Calf with a bad wheeze

[Nesikep]

I've got a month old calf with a bad wheeze, she's alert and nursing, it's not in the lung, it's in the larynx.. wondering if she got some hay poked sideways in there and has an abscess in her throat.. I gave her trivetrin a few days ago, then got draxxin and gave her a shot of that, really not seeing much improvement, Sent this same video to my vet and he hasn't gotten back to me (always the same story, very hard to deal with)
Any ideas?
https://youtu.be/PQqsaTF_RXE

 

[Buck Randall]

The wheezing causes irritation, the irritation causes swelling, the swelling causes wheezing....

Laryngeal abscesses are tough to treat. I usually find that they need to be on antibiotics for 3 or more weeks. I always give an anti-inflammatory, usually dexamethasone. Helps calm down that cycle of wheezing and inflammation.

 

[Nesikep]

The wheezing causes irritation, the irritation causes swelling, the swelling causes wheezing....

Laryngeal abscesses are tough to treat. I usually find that they need to be on antibiotics for 3 or more weeks. I always give an anti-inflammatory, usually dexamethasone. Helps calm down that cycle of wheezing and inflammation.

She got meloxicam last night, they don't recommend giving dex for more than 1 or two shots.. It was suggested that it's diphtheria, which seems to match the symptoms.. Merck vet manual says a tracheostomy is recommended for helping them breathe.. I don't know how she'd do with a 1 1/2 hour trip to the vet

 

[Buck Randall]

The wheezing causes irritation, the irritation causes swelling, the swelling causes wheezing....

Laryngeal abscesses are tough to treat. I usually find that they need to be on antibiotics for 3 or more weeks. I always give an anti-inflammatory, usually dexamethasone. Helps calm down that cycle of wheezing and inflammation.

She got meloxicam last night, they don't recommend giving dex for more than 1 or two shots.. It was suggested that it's diphtheria, which seems to match the symptoms.. Merck vet manual says a tracheostomy is recommended for helping them breathe.. I don't know how she'd do with a 1 1/2 hour trip to the vet

Meloxicam should work as well as anything, and it's safer to give for a few days in a row. I've never attempted a tracheostomy on a calf. Let me know how it goes if you and your vet choose to go that route.

 

[Nesikep]

Daily dose on the meloxicam? instruction booklet doesn't tell me squat

 

[Nesikep]

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/respiratory-system/respiratory-diseases-of-cattle/necrotic-laryngitis-in-cattle

 

[Silver]

Daily dose on the meloxicam? instruction booklet doesn't tell me squat

I thought 3 days apart.

 

[darcelina4]

Calf diphtheria. sustain 3 every 3 days for 2 to 3 weeks was a good treatment but now you cant get the blue calf size sustain 3. You can give smz everyday. They dissolve in water to make a paste you can drench her with

 

[Aaron]

Diphtheria. Nuflor and Metacam every 3 days for 2-3 rounds. If it doesn't get better after couple rounds than you will just have to live with it, unless you want to do a trach operation like Buck suggests. I don't go throwing money like that into stocker calves.

One of those things, you have to know what your dealing with and get on it early for 100% recovery. I usually get one case a year.

 

[Nesikep]

Diphtheria. Nuflor and Metacam every 3 days for 2-3 rounds. If it doesn't get better after couple rounds than you will just have to live with it, unless you want to do a trach operation like Buck suggests. I don't go throwing money like that into stocker calves.

One of those things, you have to know what your dealing with and get on it early for 100% recovery. I usually get one case a year.

Yeah, I hear you!.. I'm giving her 5cc oral metacam daily...

Here's what my vet said about surgery... HOLY $%^$%^$%$%$%$%

 

[TCRanch]

Diphtheria. Nuflor and Metacam every 3 days for 2-3 rounds. If it doesn't get better after couple rounds than you will just have to live with it, unless you want to do a trach operation like Buck suggests. I don't go throwing money like that into stocker calves.

One of those things, you have to know what your dealing with and get on it early for 100% recovery. I usually get one case a year.

Yeah, I hear you!.. I'm giving her 5cc oral metacam daily...

Here's what my vet said about surgery... HOLY $%^$%^$%$%$%$%

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: Ain't no way!

 

[Ned Jr.]

Did you have to pull this calf?

 

[Nesikep]

Did you have to pull this calf?

nope, first calf heifer, had it by herself in the field

 

[Nesikep]

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: Ain't no way!

Yeah, my jaw dropped, it may have dislocated

 

[nimblebowls]

Respiratory disease in cattle and calves is very common. So I guess it's normal and nothing to worry about. Taking care of your calf means taking care of yourself too. Keep safe.

 

[Nesikep]

Respiratory disease in cattle and calves is very common. So I guess it's normal and nothing to worry about. Taking care of your calf means taking care of yourself too. Keep safe.

I've never had this in 30 years.. not like this anyhow (had pneumonia in others, but that looks different).. Now I know to get on it sooner, and how to diagnose it.

 

[Nesikep]

I ended up putting the calf down last sunday, couldn't bear the sound of her hardly getting a breath and sounding like crap, wasn't improving...
I adopted the male twin to the cow, it's been a week long fight but I'm winning... the calf is 2 months old, tough, smart and determined so that really helps

 

[Katpau]

I had one that sounded exactly like that a few years back. I tried to find the video, but it must be on an old computer. Anyway, it sounded like that for several months, but she continued to eat and grow normally. We tried treating it with several products recommended by my Vet with no results. Diptheria was suggested as a possibility but not confirmed. Since it appeared otherwise healthy I dismissed that and thought there must be something stuck in her throat. I Finally gave up and turned them out with the rest of the herd. After awhile it got better and I could only hear it when she was nursing. Then it stopped even while nursing. We never figured out what caused it, but by the time the calves were sold at weaning, she was fully recovered. The guy that buys my calves as stockers never had an issue with her either. I don't know how she did in the feedlot.

 

[TCRanch]

Sorry 'bout that, Nesi. Sucks to have to put one down when you tried so hard but some times it's the right thing to do.

 

[wbvs58]

Sorry you had to do that Nesi. Did you cut her open to try and see exactly what happened around the larynx and trachea?

Ken