heifer got stuck in feed bunk

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GMN

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I have a heifer that got stuck in a feed bunk a concrete one, and since then can't get up on her own, i gave her Dex and banamine-we have lifted her and she can stand on her own, and such but eventually goes back down-any ideas of what else it could be-other than the obvious of pinched nerves, sprains-etc..nothing seems broken, maybe she has just gotten stubborn-sure don't want to lose her tho
 
Its called a cast cow when they get turned over and can't right themselves - they can even do it in a slight hollow in the dirt, or uneven bedding. Its proper name is 'Dorsal recumbency' I believe - they get turned over too far and the weight of the rumen restricts breathing and blood flow to the brain, and they lose their sense of which way is up and proper balance. They also bloat from being able to expend the gas in the rumen - a couple litres worth a minute is produced, so it builds up fast. Good thing you found her, as it doesn't take long for them to die in that position could be 5 mins or half an hour depending how bad they are over.

She will likely take a few days to get her balance back, just try and keep her on level ground and comfortable.

Cement bunks can be a real problem if cows get pushing around them, they have no traction and fall in. I knew a local dairy that was losing a few a year before they got proper guards in place to prevent it.
 
My vet recently told that giving both dexamethasone and banamine at the same time will cause problems. I can't remember what it was (kidney maybe???) and I don't know if it is a true risk or not but he had me wait until the banamine was out of the system before giving dex. Not that you need something else to worry about...
 
The Vet is the one who told me to use these 2 drugs, I have used them in the past with no issues-You can't use the Dex more than twice though, but they can be used together, and the heifer is dead-
 
GMN":g2x57scb said:
The Vet is the one who told me to use these 2 drugs, I have used them in the past with no issues-You can't use the Dex more than twice though, but they can be used together, and the heifer is dead-

Sorry about your heifer.
 
Sorry to read about your loss. Would you be able to speculate on weight and age of heifer? Curious.
 
Maybe I don't want concrete bunks now, I figured they would be good since I see them alot but freak accidents happen unfortunately
 
Sorry you lost her. I had something similar happen to a heifer several years ago with a different type of feeder. We pulled her out in the morning and she died that night.
 

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