Texan
Well-known member
Okay, here's a calf mystery for you guys to solve. Calf is two months old, Charolais/Beefmaster cross, and was cut the day he was born. When he was about ten days old, I found him sick with a runny nose, eyes, droopy ears---typical respiratory symptoms. Temp was 103.4 and I treated him with Micotil and some Probios. Two days later he didn't appear any better, so I penned him and checked him again. Temp was 104.9 and he obviously hadn't reponded to the Micotil, so I backed up and hit him with LA200 and a shot of Banamine that time to give him some relief from his temp. That seemed to do the trick.
Until two weeks later. That was branding day for my late calves, so he got branded, poured, Bovishield Gold 5 and Alpha7. He didn't seem too thrifty so I checked his temp again. A little high at 103.8, but it was after being worked, so I just left him up so I could keep an eye on him.
He seemed to be doing okay for a couple of weeks, but I noticed him develping some swelling in his navel. When I penned him that time, his temp was back to 104 and he had an obvious navel infection. I hit him hard with LA200 every 48 hours for three treatments and he responded well. The navel infection cleared up and his temp got back to normal.
Until two weeks later, on Monday of last week. I found him obviously sick and weak. No sign of any navel problems and no sign of anything respiratory---just obviously not feeling too good. I got him up to follow his momma to the pens (about 1/2 mile). He walked into the pens but had a lot of trouble making it. He was wobbling bad and his back legs were really giving him trouble as if he were very weak. He made it into the pens, stumbled and fell, and he hasn't gotten up since.
His temp was 101.9, and I considered that pretty low since it was the middle of the day and because of all the walking he had done. He had a dead smell to him and I felt like he was just almost dead and that's why his temp was so low. I went ahead and gave him a what-the-hell shot of Nuflor, just based on the fact that I knew that he had previously had an infection. I went down there the next morning to drag him off, but he was still alive and his temp was down to 101.5. He still couldn't get up by himself, so we started bottling him since he was too weak to stand up to suck. I gave him a second shot of Nuflor after 48 hours just to be sure it wasn't some type of infection.
His temperature has steadily been going down---this morning it was down to 99.9 and I checked it twice just to be sure. It seems to keep going lower and lower every day and his legs are always cold to the touch, as if he has poor circulation. He has a very good appetite and has never failed to drain a bottle, or even two. He just can't stand up on his own and can't even hold himself up when we help him stand up.
My wife and I get him up and make him stand three times a day for his bottle and try to work his legs some until he gets too weak and tries to lay down. He seems to have more strength in his front legs than his back, but all four will knuckle over when we stand him up. He has some use of his back legs because I've grabbed him by them to drag him around and he can kick at me with both of them, but he doesn't seem to have any control over them while trying to stand.
I guess it's human nature to want to try to correlate these things with previous problems, but I'm just not sure it has anything to do with the other ailments I've treated him for. I thought spinal problem, but there's no visible injury, swelling, etc. anywhere along his spine or in any joint. I can't tell that he's been kicked, stepped on, snakebit, nothing obvious. I really don't feel like my vet would do anything that I haven't done and he's too far gone for me to waste any diagnostic money on. But he's got too good of an appetite for me to quit trying.
I've always felt like a calf or cow will tell me when they're ready to give up, but this one is clear-eyed and hungry all the time. As long as one eats, I've always felt like I could get them over most anything. I hate to give up, but he's running out of time.
Until two weeks later. That was branding day for my late calves, so he got branded, poured, Bovishield Gold 5 and Alpha7. He didn't seem too thrifty so I checked his temp again. A little high at 103.8, but it was after being worked, so I just left him up so I could keep an eye on him.
He seemed to be doing okay for a couple of weeks, but I noticed him develping some swelling in his navel. When I penned him that time, his temp was back to 104 and he had an obvious navel infection. I hit him hard with LA200 every 48 hours for three treatments and he responded well. The navel infection cleared up and his temp got back to normal.
Until two weeks later, on Monday of last week. I found him obviously sick and weak. No sign of any navel problems and no sign of anything respiratory---just obviously not feeling too good. I got him up to follow his momma to the pens (about 1/2 mile). He walked into the pens but had a lot of trouble making it. He was wobbling bad and his back legs were really giving him trouble as if he were very weak. He made it into the pens, stumbled and fell, and he hasn't gotten up since.
His temp was 101.9, and I considered that pretty low since it was the middle of the day and because of all the walking he had done. He had a dead smell to him and I felt like he was just almost dead and that's why his temp was so low. I went ahead and gave him a what-the-hell shot of Nuflor, just based on the fact that I knew that he had previously had an infection. I went down there the next morning to drag him off, but he was still alive and his temp was down to 101.5. He still couldn't get up by himself, so we started bottling him since he was too weak to stand up to suck. I gave him a second shot of Nuflor after 48 hours just to be sure it wasn't some type of infection.
His temperature has steadily been going down---this morning it was down to 99.9 and I checked it twice just to be sure. It seems to keep going lower and lower every day and his legs are always cold to the touch, as if he has poor circulation. He has a very good appetite and has never failed to drain a bottle, or even two. He just can't stand up on his own and can't even hold himself up when we help him stand up.
My wife and I get him up and make him stand three times a day for his bottle and try to work his legs some until he gets too weak and tries to lay down. He seems to have more strength in his front legs than his back, but all four will knuckle over when we stand him up. He has some use of his back legs because I've grabbed him by them to drag him around and he can kick at me with both of them, but he doesn't seem to have any control over them while trying to stand.
I guess it's human nature to want to try to correlate these things with previous problems, but I'm just not sure it has anything to do with the other ailments I've treated him for. I thought spinal problem, but there's no visible injury, swelling, etc. anywhere along his spine or in any joint. I can't tell that he's been kicked, stepped on, snakebit, nothing obvious. I really don't feel like my vet would do anything that I haven't done and he's too far gone for me to waste any diagnostic money on. But he's got too good of an appetite for me to quit trying.
I've always felt like a calf or cow will tell me when they're ready to give up, but this one is clear-eyed and hungry all the time. As long as one eats, I've always felt like I could get them over most anything. I hate to give up, but he's running out of time.
Possible abscess on liver from infected navel. Tylan is drug
