Cow sick from eating moldy grain

[Cocobear]

Suggestions needed!! I have a 3 year old Angus/Maine bottle baby who calved in November and was AI in May. She and Clarabelle (4 year Angus cow) got into some moldy grain last Friday. Clarabelle is bouncing back but Coco is not. The vet initially treated her with Draxxin and Banamine (for fever and possible pneumonia) and flushed her stomach. He said her rumen was quiet. A few days later, after he received blood results, he gave her Baytrol and flushed her stomach again. Old, grain looking yellow liquid came out. She is now just barely showing any interest in eating (has not eaten since last Friday). She still gets up easily and is drinking water. Less than normal as her urine is concentrated. Any suggestions. I don't want to lose her. She is my very 'special' cow and has my heart. Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

[alisonb]

You will need to treat with probiotics to activate/repopulate stomach microbes...you may want to speak to vet about transfaunation
if stomach flora is 'dead'.
Good luck with her.

 

[Redgully]

A trick my vet got me to do was get a good cup of coffee and mix it in some warm water and tube it into her, gets the digestive system cranking. Of course my disclaimer is we still lost the cow.

 

[Lucky]

I'm with Alisonb. Probiotics and a dose of multimin should do it. Vitaferm makes a good probiotic, I've had good luck with it.

 

[wbvs58]

A lot of the fungi that cause mold in grain contain hepatotoxins. A lot will damage the microscopic bile ducts causing them to swell and block the flow of bile. You will see jaundice in the mucous membranes and the sclera of the eye and in the urine. The prognosis is poor. You may not be dealing with this, it may be grain overload.

Ken

 

[alisonb]

A trick my vet got me to do was get a good cup of coffee and mix it in some warm water and tube it into her, gets the digestive system cranking. Of course my disclaimer is we still lost the cow.

Growing up on the farm I remember my folks always gave molasses & warm water or sorghum beer to the animal. It was never tubed but put in a 2lt bottle and poured down the throat in stages. We had to keep the tongue moving and wait for the animal to swallow to make sure it didn't get to the lungs.