I had a question for all of you out there. We had a 7 year old cow that we thought was bloated. She showed all the signs of bloat so we called the vet and he inserted the thing, and I forget the name of it, into her stomach to relieve the gas. About an hour later or less she up and died. I was wondering if you all thought that maybe there was something else wrong with her, or if maybe the vet didnt do something right. Or, it could have been that she just died because of bloat, but after inserting it, she lost alot of her bloated look. If anyone has any opinions on this I would love to hear them. I am fairly new in the cattle business but I have never heard of a cow dying of bloat like this. Thanks for your thoughts.
bloat
- Thread starter farm girl
- Start date
Workinonit Farm
Well-known member
How long was she bloated before the vet came? It's possible that the damage was already done before the bloat was relieved.
Katherine
Katherine
Bama
Well-known member
Did she by any chance have a impacted gut?
jerry27150
Well-known member
did he have trouble getting the hose down the right hole & maybe puncture a lung first or maybe she belched some up & it went down in her lungs. causes mechanical pneumonia
I will try and answer all the questions that I can remember were asked. We noticed her off by herself that morning and checked her through the day and she was up and walking around, eating; just by herself. At around 3 she was down and couldnt get up easy so we called the vet and he came over, went to check her age and she got up, so we put her in the coral for him to work on and he said he thought she was fine, just to give her food and water and check her. The next morning she was way worse, couldnt get up so we called him again. He came over inserted the thing between the ribs, preg checked her and left and within an hour or less she was dead. I know bloat can kill quickly, but I didnt realize it was still that dangerous after she had been relieved of the gas. Thanks for all the help and reply's. I am still learning about cattle and everything I learn I try and store away for future use.
bward
Well-known member
You mean he used a trocar? I didn't think vets used that anymore for bloat.
another question. When he "worked on her" in the corral the day before she died... just what did he do?
most curious
He didnt do anything the day before in the coral. He said that she was up and walking and that would do more good for her than anything. He said to make sure she had food and water and check her the next morning. We tried to get him to at least check her out, but I think he was scared of her to be truthful. I am not sure if it was a trocar? or not. It was a plastic thing with threads. He cut a hole in between her last ribs and screwed it in. It had a hole that allowed the air to escape but after she died there was a bunch of fluid. I figured this was the frothy stuff from the gas.
bward
Well-known member
Ohhhhhhh :roll:
I don't understand using a trocar... they so often die of peritonitis, or other infection. I have treated hundreds of bloat using a speculum, a long plastic tube and a stomach pump and have not lost one yet. Once you learn how, it is very simple to do. Restrain the animal and insert a speculum into their mouth and throat, insert the tube until you reach the area of the rumen and play it back and forth inches at a time to try to locate the air pocket. Sometimes you will find one and sometimes you won't. If its frothy bloat , you may end up with the tube filling up with green foam, then you have to pull it out and try again. Regardless of the results you still need to get some medication in there. Generally, a few cups of mineral oil and a half a cup of dishwashing liquid and a half a gallon of water stirred together makes a good concoction. If they are really bad I will sometimes put in half a bottle of "Bloat ease" Attach the end of the tube to the stomach pump and pump it in there. Their sides are usually flat as a pancake within half an hour of treating.
Anyway sorry for your loss. I get ticked when vets do half a job.
I don't understand using a trocar... they so often die of peritonitis, or other infection. I have treated hundreds of bloat using a speculum, a long plastic tube and a stomach pump and have not lost one yet. Once you learn how, it is very simple to do. Restrain the animal and insert a speculum into their mouth and throat, insert the tube until you reach the area of the rumen and play it back and forth inches at a time to try to locate the air pocket. Sometimes you will find one and sometimes you won't. If its frothy bloat , you may end up with the tube filling up with green foam, then you have to pull it out and try again. Regardless of the results you still need to get some medication in there. Generally, a few cups of mineral oil and a half a cup of dishwashing liquid and a half a gallon of water stirred together makes a good concoction. If they are really bad I will sometimes put in half a bottle of "Bloat ease" Attach the end of the tube to the stomach pump and pump it in there. Their sides are usually flat as a pancake within half an hour of treating.
Anyway sorry for your loss. I get ticked when vets do half a job.
jerry27150
Well-known member
think i would get a different vet
preston39
Well-known member
farmgirl,
I don't believe the procedure killed her. Peritonitis/infection..while deadly... would take a few days...2-3-4 in my opinion. Sounds like the bloat damage was done already before the procedure....or something else. Have you determined what caused the bloat?
Don't hesitate to call another vet in another area /clinic/university and get the details evaluated..without names mentioned. However, they would want to know what procedure was performed..so be prepared.
Sorry for your loss....sometimes it is part of the program.
I don't believe the procedure killed her. Peritonitis/infection..while deadly... would take a few days...2-3-4 in my opinion. Sounds like the bloat damage was done already before the procedure....or something else. Have you determined what caused the bloat?
Don't hesitate to call another vet in another area /clinic/university and get the details evaluated..without names mentioned. However, they would want to know what procedure was performed..so be prepared.
Sorry for your loss....sometimes it is part of the program.
bward
Well-known member
Preston I don't think the proceedure killed her either. Sorry for the confusion. I just think using a trocar is a very antique and outdated way of treating bloat. Of course an infection won't ocour for a few days. I was annoyed about the ineptness of the veterinarian to make an accurate diagnosis and to treat the animal correctly.
preston39
Well-known member
bward,
Agreed. your points are well made. Seems like at times we are required to look after our professionals.....i've seen some questionable things in my times. Our self ...."edumacation"... can't stop...i guess. :roll: What is one to do.
Agreed. your points are well made. Seems like at times we are required to look after our professionals.....i've seen some questionable things in my times. Our self ...."edumacation"... can't stop...i guess. :roll: What is one to do.
Thanks to all of you that responded. We are trying to find a different vet. We are from a really small town and the vet is only a couple of miles from our farm and he will drive over and help, which made it convenient but we have had a few problems and this was the last time I think. The problem is finding someone who will come to the farm and work on the animals. They all want us to load them and bring them in and most of you know that when you have an animal down its not always easy just to get them in the trailer and haul them. Again, thanks for the responses.
