Aborted calf

[fourstates]

Every morning I look at my cattle. Every evening I check my cattle. I know who's coming into heat, who's bred, who's springing, who's bagging. I spend an hour or two every day watching for illness or any other problem.

The one day, today, I don't do my am check, I come home to a dead newborn. I only have one cow who is late (for spring) and the rest are due starting in september. My very pregnant cow is still very pregnant.

I found the mama, she came over to me when I was bagging up the calf. It was a black calf so I know who the daddy is and he wasn't out there till November. So I figure this calf should have come August, at the very earliest.

The calf was fully developed, about 45 lbs, eyelashes, hair to the hoof, but no hair on it's underside and the rest of his hide was real sparse . The mama didn't even swell or bag. But she had clearly calved.

I'm sick. But I am worried about all the other cows due this fall that were sniffing the fetus.

The vet will run an abortion profile and look at the calf. Calf is on ice, while I wait. Last year I lost some early pregnancies due to blue tongue. But this is my first premie.

 

[KNERSIE]

The vet will run an abortion profile and look at the calf. Calf is on ice, while I wait.

That's about all you can do except move the cows to a different pasture while leaving one that aborted just where she is now. Make sure to remove or burn the afterbirth just to be on the safe side.

Let us know what the outcome was.

 

[CWT Angus]

Sorry for your loss. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to loose too much sleep over it right now. You have done all you can until you get the report from the vet. Sometimes these things just happen. Please keep us posted.

 

[msscamp]

Assuming your health program is what it should be, cows do abort on occasion - it is just a part of the business. There is nothing you can do about that, no way to prevent it, nor does it mean your herd is at risk.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Have the vet check for Neospora cause's abortions in the gestational period you described. This can be a real problem and cause abortion storms. This is not checked for often and is really kinda of a silent epidemic.

 

[fourstates]

Thanks CB. Here's a website I found after your response. There are dogs and coyotes allways in our pastures.
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vetext/INF-DA/INF-DA_NEOSPORA.HTML

I will know something next week.

 

[Putangitangi]

Keep up the watch on the others and you'll hopefully be gradually reassured that it was a one-off. It's a great relief to see a post on such a problem where the poster has actually sorted out testing of the aborted fetus, rather than wanting everyone else to guess what might have caused it.

One of my vets gave me a figure around 4% for annual spontaneous abortions, a level I've never seen. In ten years of breeding I've known of three actual abortions and a couple of early-dead fetuses which (coincidentally?) emerged around the time they would have been full-term - in a herd of about 50 cows.

 

[fourstates]

The calf was shipped to Texas A&M yesterday. I should get a pretty thorough report. I didn't ask the cost, I hope it will be worth it!

 

[MoGal]

Have you rec'd your necropsy report back yet?

 

[TheBullLady]

It cost me $150 to have my cow posted at A & M. Can't imagine a calf being any more than that.

Let us know what you find out! It does take some time.. I think it was 10 days or more before we got the report back. And you may need your vet to deciper it for you.. a lot of medical terms.

 

[fourstates]

Vet told me it would probably take another week. The holiday probably didn't help. I'm very anxious too, but luckily no other abortions. I'll post the results. Thanks.

 

[fourstates]

Neospora was the cause of the abortion. After all the reading I have done on this disease, I am more confused than ever.

 

[KNERSIE]

Neospora was the cause of the abortion. After all the reading I have done on this disease, I am more confused than ever.

Neospora is one thing that we don't have (yet), can you vaccinate against it? At least your tests came back with results that gave you something to work on, all the tests I've had done came back negative for everything so I'll just have to mark the two abortions down as "shite happened".

Its always worth your while to have the aborted foetus and the cow tested even if you end up with a no result, at least you'll have peace of mind that it isn't one of the more dangerous causes such as Bruceloses or BVD.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Neospora was the cause of the abortion. After all the reading I have done on this disease, I am more confused than ever.

Time for some dog eradication. Innoculate all K-9's that trot across pasture with buckshot or 45-70. You might want to learn how to set a snare line as well for coyotes. Need to make sure you do not have a rodent problem around any feeders you might have as well. This will not be your last case. Clean up after birth and burn.

 

[fourstates]

Neospora is carried by cannids (dogs, wolves, coyotes). Once infected, the cow may continue to abort, or never abort again. Since it is a protazoa, you would think there is a treament, but not so far. There is work on a vaccine, but it is not available yet. A cow can pass it to it's calf, the calves born infected can be just fine or have serious problems .

There is no understanding of exactly how or when infection can cause abortions. There can be multiple generations testing posive for the antibody, but having the antibody does not provide immunity. Having the antibody does not mean the cow has the disease, as it may have passed through the colostrum.

Dogs have been around cattle since people have, so I don't think getting rid of dogs will help. I don't know of any way to keep coyotes from defecating where ever they want.

So I guess my plan will be every cow gets one abortion, and I will cull any cow that does it twice. How's that for discouraging. But, so far, there have been no other cows aborting.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Neospora is carried by cannids (dogs, wolves, coyotes). Once infected, the cow may continue to abort, or never abort again. Since it is a protazoa, you would think there is a treament, but not so far. There is work on a vaccine, but it is not available yet. A cow can pass it to it's calf, the calves born infected can be just fine or have serious problems .

There is no understanding of exactly how or when infection can cause abortions. There can be multiple generations testing posive for the antibody, but having the antibody does not provide immunity. Having the antibody does not mean the cow has the disease, as it may have passed through the colostrum.

Dogs have been around cattle since people have, so I don't think getting rid of dogs will help. I don't know of any way to keep coyotes from defecating where ever they want.

So I guess my plan will be every cow gets one abortion, and I will cull any cow that does it twice. How's that for discouraging. But, so far, there have been no other cows aborting.

Abstract

The role of rodents in the epidemiology of neosporosis was investigated by assaying brain tissue of feral mice (Mus musculus) and rats (Rattus norvegicus) for Neospora caninum. Both mouse and rat brain tissue were extracted for total DNA, and subjected to two different N. caninum-specific nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. A portion of brain tissue from the mice and rats were also assayed for N. caninum in gerbils or gamma-interferon gene knockout (KO) mice. Of the 105 feral mice tested, 10% were positive in the N. caninum-specific PCR assays. Of the 242 rats tested, 30% were positive in both assays. Although mice and rats had N. caninum by PCR testing, clinical signs of N. caninum infection were not observed nor were N. caninum parasites observed in gerbils or KO mice inoculated with the rodent brain tissue.

You are going to learn a lot about neospora before this is over.
I have already been to this rodeo. Anything that aborts 3 to 6 months is sold for slaughter. This is the new Bangs.

 

[fourstates]

Sorry, CB, I was typing my post and didn't see yours. I have watched packs of coyotes cross my pastures and the cows didn't even raise their heads, apparently they are very used to seeing them. I too am sick of wild dog packs that roam the area. They strike me as a much bigger threat to the health and safety of my cattle.
Personally, I think the people who dump these dogs, or those that let theirs run in packs should be the ones shot.

My aborted fetus was last trimester about 7-8 months.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Sorry, CB, I was typing my post and didn't see yours. I have watched packs of coyotes cross my pastures and the cows didn't even raise their heads, apparently they are very used to seeing them. I too am sick of wild dog packs that roam the area. They strike me as a much bigger threat to the health and safety of my cattle.
Personally, I think the people who dump these dogs, or those that let theirs run in packs should be the ones shot.

The only safe dogs around here are mine. The few ranchers in the area have declared war a few years back. Dumped dogs are dispachted quickly. Just practice SSS it is the easiest and most effective method. Neghbor of mine who lives a few miles through the woods was having problems with dogs from a guy that had moved in the area from the city. Ran his cows through the fence took him two weeks to get them out of the woods. When the neighbor confronted him about his dogs the reply was I live in the country. Guy had 13 dogs and wouldn't keep them penned they left for the weekend when they got back his dogs had ran off.

 

[sizmic]

In reviewing this forum a couple of things caught my eye. I have had a case of neospora canium on my farm. There is currently a treatment and there is a vaccine. Quite a bit of research is going on at Auburn University and I would suggest to anyone having problems, have your vet contact them. I had a cow treated last week for it. I cannot comment on the effectiveness of the vaccine but there is one in an all killed form. My local vet treated some cows that were not holding in calf and 80% of them took after the treatment.
Thought this might be helpful in your quest. I might also suggest a rifle on every tractor.
My vet says there is also a treatment for dogs if you have one in question that you can't part with.
Sizmic

 

[fourstates]

I can't believe it, but I just ordered Neospora vaccine called Neoguard, from PBS Animal Health for about $3.00 a dose. The links provided led me to the name of the vaccine.

You give it during pregnancy and it's safe. It looks to be about 50% effective and you must give mutiple doses. I'm still going to use it, I don't see anything to lose. Cheaper than the loss of another calf and the breeding time lost.

Thanks to all.