dead calf this morning

[littlefarmer]

We have some black angus replacement type heifers weighing about 600 lbs. Are feeding round bales of orchard grass/alfalfa hay. Morning and night we feed some bottom bales not good enough to sell and some oat/wheat and pea greenfeed. (amounts to about 5 lbs each time) rest of the time they fill up on the rounds. This morning I fed the small squares and every one came to the feed bunk. All seemed normal. Had breakfast and 2 hours later found one in the shelter stone dead. Doesn't appear to be bloated. She seemed quite empty, like she had not eaten much. She was laying on her left side with her head out in front of her with no signs of any struggle. Her nostrils had quite abit of white fluid in them(not really like snot) no blood front or back, no sores in her mouth. Just dead. Nothing to help now, just wondering if anyone had any suggestions or wise words of wisdom. Always learning, just a poor way to learn. I guess the best way to not have any dead ones is to not own any cattle. Two weeks back I treated this calf for pneumonia/shipping fever. That night she was eating again, but never seemed to really fill up like the rest of them. Maybe she was doomed from the start.

 

[dun]

Depending on the severity, one treatment may very well have not been enough.

 

[littlefarmer]

I posted a message about 2 weeks back about a calf that died. I see 211 views and 1 reply. I thought this was a cattleman board, where cattleman would exchange ideas. Seems that I joined the wrong board as only had one reply. Doesn't any "cattleman" have a view. Or all you just experts on what? Can anyone suggest a different board. Seems like I might be wasting everyones time. Thanks for any comments. (good or bad} Just a little farmer looking for some advise.

 

[Toby L.]

Sometimes cows are born to die, and there's nothing you can do about it. I used to get upset when no one responded to me, then some respond things that I didn't want to here. You have to understand though, there are so many people that come on here that have the same question, cow died, calf died, the don't leave any details, and then there gone, just as mysteriously as they came and you never here from them again. People get sick of wasting their time trying to treat everyone else's cattle, and not getting a thank you or anything out of it. Hope things go better with your cattle, sometimes things happen like that, then sometimes you will have good luck and have no problems for a long time. Things will go good for me for a long time, then sometimes bad experiences happens, and every time I learn a little more. If you keep on this board you'll get a lot of good advise, and sometimes not so good advise, it's up to you to know the difference.

 

[kscowboy]

you got a pretty knowledgeable reply , if your calf had pneumonia it will take more than one shot to knock it down in addition to managing dehydration , getting it out of the wind , and monitoring water and feed intake. Pretty basic things to do with any sick animal. Theres also about 5 threads a week about snot nosed calves and plenty of info how to deal with it. Try the search features next time and you won't have any trouble finding excellent info .

 

[nap]

The best thing you could have done is to have it posted by a veterinarian. That way you have a good chance of learning what actually killed the animal and, more importantly, if the rest of your animals are in jeopardy of suffering the same fate.

 

[Angus Cowman]

I read your previous post and what Dun said in his answer is exactly the same thing I thought so I didn't feel a need to add anything and I would say most others felt the same as Dun, and the calf was dead what did ya want us to do diagnose and treat a dead animal

If you have cattle they die
also a cow is born looking for a way to die if they can't find one they will invent a new one

 

[Toby L.]

I read your previous post and what Dun said in his answer is exactly the same thing I thought so I didn't feel a need to add anything and I would say most others felt the same as Dun, and the calf was dead what did ya want us to do diagnose and treat a dead animal

If you have cattle they die
also a cow is born looking for a way to die if they can't find one they will invent a new one

Same with horses, why is it that you can keep a horse in a junk yard, but the second you put it in the pature, it will find a piece of barbed wire to get it's foot wrapped up in?

 

[mischief]

Calves that have bovine respiratory complex ("shipping fever") usually have a multitude of infectious organisms in there lungs. The white fluid you saw in her nostrils was probably fluid from her lungs. When cattle have pneumonia and other types of respiratory infections it can take a lot of antibiotics and medications to turn them around. And if there is enough damage to their lungs they don't turn around and do well. There is no one time treatment for this-as much as the drug manufacturers would like us to believe. I have seen cattle with this problem appear to be doing fairly well, maybe just a little slow, then "suddenly" drop dead. When they are necropsied (animal autopsy) their lungs are almost solid with infection. You did not mention where you got her-if she came through the sale yard and had not previously been vaccinated, she was exposed to a lot of infection and could have had several types of infection. Hopefully the rest of your herd is fine-this stuff is contagious as all get out.

 

[grannysoo]

I posted a message about 2 weeks back about a calf that died. I see 211 views and 1 reply. I thought this was a cattleman board, where cattleman would exchange ideas. Seems that I joined the wrong board as only had one reply.

You got good advice. Do you want for everyone to tell you the same thing over and over again? When I saw what dun had posted, I knew enough had been said.

Doesn't any "cattleman" have a view.

Refer to my above comment.

Or all you just experts on what?

All of us are not experts (myself included). I know of only 1 person that is an expert in the cattle business, and he ain't too smart.......

Can anyone suggest a different board.

If this place don't do it for you, just type in google in that browser and search away. I'm sure you can find somewhere that will make you happy.

Seems like I might be wasting everyones time.

Not at all.

Thanks for any comments. (good or bad} Just a little farmer looking for some advise.

The best advice that I can give you is to listen when people speak. All advice here is given freely, out of the generosity of peoples hearts. If the advice isn't good enough, it's surely worth at least what you paid for it. If you don't like the advice, then don't listen.

And most of all...

If you are not sure of what to do concerning the health of your animals - CALL THE VET!