big trouble

[cow cow 592]

I need some help with my miniture cow... She is stumbling around her stall, her back legs are locked up, and when she is laying down, she puts her head to the side, and her eyes roll half way back..... Can anyone help?

 

[cow cow 592]

No, she is not having any type of convulsions.... I am trying to get a Vet out, but being Sunday PM it is not easy... I gave her some Banamine, per talking to a vet i few hours from here... Any suggestions? Have you ever heard of a cow locking up in its rear?

 

[ollie']

Sounds like tetanus. If it is you are too late to make a difference. She will begin to have shallow labored breaths as her muscles quit working. Get the vet out asap to make sure. It could be something else where you could save her.

 

[cow cow 592]

What are the signs and symptoms of tetanus?

 

[ollie']

One of the most notable to me is that the inner eyelid is slow responding. They take on a sawhorse type gate where they don't flex their legs but kind of peg around. They can't open their mouth very far to eat or drink and they don't use their neck much. General stiffness. The lack of muscle expansion of the chest cavity to expand their lungs is usually their downfall . They suffocate.

 

[ollie']

Has she had any open wound where she would have been exposed to tetanus

 

[ollie']

Well I guess you are gone but I assume you'll be back after going to the barn. If she hasn't had a wound, it probably isn't tetanus. I read some of your other posts, where she is grazing in the yard. I see you are from Fl. so I'll make another assumption and assume it is lush in the yard. It could be grass tetany. Here is a link to the discription.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/DS137

 

[cow cow 592]

since we have given her the banimine, she has settled down. she is eating. its cold here in fl tonight so we covered her and bedded her down with extra shavings and straw. plan to take her to a vet in the morning. they are hard to find sometimes for emergency help around here. we are also thinking that her past nutritional habits were not up to par. may be lacking in salt/hay/feed we dont know.l

 

[milkmaid]

Little more information is always helpful. Age of animal. Feed animal has been eating. Calved recently, or not. Pregnant or open. Any and all drugs animal has received recently or because of whatever suspected problem. And so forth.

 

[cow cow 592]

this is a mini cow. about 1 1/2 year old. bought from an auction for our daughter. don't know the background. was stressed and treated for this by a vet--four days of gradual worming and antibiotics this was 2 wks ago. she has been eating hay and some pasture 'not much' .

 

[Farmhand]

Is this the same one that is losing her hair and how did you go from being 13 in that thread to having a daughter in this thread?

 

[cow cow 592]

i am 13 i was asleep my mom was on here . this is mom editing now.. i did not know she found this sight when she did, i was in the barn etc.. thank you all though for working with her.

 

[toby]

I had steer yearling that had a simuliar problem. The Vet identified the condition as Seizures, gave him some shots (don't remember what) suspected cause was from Johnson grass or other early grasses in the pasture. My results were not good, he died two days later.