Bottle calf! Some say I'm crazy...

[Chevy]

I know right?!
They always get a kick outta me loading em up in truck too!

O! And @Chevy did u end up selling Chevy?
Maybe name this one Ford and keep him FOREVER!!!

NO!!! NO!! Please don't anything but the f word. Makes my ears hurt!!!

 

[Chevy]

I know right?!
They always get a kick outta me loading em up in truck too!

O! And @Chevy did u end up selling Chevy?
Maybe name this one Ford and keep him FOREVER!!!

What you have a Subaru? Ford? Something else? Name her Subie. SubE. Not sure on the spelling.
Naw, right now Chevy cost .75 a day... I may set her up a gofundme or get a sign on the corner so we can feed her. Bahahahaha.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Wow. This is not expected.
In the time it took me to get to town and get milk,(yes, I was out of milk replacer) that calf bloated (and I mean he was aired up something fierce!) and was dead as a freaking doornail, by the time I got home.

I hesitated to post this, but it's a learning experience.
For me, as well as anyone who may be reading....

Makes no sense. He was very alert. Bright eyed. Bushy tailed. BUT! He appeared maybe just SLIGHTLY bloated to my eyes. I just thought for sure I'd come home and he would be ready for a bottle. I can tell it appears he was pushing to poop. His behind is bulging like he was trying to poop. Unbelievable! Never had this happen. And that's how one gains experience. I should've tubed him b4 I went anywhere or did anything I guess. Lesson learned the hard way. Sorry guys...

 

[Hpacres440p]

Wow. This is not expected.
In the time it took me to get to town and get milk,(yes, I was out of milk replacer) that calf bloated (and I mean he was aired up something fierce!) and was dead as a freaking doornail, by the time I got home.

I hesitated to post this, but it's a learning experience.
For me, as well as anyone who may be reading....

Makes no sense. He was very alert. Bright eyed. Bushy tailed. BUT! He appeared maybe just SLIGHTLY bloated to my eyes. I just thought for sure I'd come home and he would be ready for a bottle. I can tell it appears he was pushing to poop. His behind is bulging like he was trying to poop. Unbelievable! Never had this happen. And that's how one gains experience. I should've tubed him b4 I went anywhere or did anything I guess. Lesson learned the hard way. Sorry guys...

That's a tough one-sorry @MurraysMutts. Those bottle calves always seem to bloom with your guidance. Tough to lose.

 

[MurraysMutts]

That's a tough one-sorry @MurraysMutts. Those bottle calves always seem to bloom with your guidance. Tough to lose.

Thanks for the kind words.

Wish I could've got to know him a little b4 he croaked!

 

[Buck Randall]

Wow. This is not expected.
In the time it took me to get to town and get milk,(yes, I was out of milk replacer) that calf bloated (and I mean he was aired up something fierce!) and was dead as a freaking doornail, by the time I got home.

I hesitated to post this, but it's a learning experience.
For me, as well as anyone who may be reading....

Makes no sense. He was very alert. Bright eyed. Bushy tailed. BUT! He appeared maybe just SLIGHTLY bloated to my eyes. I just thought for sure I'd come home and he would be ready for a bottle. I can tell it appears he was pushing to poop. His behind is bulging like he was trying to poop. Unbelievable! Never had this happen. And that's how one gains experience. I should've tubed him b4 I went anywhere or did anything I guess. Lesson learned the hard way. Sorry guys...

If it makes you feel any better, tubing him wasn't likely to have helped at all. Bloating in calves that age is usually caused by Clostridium perfringens. You can let the bloat off with a tube, but they'll bloat right back up immediately. Regardless, they don't die from the bloat itself, but the toxins produced by the bacteria. Usually by the time you know something is wrong, they can't be saved.

It's caused by bad hygiene and inconsistent feeding. Most likely his previous owner let you both down.

 

[TCRanch]

Dang, @MurraysMutts, I'm so sorry!

 

[MurraysMutts]

@Buck Randall thank you for the info! I'll keep a better eye on what I buy.

Thanks @TCRanch
It's unpleasant for sure. But I was telling my buddy, I've wasted a whole lot more on coke n ho-ho's.... I like twinkies too tho

 

[Shoestring]

True on the waste more $ elsewhere. I may have been saved from this. I had Cowboys pull some of my crayons today. A young calf slipped out, and I mentioned that maybe I would just keep him. Cowboy said that it would probably bloat and be a loss.
Cowboy went out of his way to have success today. I'm learning not to buy 5/5 crayons. And now, young and bloating. Lessons are expensive! Doesn't hurt any less. Thanks for posting.

 

[Shoestring]

True on the waste more $ elsewhere. I may have been saved from this. I had Cowboys pull some of my crayons today. A young calf slipped out, and I mentioned that maybe I would just keep him. Cowboy said that it would probably bloat and be a loss.
Cowboy went out of his way to have success today. I'm learning not to buy 5/5 crayons. And now, young and bloating. Lessons are expensive! Doesn't hurt any less. Thanks for posting.

Oh, the truck I had in Oklahoma would be perfect for you. no brakes, AND no floor boards. No cleaning..

 

[Chevy]

@MurraysMutts Ford... I tried to tell you it was a bad name. Found on right dead. *sad. I about cried and laughed at the same time. Inappropriate I was thinking about you saying you may name it Ford. When young calves pass its hard I don't care who you are. It's bad when your attached to them, it's bad when their brand new, it's bad when they are older. It's one the hard part of cows. Thanks for letting up know. It sucks I was looking forward to this one.

 

[Buck Randall]

Now you need to get another calf before your milk replacer spoils.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

Count your blessings and get back on the horse, Better Luck next Rodeo..

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

No wonder he looked so good in the pictures - he was slightly bloated.

Sorry Murray.

 

[Chevy]

@MurraysMutts When I looked back at the pictures looks like a tiny bubble started about his hip. I wouldn't have noticed, maybe something to watch for in the future. We had some bloat from feed... somebody help me understand this. Frothy bloat... bacteria and free gas? You can give vegetable oil to frothy bloat correct? We just gave ours vegetable oil, they got better in time. That was a rough year...had 40 lost 11 cows. Oowwweee. On top of 50 chickens got killed by a hawk. Children learned farm life pretty fast.

 

[MurraysMutts]

@MurraysMutts When I looked back at the pictures looks like a tiny bubble started about his hip. I wouldn't have noticed, maybe something to watch for in the future. We had some bloat from feed... somebody help me understand this. Frothy bloat... bacteria and free gas? You can give vegetable oil to frothy bloat correct? We just gave ours vegetable oil, they got better in time. That was a rough year...had 40 lost 11 cows. Oowwweee. On top of 50 chickens got killed by a hawk. Children learned farm life pretty fast.

Yep. The one I gave the neighbor boys bloated up bad a couple times. We tubed him for a couple days. Oiled him up. He finally crapped....
That's when I found out about soy protein in milk replacer. Some calves WILL BLOAT because they can't digest it properly!

Alway always use all milk protein, milk replacer. It ain't that much more and the calf will do so much better!

I suspect this may have been the case with this calf. As well as the irregular feeding that @Buck Randall mentioned. (Probly why the calf was sold. No time to care for it properly) No way to tell on hygiene or cleanliness, but I'd bet the bottles weren't washed properly either.

 

[Chevy]

Yep. The one I gave the neighbor boys bloated up bad a couple times. We tubed him for a couple days. Oiled him up. He finally crapped....
That's when I found out about soy protein in milk replacer. Some calves WILL BLOAT because they can't digest it properly!

Alway always use all milk protein, milk replacer. It ain't that much more and the calf will do so much better!

I suspect this may have been the case with this calf. As well as the irregular feeding that @Buck Randall mentioned. (Probly why the calf was sold. No time to care for it properly) No way to tell on hygiene or cleanliness, but I'd bet the bottles weren't washed properly either.

Yes, sir we had a couple didn't realize about the soy protein milk replacement. We switched them to protein they had a rough time got real sick bounce back a few times than didn't. Bad time when your basically trying everything to save them and can't. Lucky and Obama wasn't so Lucky. Live and learn all we can do. Lucky my husband thought had passed on she wasn't moving had got real bad eyes bad and all. He went to get the tractor. I was sitting there talking to her rubbing her head telling her all about how she was a good cow and farewell yada yada yada. She raised her head up... That was strange. My husband thought I was messing when I said she was alive.

 

[Silver]

Sorry about your luck Murray, that's a bad deal.

I know you weren't there to intervene but I have saved several by letting the air out with a needle and giving antibiotics both orally and by injection. Not really sure just how effective it is to dump antibiotics down the gullet but I'm afraid to change my routine.

 

[TCRanch]

Somewhat lengthy, but detailed information on clostridial diseases in calves. Years ago, I lost a calf to Type D/overeating disease.

<i>Clostridium perfringens</i> Infections in Baby Calves

By Russ Daly, DVM, Extension Veterinarian and Lori Rotert, Pre-Veterinary Student. South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service. Illnesses and death losses in baby calves are significant problems for pr

www.thecattlesite.com

 

[MurraysMutts]

Sorry about your luck Murray, that's a bad deal.

I know you weren't there to intervene but I have saved several by letting the air out with a needle and giving antibiotics both orally and by injection. Not really sure just how effective it is to dump antibiotics down the gullet but I'm afraid to change my routine.

Same neighbors calf ate his share of penicillin. I wasn't there for the specifics but that's what I was told. I'm still in disbelief. I mean it was like 3 hours. SO WEIRD!
I'd a dang sure tubed him had I thought that's what was up. Every one I've seen bloated up, is lethargic and very uncomfortable looking for quite a while.