Feeder calves falling over dead

[Loveless03]

If anyone can help me or give me some advice, I would greatly appreciate it. We had 14 holsteins steers that we are raising. We raised them on the bottle and they are weaned now. The largest one weighs about 400 pounds. We had one Sunday morning found laying down hill, bloated, got pnemonia all of a sudden a died. He was very stiff. Now another one today is not eating, it's eyes are just moving back and forth in its head and he's very stiff, but still on his feet. Does anyone know if any kind of disease causes these symptoms or anything about this???

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Call your Vet ASAP! If two or more die, probably need to have Vet run tests to see if there is something "bad" going on with your herd.

 

[Bama]

Have they been vacinated, You say they are getting stiff. Do the legs fell like they have bubbles in them.? Lets hope not. Whatever it is you need to get the vet out quickly.

 

[J&T Farm]

Sounds like Blackleg could be possibility.

 

[Loveless03]

These calves have been banded and they have tetanus. So they all got tetanus shots and penicillin. I just hate that we had to lose one in order to find out what was wrong!

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

These calves have been banded and they have tetanus. So they all got tetanus shots and penicillin. I just hate that we had to lose one in order to find out what was wrong!

If you hadn't lost one you wouldn't have known you had a problem. Sorry about your loss.

 

[msscamp]

These calves have been banded and they have tetanus. So they all got tetanus shots and penicillin. I just hate that we had to lose one in order to find out what was wrong!

I'm sorry about your loss, but if one hadn't died you would not have known you had a problem and could have lost many more in a very short time frame.

 

[ctlbaron]

Sounds like blackleg to me. Like Bama said feel of the back leg muscles, if they feel like they are crunchy under the skin, it's blackleg. You will notice a frothy red discharge from the nose or mouth after death. Extremely swollen and bloated a few hours after death.

 

[ChrisB]

We had several calves die last year from what the vet called Sudden Onset Pneumonia I believe. It took about 18 hours after showing the first symtoms to death. After a couple of days of trying to catch the sickons and treating with Nuflor we decided to run all of them through the chute and treat with LA200.

It was brought in by some calves from the sale barn and spread to the other pens quickly. In all we lost 6 animals in about a 5 day period. I am usually a little slower than most when it comes to having a vet out, but as soon as you have a second animal showing any symtoms it's time to do something quick.

 

[KLooper]

COULD BE ANAPLAZMOSES UR NEIGHBORS HEARD COULD INFESTATION AND TRANSFERED BY FLY'S OR DRINKING OUT SAME STREAM GET MINERAL WITH AROMICAIN IN IT. NOW IF ITS HEAD IS SHAKING AND WALKS STAGERY COULD BE COCKSDYOSIS

 

[Farmhand]

We had holstein steer calves dieing once. Turned out to be enterotoxcemia. Treated with clostridium from vet. If treated as soon as signs appear, they usually pull out of it. Die if not treated soon enough. First sign is going off feed and looking like a cold but normal cold treatment doesn't work.

 

[buckaroo_bif]

I think Holly has left the building!