Calf died, Ideas?

[3MR]

Has a two month calf die Sunday morning. Not sure why.

Calf was a freebie with a broken leg. I got it about a week after it was born. It scoured up when I first got it, but then the scours cleared up.

Its been on 12% creep and calf manna.

Its been a little sick for about a week, it was on day four of antibiotics. I first noticed it was week and put it back on the bottle and started electrolytes and and antibiotics. I didnt notice any scours, but it might have been.

Sat evening I found it by the feeder lethargic and not moving. It looked like it had been having siezures. I fed it some milk replacer with lots of water. It perked up a bit, but still wasnt moving anything other than its eyes and ears and couldnt hold it head up. A few hours later I gave it electrolytes. About 30 minutes later it had a siezure and started kicking violently. About every hour or so it would do this. I gave it electrolytes until it was urinating. I checke don it about 4 AM Sunday and it was the same. I checked again about 630 and it had just died. There was no fever.

Prior to Sat evening it was running around and eating with all the others.

Any ideas.

 

[cfpinz]

The first thing that comes to mind would be blackleg but I'd be interested to see what others say.

cfpinz

 

[3MR]

The first thing that comes to mind would be blackleg but I'd be interested to see what others say.

cfpinz

I thought of that, but there was no heat or fever and prior to dropping he had a really good appetite and would chase you across the padock for his bottle. he was also still eating the calf manna and creep, ocassional grass, but I dont know how much.

 

[3MR]

Anybody?

Wild guesses?

My wife is going crazy wanting to know what killed this calf, and I must admit I am at a loss. Am I missing the obvious?

 

[Howdyjabo]

There is a weird thing that can happen very rarely with broken bones. A vet discribed it to me years ago when a pup I had did close to the same thing. It had "something" to do with some kind of clot that built up close to the break during healing--- turning loose and traveling where it caused health problems. First the lungs then the brain. It was a longggggggg time ago and I can't remember the exact details.

Big stretch that its what really happened-- but maybe it'll be good enough to feed to your wife so she can go on to worrying about something else she can actually do something about

 

[3MR]

There is a weird thing that can happen very rarely with broken bones. A vet discribed it to me years ago when a pup I had did close to the same thing. It had "something" to do with some kind of clot that built up close to the break during healing--- turning loose and traveling where it caused health problems. First the lungs then the brain. It was a longggggggg time ago and I can't remember the exact details.

Big stretch that its what really happened-- but maybe it'll be good enough to feed to your wife so she can go on to worrying about something else she can actually do something about

Thanks, she will feel better if she thinks there was nothign she could do. She is killing herself for not staying up with it all night.

Im still at a lose for what the actual reason was though.

 

[jt]

i had one die yesterday kinda suddenly. looked a little down the day before. i gave her a shot of a180. she looked like she could be breathing a little harder than normal, but it wasnt much more than normal and could have been me looking for a reason to give her a shot cause of her looking a little down.

found her and it looked like she had been struggling on the ground. she was about 3 inches prolaped from her rectum and a small amount of foam on her mouth.

dont know if she had seizures like yours did or not. i am at a loss as to what she died from.


jt

 

[ALACOWMAN]

not trying too put a guilt trip on you. cause ive lost a few myself. but i think loading up on antibotics and other meds screws up a young'ns gut killing the good bacteria just a thought but ive seen em die before just my experiance in the past but it makes sence too me. but what can you do but the best you can. and sounds like you did

 

[3MR]

not trying too put a guilt trip on you. cause ive lost a few myself. but i think loading up on antibotics and other meds screws up a young'ns gut killing the good bacteria just a thought but ive seen em die before just my experiance in the past but it makes sence too me. but what can you do but the best you can. and sounds like you did

Maybe, it had crossed my mind. My wife is the one with the guilt trip. She talked to someone at work though who said he might lose 25 out of a 100 bottle calfs, which made her feel better about our efforts though.

I dont feel guilty at all, but would like to know what caused it if possible. I have kept a real good eye on the three others it was with before it looked sick and they are all doing well. No problems with any that it shared a fence line with either. The fence line ones are Angus or crosses that were still on momma so that probably helps.

I guess everything has a time and that just happened to be that calves time

 

[GMN]

Has a two month calf die Sunday morning. Not sure why.

Calf was a freebie with a broken leg. I got it about a week after it was born. It scoured up when I first got it, but then the scours cleared up.

Its been on 12% creep and calf manna.

Its been a little sick for about a week, it was on day four of antibiotics. I first noticed it was week and put it back on the bottle and started electrolytes and and antibiotics. I didnt notice any scours, but it might have been.

Sat evening I found it by the feeder lethargic and not moving. It looked like it had been having siezures. I fed it some milk replacer with lots of water. It perked up a bit, but still wasnt moving anything other than its eyes and ears and couldnt hold it head up. A few hours later I gave it electrolytes. About 30 minutes later it had a siezure and started kicking violently. About every hour or so it would do this. I gave it electrolytes until it was urinating. I checke don it about 4 AM Sunday and it was the same. I checked again about 630 and it had just died. There was no fever.

Prior to Sat evening it was running around and eating with all the others.

Any ideas.

The seizures make me wonder if it didn't eat something that didn't agree with it, caused bloat, or some other stomach problem. Being it was lethargic, first makes me believe it got a bug, caused diarrhea, which caused it to get weak, doesn't take long, and sometimes there isn't a whole lot to be done when they get this bad off. Sounds like your wife did her best, don't feel bad.

GMN