Calf problems

[cowgurl]

We had a calf (hereford) born yesterday afternoon. The calf looked healthy and was up and running around by chore time. Checked on it after chores and it was on it's side with it's legs straight out, cold and it's head twisted back. We gave it penicilin last night. It was dead this morning. We had something similar last year - different mother. We gave it antibiotics and bottle fed it for almost a week. It didn't make it. We just wrote it off as something was wrong that we couldn't fix. Vet is coming this afternoon for an autopsy. Any ideas?

 

[stocky]

my two thoughts would be:
1. did it get milk from it's mother? had it sucked or if it did suck, did it get milk? sometimes the teats are stopped up.

2. did it get hurt? maybe a cow kicked it or stepped on it or hurt it somehow, i have had this happen also.

 

[cowgurl]

The vet did an autopsy and found milk in the stomach, so it had eaten. We had feed it last night after we found out about its problem. It died before the milk even reached the bowels. The vet thinks it might be BVD. Does that explain the neurological problems? We ordered some vaccines and plan to vacinate the last pregnant cow, and then the whole heard(7). The upcoming pregancy is from the same cow that the problem started with.

 

[cowgurl]

We thought that the last calf that died had got stepped on.That one did not develop symptoms till about a day later.But this calf has the same symptoms as the other but quicker. The one that recently died had a hoof deformity, like a blood blister. My son supports the idea that it got stepped on. He argues that the Cow that the problem started with is the one that is doing it. The calf that died last year did not develop symptoms until it was moved into a pen with only her and her calf. We also have another cow that is older and very defensive of her calves. Wether it be other cow or people. If we come and stand by the pen she will throw a fit by pawing at the ground and snorting at us. That would explain her calves had never had problems. Last year we brought the cow that had problems this year into the barn to have her calf and she did not have any problems