Found cow dead

[TCRanch]

Looks like she laid down and died, no kick marks in the grass or anything, out in the open. I suspect lightning as well.

When I lost my (brand spanking new!) bull a few years ago, same thing with no kick marks around him. But when my vet came out to post him, he pointed out where the other 3 bulls had already bedded down, followed by major marks in the grass when they bolted after the hit. Mine was evidently still standing when he took the hit in the shoulder, exited his foot.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

There are so many possibilities. It's frustrating to loose one and you just don't know why. Definitely looks like she's been dead since a few days at least.
Agree with what all the others said. Did you have lightning during those few days?

We had one cow with the legs back like that, still alive though. She had broke her back, well, bulls broke her back. But you can't check for that now.

Maybe she was in the process of having her calf, it got stuck and she died trying. Critters could have taken the calf and that's why she is open in the back. Or did she still have the calf in her when you found her?

Bloat, maybe. Also hard to tell because her behind is gone and the gas could have released.

And maybe none of the above and she just died of natural causes.
The behind missing......totally agree with what the others said, critters took it because it's the easiest way to 'gain entry'........... or was it Aliens? LOL Hey, don't laugh at me. There has been another 'assumed mutilation' last month in the area. Give me the answer to THAT. =)

So frustrating, I feel for ya.

 

[Katpau]

I would bet she tried to have the calf, and it was coming wrong. Maybe butt first. The calf died inside her and that resulted in her also dying. Buzzards, coyotes or other scavengers found her and started on that soft opening in back, and ate their way in. I have come across other cows that look like this on neighboring ranches during calving season. We try to check cows at least twice a day on this place during calving so we have a chance to save the cow when something like that goes wrong. I would have been tempted to cut into her to see what was going on, although that would depend on how nasty she was by the time she was found.

 

[Dave]

My neighbor says despite our best efforts we can't kill them all. Sometime you just never know. You try your best to figure out the cause but...... I write it off as a fatal case of dead cow.

 

[1Sport]

My first suspicion this time of year when a healthy cow fall dead is anaplasmosis. They can go from appearing normal to dead real quick. Walk through your cows and look Closely for any signs of being off.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

I would have been tempted to cut into her to see what was going on, although that would depend on how nasty she was by the time she was found.

Hahahahaha, that sounds like me. I always want to cut things open to see. Not that I really know what I'm doing there since I'm no vet......... but curiosity always wants to 'kill'. My husband is just shaking his head about me in that regard. =D

 

[cowgirl8]

I'm guessing calving issues due to how she was found with her legs behind her. She probably got paralyzed and could not get away from the vultures. Calf probably got bound up and pushed on a nerve. Its the way she's laying is how one ends up if they lose power to those back legs. Vultures may have ended her, but if she lost power to both back legs she was a gonner anyway, they saved you the trouble. Sad though she died this way, its aways very sad.

 

[tcolvin]

I have personally seen a cow go into labor and not be able to get the calf out because of her pelvic area not be of sufficient size. Calf was stuck in that area without being able to get out.
Hope that makes sense. Wasn't my cow. They left if for a couple days and the animals got to her. That's when we saw the calf stuck like that. Damndest thing I ever seen

That's kinda what I think may have happened. She probably had issues and pull with her front feet and that made her back legs turn behind her. I didn't see much dirt moved where she might have kicked but I do know when calving they can have trouble when their hips separate some and a nerve pinched and paralyzes them in the back end. They can't get up when this happens.

 

[tcolvin]

Lighting got this one…. Hit the dadgum
Tree she was standing beside…. Killed her killed the baby in her belly and killed the tree. I was lucky tho 35-40 ft away there was alot more cows laid up under a different tree ill
Take the small loss over a larger one

Wow, we have had some thunder storms here. Could be this was what happened here. I guess I'll never really know.

 

[tcolvin]

I suspect if she was due to calve she possibly had calving issues. It's hard on them in hot weather.

That what I really lean towards but will never really know. Could it have been snake bite? She was laying stomach to the ground and front legs forward and back legs straight out behind her. Not full straight out but not like a cow lays down.

 

[kenny thomas]

Laying like that makes me think a bull or maybe even another cow jumped her and she went down.

 

[gizmom]

This evening I found one of my cows dead. She was probably 4-years old and due any day to calve. Her rear legs where straight out behind her. I don't know how long she was dead before I found her, but maybe at least 24 hours. Her vulva was gone, just a whole about 8-9 inch circle, and flies all over her. She was swollen very big, look twice her size. I have (or will try to) posted a couple of pics. Any ideas what May have happened. I think maybe a calf turn wrong and was a bad situation. View attachment 21011View attachment 21012

I found one like that back when I was a kid riding my horse on a neighbors property. A possum came out the hole that was about that size, I remember losing my lunch.

 

[greybeard]

I found one like that back when I was a kid riding my horse on a neighbors property. A possum came out the hole that was about that size, I remember losing my lunch.

I've seen that several times. 1st time, my brother, many years ago went to move a 3 day dead heifer with a tractor and 3 little possums came running out the back end.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I found one like that back when I was a kid riding my horse on a neighbors property. A possum came out the hole that was about that size, I remember losing my lunch.

I've seen that several times. 1st time, my brother, many years ago went to move a 3 day dead heifer with a tractor and 3 little possums came running out the back end.

And THIS IS WHY WE DONT EAT POSSUM!!

 

[greybeard]

Better hope ya don't die out in the woods or pasture because they'll dang sure eat you and you know which end they'll start on (in) too.........

 

[Lucky_P]