noticed. She is lethargic, bloated on both sides and I hear liquid sloshing. no fever. She seems to feel bad, does not frisk, reluctant to walk. What should I do>

 

[Spot & Bubby]

It's Willow, the precious Jersey calf. Shes been drinking two feeds a day of a half gallon each of medicated milk replacer and calf starter free choice, which she does eat some of. She drinks water. Also, I think some of her straw bedding has been disappearing. She was fine up until this evening. She only took half the bottle thats how I noticed. She is lethargic, bloated on both sides and I hear liquid sloshing. no fever. She seems to feel bad, does not frisk, reluctant to walk. What should I do>

On, no! I'm sorry for commenting without advice, but I'm sure you will be offered helpful insight from someone (or many someones) here. I'll be praying for you and little Willow to achieve the best outcome.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

I locker her out of her straw bedded stall. She was laying on a straw pile and did not want to get up. I made her get up and put her out in the 20'x10' breezeway with the lights on and a horse blanket to lie down on if she wants. But she stays standing up walking around which I think is better for her to belch and pass things along. I can see her out there holding out her tail like she's trying to poop. I suspect she ate too much straw for her immature rumen.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

She passed manure 1 time so far. It's not diarrhea, just normal brown. She's not thrashing like she's in agony, just stands there and walks around a bit. It will be a long night.

 

[Hereford2]

Take her for a walk alternate walking and jogging her. That worked the best for my bloated Heifer. Walk her a good quarter of a mile if you can

 

[MurraysMutts]

Yes. Put a halter and walk her a mile or so.

Why on earth are u using milk replacer? Ooooo. I forgot. She's from the the old cow. Dang

If her poop is dark and dark and solid she may be a bit constipated. I've heard of people "oiling em up" kinda like a laxative.

Might be time to get rid of the straw and do something different. I like alfalfa hay when they start eating like that

 

[Travlr]

Do you have a healthy cow? Give her some saliva from the healthy cow. They get saliva from being licked by their mothers and that's how their gut microbiome develops. If they don't get it, they have a harder time.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Thank you for all the experienced advice .Please realize I am a retired nurse. At 10:15 pm last night I went ahead and gave her some Banamine pour on, 3cc along her back as that i the amount for 100lb calf, which the Jersey tape says she is. It is a pain medicine since she was obviously in pain of her abdomen. Feeling better over the next 2 hours she became very affectionate and was glad to be rubbed on her neck and face, stretching her neck upwards. This caused her to burp 6 or 7 times. She made a small amount of yellow poop, loose but not diarrhea. This is different because previously it was brown. That was the end of t that night's report at 2 am

This morning she got up by herself. The bloat was gone from her abdomen with hollow areas below the short ribs. However, she still refused to eat or drink and turned to look at and lick her belly. There has been no input and no output for a day. She did briefly frisk when turned out into the lot but otherwise lethargic and weak acting. I have been walking her around on a lead rope.

Dehydration signs by skin pinching test was still about 1 second but with no input this is going to get worse. She did poop one time that was brownish and not diarrhea. Her nose was very dry with looks to me like dehydration. She refused bottle or water so I started syringe feeing her 3 or 4 CCs at a time of ReSorb electrolytes she would lick and swallow.

This afternoon my AI guy said give her probiotics. I do have the powdered kind but had not used them in a few weeks. Since she does not drink I made a paste out of keto tube and the powder. Keto says for fresh dairy cows going into ketosis but also to boost calves with dextrose for energyand vitamins. So I mixed the powder with that and syringed the paste 3 ccs at a time, then more NuFlow solution.

She got up and pooped and enormous amount of liquid yellow diahhrea stool. This is probably what I heard sloshing around in her bloated betty the night before. In the diarrhea was a section of hard stool. Apparently she blew her plug. I moved her to a new stall bedded with shavings in case of more diarrhea.

If she does not take the bottle tonight and remains weak we will consider tubing her the Nuflor and milk regime. And keep up with the probiotics and Keto paste.

 

[M.Magis]

What is her temp?

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Normal.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Well, I went out there this evening and saw she had diarrhea again in the shavings. She sprang to her feet and started butting and nudging searching for milk. She drank a quart which is a half bottle. She did not want any more so I'm happy with that.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

I went out at dusk last night and she took the other half of the bottle, but not quite all. That told me she is better but not quite well. Still with the diarrhea.

This morning I was accosted at the door, pummeled and butted for the bottle. She sucked the whole thing down and wanted more. This is good because a healthy calf is always hungry after the bottle.

Seriously, the night before last when she was bloated and sick I thought I'd loose her. This is the precious calf, the last calf my 14 year old pet will ever have. Still, she's a baby calf so I knock on wood and say a prayer of gratitude.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

This morning she just about knocked me down butting for milk while I was hanging her feeder bottle. Very strong and determined for a 38 day old calf. Her diarrhea squirts have resolved. I gave her a lot of probios probiotics in her milk replacer like the AI guy advised.

Now her poop is soft yellow milk poop again, not firm and dark brown. I think MurrysMuts was right "If her poop is dark and dark and solid she may be a bit constipated." I think she had gotten clogged up from eating straw bedding. Then she blew that out and had scoured behind it because her digestive system was deranged. It's good to have a healthy calf again because that first night she was so sick I was up until 2 am and thought she was a goner.

 

[Hereford2]

That is good to hear glad she is doing well!

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Ever since I stopped treating her like a baby dairy calf and let her run around outside she is much better.