Heifer Down after Pulling Calf

[T-Wacker]

So, first calf heifer down since Friday, March 1st after pulling a dead calf. Didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary with the size of the calf, about 65 lbs. Easy pull, just an OB chain and handle, came right out. No idea why she was having trouble other than maybe just became too fatigued to finish. Anyway, what are the opinions on here about trying to get a cow to stand? And, how do I get her up? Sling? Hip device? Been giving her antibiotics and Vitamin shots along with feed/hay/water and rolling her over every day. I didn't call the vet because I was sure she would not survive the first night. She had all but given up Friday afternoon, but I forced her on her brisket and placed a couple of large timbers behind her to keep her from stretching out. She perked up the next day so I started rolling/feeding/etc. Anything else I can give her to maybe get her going?

 

[Nesikep]

If there's inflammation, dexamethasone would help.. Hip lifter would be good if you have or can find one to borrow

 

[Dsth]

We have used a hip hanger several times on dairy cows and only once on a beef cow that had trouble calving. wouldn't say they work that great, but have had some luck. an old vet once told me that if you leave a cow alone for three days; she will either be up or not. have about the same luck with a lot less work. keep feed and water in front of her, make sure she has good footing, and good luck.

 

[W.B.]

Something else is going on by what you describe. Was the calf alive when you pulled it? What is her body score? What was the gestation length of the calf? Did the heifer move normally when you brought up to pull it? I reread now I realize the calf was dead. My first thing comes to mind is infection caused by what? Hardware is something to consider.

 

[bird dog]

I had a very similar problem two weeks ago to both of your current posts. Heifer was down after calving. Buzzards eating her calf and attacking her back end. Not a pleasant situation. I am not sure if calf was ever alive or not. Didn't matter much as I could never get the cow to stand after numerous attempts with slings and a hip lifter. The muddy situation didn't help.

I don't know for sure but it seemed that the hip lifter did more harm than good. After a couple uses, it seemed to make her to sore to try much.

After a week or so her back end was looking bad where the buzzards did their damage and the cow seemed to be giving up so I put her down. I'm sure I'll have another one somewhere down the road but not sure what I will do different next time.

I hope yours works out better than mine. On a side note. We have had those vultures for a while now that are black with white wing tips. Very aggressive and vicious. Now we are seeing another similar bird but is brown in color. They are smart enough to stay out of gun range. I think that sooner or later they are going to have to be poisoned. The problem is getting worse all the time.

 

[Silver]

Did you check for another calf after you got the first one out?

 

[T-Wacker]

Something else is going on by what you describe. Was the calf alive when you pulled it? What is her body score? What was the gestation length of the calf? Did the heifer move normally when you brought up to pull it? I reread now I realize the calf was dead. My first thing comes to mind is infection caused by what? Hardware is something to consider.

Calf was barely alive when I pulled it, but the head was severely swollen and I couldn't get it to breathe even after clearing its nose and mouth. Tongue just seemed to be blocking its ability to take air in. I noticed that its eyes didn't blink and appeared to be drying out, so if it did ever start to breathe, I fear it would have been brain dead. I just happened to get off work early and spotted her down and drove up and realized she was trying to calve. I had seen her the day before, so she probably had started a couple hours before I found her. Calf wasn't that big as I stated earlier it was a very easy pull, so not sure what happened.

 

[T-Wacker]

Did you check for another calf after you got the first one out?

That did enter my mind as she still appeared rather large when I pulled the calf. However, once I got her on her brisket, she started gassing off and I realized she was severely bloated. Might have also been part of the reason she struggled to have the calf I suppose, as the bloat might have reduced her ability to breathe normally and caused her to fatigue rapidly causing her to stop pushing.

 

[76 Bar]

Whatever caused her problems it surely couldn't be attributed to a single 65 lb calf. I've had a few accidentally bred heifer calves spit out 85 lb plus calves without a hitch. Did you weigh it? Clearly something else compromised the birthing process.

 

[ez14.]

Since she has been down since Friday and hasn't died I wouldn't think it would be milk fever BUT it's probably worth giving her some calcium

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

You never said - what is her Body Condition Score? Even a cow will struggle to get a calf out if she is thin/weak. Most people that have thin cows, don't realize they are thin. They just don't SEE it.

 

[alisonb]

You are doing the right thing...continue supporting her so she can't lie flat. Turn her(rotate sides) every couple of hours. Feed her 'tasty' food, fresh water. Administer Dexamethasone as someone suggested. She more than likely has calving paralysis(nerve damage). Be patient, let her 'heal' before trying to get her up. You will see the signs...

Good luck!

 

[alisonb]

Forgot to mention...if the placenta is still retained you will have to administer pessaries in case of infection. Monitor her temperature too. Is it still retained?

 

[T-Wacker]

Forgot to mention...if the placenta is still retained you will have to administer pessaries in case of infection. Monitor her temperature too. Is it still retained?

No, she shed that about an hour after I pulled the calf. I flipped her yesterday afternoon and spread shavings down before I rolled her so she would have a dry area to lay on. More antibiotic and vitamin shots as well along with some feed, hay and fresh water. Seems to have movement in her back legs, so may try to get her to stand this afternoon, although nudging her doesn't seem to motivate her to try at this point.

 

[alisonb]

She will need anti inflammatory & cortisone injections.

 

[JW IN VA]

Forgot to mention...if the placenta is still retained you will have to administer pessaries in case of infection. Monitor her temperature too. Is it still retained?

No, she shed that about an hour after I pulled the calf. I flipped her yesterday afternoon and spread shavings down before I rolled her so she would have a dry area to lay on. More antibiotic and vitamin shots as well along with some feed, hay and fresh water. Seems to have movement in her back legs, so may try to get her to stand this afternoon, although nudging her doesn't seem to motivate her to try at this point.

OK,here's my two cents.As others have told you,feed her good quality feed and water,move her to prevent sores and pneumonia and let her heal.I once had heifer who had a hard calving and was down for six weeks before the damage repaired.People told me I'd shoot her but I kept at it twice a day.That was the longest.Most have been a week or less.
Thankfully, there have only been less than a hand full over 50 plus years.

 

[Son of Butch]

We've used a hip lifter hung from skid loader bucket.
Even on attempts were she doesn't stand, it at least helps us to re-position her.

 

[Lazy M]

So, first calf heifer down since Friday, March 1st after pulling a dead calf. Didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary with the size of the calf, about 65 lbs. Easy pull, just an OB chain and handle, came right out. No idea why she was having trouble other than maybe just became too fatigued to finish. Anyway, what are the opinions on here about trying to get a cow to stand? And, how do I get her up? Sling? Hip device? Been giving her antibiotics and Vitamin shots along with feed/hay/water and rolling her over every day. I didn't call the vet because I was sure she would not survive the first night. She had all but given up Friday afternoon, but I forced her on her brisket and placed a couple of large timbers behind her to keep her from stretching out. She perked up the next day so I started rolling/feeding/etc. Anything else I can give her to maybe get her going?

Slap her with your hat. If she doesn't get up, shoot her.. minimizes the suffering for all involved.

 

[JMJ Farms]

So, first calf heifer down since Friday, March 1st after pulling a dead calf. Didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary with the size of the calf, about 65 lbs. Easy pull, just an OB chain and handle, came right out. No idea why she was having trouble other than maybe just became too fatigued to finish. Anyway, what are the opinions on here about trying to get a cow to stand? And, how do I get her up? Sling? Hip device? Been giving her antibiotics and Vitamin shots along with feed/hay/water and rolling her over every day. I didn't call the vet because I was sure she would not survive the first night. She had all but given up Friday afternoon, but I forced her on her brisket and placed a couple of large timbers behind her to keep her from stretching out. She perked up the next day so I started rolling/feeding/etc. Anything else I can give her to maybe get her going?

Slap her with your hat. If she doesn't get up, shoot her.. minimizes the suffering for all involved.

Yesterday. I was sick as a drunk dog. First calf Charbray heifer. 4 o'clock. I could tell something was wrong. Called in some reinforcements. I managed to get her in the lot while I waited. She was bad ornery. 5 o'clock. Help showed up. Got her restrained. Calf's coming backwards. Got legs straightened out and chains on. Had the calf on the ground in 2 minutes. Calf was dead. Heifer was fine. Tried to run over all of us. Had a bull shut up in the lot. He mounted her and knocked her down three times. I've never personally seen this before, but it was a bad misjudgment on my part either way. I finally was able to get him out of the lot which was a chore in itself. Got her up again with a hotshot and she tried her best to get me. Left her and she was pacing the fence. Fast forward to this morning at 7 o'clock. She's laying down, in the proper position, head up, but she had that look in her eye. Decided to give her some Dex and Banamine. Went to town to get a bottle of Dex as I only had about 5ccs. Got back at 9 o'clock and she was laying on her side with all four legs to the side and head flat on the ground. I went ahead and ended her suffering. I know the incident with the bull didn't help her any but she's the first one I've had that got up and was fine, and then killed over on me. Maybe it was stress. Or maybe she bled out internally. Either way, I guess you won't lose em if you ain't got em. Hope your situation turns out better.

 

[T-Wacker]

Heifer is still down but showing improvement. Still rolling over every day and now noticing she is moving around somewhat, and I see where she is making marks on the ground with her hind legs like she is attempting to stand. Going to try and get something to get her up with either a pelvic lift or a homemade device and see if that works.