Dead calf

[Ouachita]

I heard momma bawling when I woke at midnight. Didn’t think much of it. When I woke up at 2:15am she was still bawling and I could tell that she was in a different location.
I gathered my spotlight, mixed a drink, called the dogs, then went back inside to put my pants and boots on.
I was not successful, so waited for daylight. Momma cow found baby before I did, at 10am. The bawling calling changed to soft talk, just like I’d expect a momma cow to sound when she’s reunited with her baby…..and she was.
I don’t understand this one. Not a mark on the calf. A little frothy blood from the nostrils. The board is from an old bridge that must have floated downstream in a flood. Don’t know how the calf managed to get underneath it in such a position (the board is just laying there, not fastened to anything).
This calf was alive last evening when I went to feed the fish at 7pm. At first I was thinking predator, but there are no wounds anywhere. Maybe it was being chased by something and broke a leg, or had a heart attack, but I’m curious how it got so neatly tucked underneath the rotten board that broke in half when I moved it.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

How old was the calf?

 

[Ky hills]

Sorry that happened. You can watch them 23 hours a day and something will happen guaranteed in that other hour.

 

[Ouachita]

How old was the calf?

Calf was born June 14 or 15.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Well that sucks.
A calf that old my first guess would be quick pneumonia.
although I fight blk leg on one farm, but they usually aren’t that old.

 

[Ouachita]

Sorry that happened. You can watch them 23 hours a day and something will happen guaranteed in that other hour.

Yes, I know, but it’s still hard to see them dead and not know.

I remember being out squirrel hunting and walking up on my granddad. One of his cows had poked her head between a tree that had forked trunks from near ground level. She could have simply lifted her head up and took a step backwards, just reversing the moves required to enter that predicament. No!

She had to get extra attention. I fetched the tractor and a rope. Granddad lifted me into the tree to throw the rope over a limb, then he wrapped it around the cows muzzle.
He then raised the bucket a bit more, with me still in it, and the cows head lifted, rope slipped off and cow ran away mad.
Granddad asked me if I needed any supper, cause granny was cookin’. I think he’d have left me up there if I’d have said no.

 

[Dsth]

that really sucks when you find them like that. sorry for your lose. it looked like a nice healthy calf before it died. with the blood drainage from the nose, I would expect some kind of internal injury.

 

[Ouachita]

that really sucks when you find them like that. sorry for your lose. it looked like a nice healthy calf before it died. with the blood drainage from the nose, I would expect some kind of internal injury.

It a mystery to me. Calf was alive and with the herd last evening. Something happened between about 7pm and midnight (midnight is when I woke and heard the momma bawling).

Internal injury? I thought for sure I would find some sort of external injury to explain that, but I came back to the house and texted my newish son-in-law for help to roll her over. He was actually excited to help, and I gave him the azz end so he could gain experience.
In spite of what people say, I'm a great teacher!

 

[puzzled in oregon]

Hope you find an answer.

 

[Ouachita]

Hope you find an answer.

I realize that it might seem I’m looking for an answer. I’m already prepared that I will never have one.

 

[wbvs58]

Sorry to hear that Ouachita. With all the obstacles rocks and trees around my place I am surprised I don't have losses like that on a regular basis. The day old calf I lost this year would have been a mystery if I hadn't been there and watched it die, I didn't actually see what happened but could accurately postulate that another cow had kicked it when it approached its udder.

Ken

 

[J Hoy]

I heard momma bawling when I woke at midnight. Didn't think much of it. When I woke up at 2:15am she was still bawling and I could tell that she was in a different location.
I gathered my spotlight, mixed a drink, called the dogs, then went back inside to put my pants and boots on.
I was not successful, so waited for daylight. Momma cow found baby before I did, at 10am. The bawling calling changed to soft talk, just like I'd expect a momma cow to sound when she's reunited with her baby…..and she was.
I don't understand this one. Not a mark on the calf. A little frothy blood from the nostrils. The board is from an old bridge that must have floated downstream in a flood. Don't know how the calf managed to get underneath it in such a position (the board is just laying there, not fastened to anything).
This calf was alive last evening when I went to feed the fish at 7pm. At first I was thinking predator, but there are no wounds anywhere. Maybe it was being chased by something and broke a leg, or had a heart attack, but I'm curious how it got so neatly tucked underneath the rotten board that broke in half when I moved it.
View attachment 50496View attachment 50498

I have necropsied a number of wild and domestic grazing animals that were found dead by people in the last 25 years, with frothy blood coming from the nostrils. What I found was that a blood vessel in the lung area had ruptured, filling the thoracic cavity with blood. Essentially, the animal had drown in its own blood. Those that I examined were of various ages, from very young to older adults. It takes only a couple of minutes for an animal to die after the blood vessel ruptures. One such animal that I had, was lying down chewing its cud when I saw her alive. I went to get some more food for her and was gone only 5 or so minutes. When I got back with the food, she was lying there dead, with frothy blood coming out of her nostrils. Her thoracic cavity was filled with blood, just like the other animals that were given to me by the neighbors to necropsy when their animal died in this manner.

 

[wbvs58]

I have necropsied a number of wild and domestic grazing animals that were found dead by people in the last 25 years, with frothy blood coming from the nostrils. What I found was that a blood vessel in the lung area had ruptured, filling the thoracic cavity with blood. Essentially, the animal had drown in its own blood. Those that I examined were of various ages, from very young to older adults. It takes only a couple of minutes for an animal to die after the blood vessel ruptures. One such animal that I had, was lying down chewing its cud when I saw her alive. I went to get some more food for her and was gone only 5 or so minutes. When I got back with the food, she was lying there dead, with frothy blood coming out of her nostrils. Her thoracic cavity was filled with blood, just like the other animals that were given to me by the neighbors to necropsy when their animal died in this manner.

A bit of a contradiction there, you say they drowned in their own blood but the thoracic cavity was full of blood. Where did you find the ruptured blood vessel?

Ken

 

[J Hoy]

A bit of a contradiction there, you say they drowned in their own blood but the thoracic cavity was full of blood. Where did you find the ruptured blood vessel?

Ken

Ken, since the thoracic cavity was full of blood all around the lungs, I was not good enough to actually find the ruptured blood vessel. I asked veterinarian friends why the thoracic cavity would be full of blood and they said that a blood vessel in the lung area must have ruptured in order to cause such a quick death. In retrospect, I should not have said that the animal drowns in its own blood. I should have said that the thoracic cavity suddenly fills with blood and the animal quickly dies. Thank you for the correction.