Cow not eating (hurt tongue??)

[anac1979]

I'd like to thank those of you who tried to help and give me suggestions about how to help her and to those of you who just wanted to send me BS about how I should be handling my cattle, well, I really have nothing to say to you. "Molly" is doing fine now. We forced fed her for a couple of days and now she is eating on her own, so I think she will make a full recovery. I have no idea what happened to her tongue but I am glad she is doing ok now and I think she is out of the woods. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[jerry27150]

i'd say she caught something, get a vet now

 

[angie1]

Its hard to know, I don't know what color their tongue is to start with (maybe black, red and purple?). Maybe she has an obstruction, maybe an infection, maybe an injury, maybe she ate something poisonous out there in the 1000 acres. Maybe she got kicked by the cattle that belong out there. Too many maybes though. Call your vet would be my suggestion.

 

[hillsdown]

I am going to sound like a parrott, but you need expert and hands on help .
Call a vet and get them out in person to look at your heifer.

 

[anac1979]

Well, I would like to thank everyone for the great responses but I found out what's wrong with our lil' Molly...part of her tongue is missing!!! Like an inch of the front of it! I don't know if she got kicked and bit it off or the ranchers that caught her in the 1000 acres were rough with her and she bit it off or what. I called the Vet and he said she should be ok if she will eat & drink. I hope so. Not only is this Cow family, she cost me $1000. Has anyone else had this happen to a Cow??? Thanks again, Amy

 

[Hippie Rancher]

this story sounds kind fishy.
pardon me if I am wrong.

 

[milkmaid]

Given that cows don't have teeth in front on the top - only the bottom - I highly doubt she BIT it off. I suppose she could have gotten it caught on something, but I'm pretty certain she didn't bite off her tongue.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

perhaps you could post a picture?

I've seen some rough handling, real rough. I've seen torn up ears and muzzles (catch dogs), I've seen broken noses, even seen a couple drop dead. Heard of a tail coming off (not sure I believe that, but I have heard of it).

I have never seen or heard of a bovine losing part of a tongue in such a way.

 

[anac1979]

I know it sounds weird, but SOMETHING has happened to her tongue. It hasn't always been like that. I don't know if I can get pics of her tongue or not. It looks terrible and must be horribly painful as well. It looks as if it were bit off. I really can't explain it myself. Thanks again for the responses.

 

[BRYANT]

Cow do have teeth on both top and bottom in the back and they can and do bite their tongues sometimes very badly or a chunk off and this is not some idea but truth. when I worked on kill floor tongues were all put in a big vat and at the end of the day we had to sort them anything that had been bitten or cut had to be sent for grinding and could not be sold as a whole tongue to be cooked that way and the ones that was rejected due to damage was probly close to 30 or 40 percent

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Cow do have teeth on both top and bottom in the back and they can and do bite their tongues sometimes very badly or a chunk off and this is not some idea but truth. when I worked on kill floor tongues were all put in a big vat and at the end of the day we had to sort them anything that had been bitten or cut had to be sent for grinding and could not be sold as a whole tongue to be cooked that way and the ones that was rejected due to damage was probly close to 30 or 40 percent

the claim was for an inch of the front. with no other sign of injury? I've never seen anything like that. I HAVE seen tongue injury, usually from cactus or a bone stuck in the mouth, never seen the front bit off - not sure how it could happen - maybe catch dogs? You would think there would be more sign like on the ears or lips, but ... ???

 

[dun]

The lower front teeth close tightly against the hard top of the front of the mouth. Why wouldn;t it be possible if the tongue was out for some reason and she got kicked or fell, like from running very tired?

 

[Hippie Rancher]

The lower front teeth close tightly against the hard top of the front of the mouth. Why wouldn;t it be possible if the tongue was out for some reason and she got kicked or fell, like from running very tired?

Anything is possible, I suppose. I just haven't ever seen it, and I've seen some rough handling on wild cattle. Seems like there would be some other sign of injury, to me. I wonder if the poster will ever be back?

 

[dun]

I wonder if the poster will ever be back?

They were online today

I learned long ago that when it comes to cows just because it doesn;t seem possible it doesn;t mean they wont find a way to do it

 

[Hippie Rancher]

I learned long ago that when it comes to cows just because it doesn;t seem possible it doesn;t mean they wont find a way to do it

:lol2: that's the truth, and double for horses!

 

[tamarack]

We had a cow lose her tongue a few years ago i had just fed them some grain on the ground and she went nuts trowing her head around and bleeding from the mouth seems that another cow stepped on her tongue when she was licking up the grain and tore off quite a chunk. Put her in corral fed her grain and free choice grass hay and she healed up fast and is back to normal today [even if she moos funny!!]