another birthing disaster

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SmokeStackFarms

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Horton,Al.
My 5th ,first-timer heifer, was found Tuesday in a dry creek bed-deep into a dense ticket of briers etc.
I had been looking for her to deliver Sunday PM-but when not finding her Monday--by Tuesday --I was worried.
She was down--calve had two hoofs/nose and extracted tongue, were sticking out---obviously dead.
She was dry and flies were swarming---she had been this way awhile.
Neighbor & I pull calf----very large 100lbs+
The heart break is ----she can't get up. Call vet--Tuesday night,he gave her an package of steroids,etc--with another to be given the next PM.(which I did) His diagnosis--damaged pelvic nerve.
Maybe swollen or permanently. He said if she doesn't get up soon--then she has no chance. He suggested "hip-huggers".
Problem--no tractor can get to her-and the general response neighbors say these huggers work well in a ideal situation.
All I am presently doing is giving her water-feed/hay and a series of shock-prodding. Hoping this get her mad enough &/or stimulate the rear area enough to get her up.(like a TINGE unit)
Also- I am praying and keeping guard from the coyote problem.
Help!!
Thank you for hearing me thru---to the 'ole cow hand' this seems to be a cataloged circumstance but it is a time that hurts and the sense of helplessness is here.
Today she raised her rear for a few moments, with her front
folded on the ground----most success seen.
Any reasonable hope??
Thank you.
:( [/b]
 
There's always hope.. and if she's trying to get up and can successfully get her "rear" up off the ground, I think you've got a good chance. If you can keep the predators off and keep her moving around some, she may make it. It could easily go either way.

Personally I don't care much for the hip lifters, although I know others have had good success with them.

Hang in there! It is Thanksgiving, after all.
 
sorry to hear this. ound like your doing all the right things. we had a limo one year, the calves diedand the mother couldnt get up. we had her up in the barn to calve. so the vet did his thing and we just fed her and hoped for the best. she was uable to get up and had to have her put down. just keep doing what your doing.
 
if she can get up some on her back end then there is definitely hope. i had one down for 3 weeks before and one night she got peed off and took off. she's going on 15.

ive seen a lot more get up than i've had to give up on.
 
Take this for what it's worth, but I'd stick her with a shot of banamine to help with with inflamation.

cfpinz
 
update;
as of last evening--she is still down.
the vet said she has a 10% chance.
This am. I will give her a 12cc shot of Dex.
Vet thinks if she isn't up by Monday-she will not get up.
he suggest I shoot her.
I do appreciate everyone's candor and hope. The more I know,
this situation lessens in anxiety. not to say this type of thing is
anything i would vote for to happen again.
I just hope my last heifer due soon will not have similar experience. that would be much!
 
SmokeStackFarms":3aie16a4 said:
update;
as of last evening--she is still down.
the vet said she has a 10% chance.
This am. I will give her a 12cc shot of Dex.
Vet thinks if she isn't up by Monday-she will not get up.
he suggest I shoot her.
I do appreciate everyone's candor and hope. The more I know,
this situation lessens in anxiety. not to say this type of thing is
anything i would vote for to happen again.
I just hope my last heifer due soon will not have similar experience. that would be much!

if you want her up at barn, roll her on sled and tie down and drag her to barn, turn her often each day,(important) keep her interested in food, keep her warm,(blanket) and maybe, just maybe you will have the good luck to save her. good nursing care is important, as these critters will live for sometime with it and if the pressure on nerve goes away, they can get up, but may fall again. if you get her to point she can stand, then the hi phuggers will steady her. cortisone, diuretics, good food, some water, all will help this long and sometimes disappointing predicament. others will say just shoot her, but i have saved one, that was down almost two weeks,(lots of work)
 
Oh how I wish things were better for you and your heifer, but alas, reality isn't always so..............been there done that, and like Beefy says, it can turn out good with some time, and more work and effort on your part.

The thing is, as sodfarmer said, get her to a safe place, a place away from predators, out of the weather and safe from hurting herself as she trys to get up. A sled is a great solution and have used them several times.........a simple 4x8 sheet of plywood with attachments works wonders, a neighbor with a tractor of course is most beneficial in this regard as well.

Bring her to a safe place, and use anything it takes to get the internal swelling down, banimine is great, even asprin if needed. As long as she is eating, drinking and interested in life, keep trying......as long as she is alive you have lost little,besides hard work, and it costs little more at this point to see if she will get back up.

Look at it this way. you can shoot her, and then it's over. you have spent money on feeding her, and now a vet bill etc. with NO return.........a total loss.................OR you can keep trying and of course possibly have the same result, OR, she may make it through it all, and in time 'earn' some of that money back...................at this point it only should take work, time, effort, and little in the way of drugs etc.

By the way, at this point, stay away from the dex, as it has a way of lowering the immune system, and making it much easier for an animal to pick up infections...look out for respiratory infections at this time as she is laying on the cold damp earth, and treat accordingly.

Good luck! :cboy:
 
I have a six year old cow that had the same problem with her first calf and she has had a calf every year since. Only problem is her tail is slightly bent from all the twisting we did on it to get her up. The fact that she was that way for a day or two doesn't bode tooo well. We took care of ours within hours.
 
I know there are many different circumstances, but I cannot imagine having an animal close to calving, and not seeing her at least DAILY.
Maybe this is a hard lesson learned - watch the next heifer closer. And, I would have heifers kept up closer for just such emergencies.
The vet is probably relunctant to give you much hope, because he/she doesn't want to make the "treck" out to see this animal in the thicket of briars! :shock:
 
Perhaps you are right-----BUT we don't live in a perfect world.
If a frog had wings--he wouldn't bump his tail when he jumped!!

Believe me This has not been a the good time!!!
I did not instruct my ladies to do this---but they have their way of doing their natural thing.
I have had numerous conferences w/ all the girls,
and the next heifer to be birthing-----
but I get no response except MOO!
They have all visited their sister and have given her all the Moos and bawling and encouragement a group of ladies could give!!

I can't say much more than humorous retorts --it hurts to much too much too cry!!
I agree with you but-------
 
Smokestack,
Please give us an update on your girl. Were you able to make a sled and get her to the barn?

I am praying for a miracle for you. I believe in them, as I have received many of them and it doesn't hurt to ask the Almighty for more.
 
Thank all of you for the support, encouragement,knowledge and prayers.
I don't care how long one does something, putting a animal down can be tough. If one embraces the responsibility of being
caretaker of God's creatures and something happens, whether it could have been prevented or not, it chokes!!
I hear the voices that speak like it is nothing--my response is:-yeah, you can compartmentalize it--experience it in mass quantities--or what ever----I say be real!! When you invest you $, time , & passion, and reply 'oh, well...'---then you aren't shooting straight.
Now, I am a real realist----"Life goes on within and w/out you"(george harrison).
The status of my girl who went down is: I put her out of her pain this pm.
I got her up a w/ hip-huggers --and the nerve damage had been only part of the problem---her right back leg appeared to have been possibly fractured when she first fell.
This was the defining moment.

Sidebar-PS-etc--My last heifer delivered beautiful 80lb
red heifer yesterday afternoon. the mom has an abandonment problem---we have them in a small corral--moma isn't doing right.We can't get moma's colestrum into the calve.
We tube feed her, bottle fed, but it is not looking promising.

another day in the life of....

Thanks for allowing me to share and thanks for all of you guys who don't mind showing heart...
 
Sorry to hear about your heifer. It happens.

As for the other heifer, were you able to milk her out by hand and feed it to the calf?

cfpinz
 
If I were you I would tie the heifer up with a halter. and even tie the legs so she can't kick. The calf will be hungry and will probably nurse.
 
tying up mom was what we worked on---need more helpers; my wife & i could not get the feet----she was kicking--i grabbed a few udders ---but as you know--a cow doesn't give milk--you have to work hard for it.
i got a couple of squirts & and a few near kicks.
in a few minutes we will try again....yesterday was a full day
 
SmokeStackFarms":m6kupehz said:
tying up mom was what we worked on---need more helpers; my wife & i could not get the feet----she was kicking--i grabbed a few udders ---but as you know--a cow doesn't give milk--you have to work hard for it.
i got a couple of squirts & and a few near kicks.
in a few minutes we will try again....yesterday was a full day
Throw a rope with a loop in one end over her back and bring it up just in front of her udder. Put the tag end of the rope throw the loop and pull it tight. When you think it's tight, give it another yank/pull. Rope should be between 1/4 and 3/8 inch in diameter.
 

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