Helf for cow with chronic cough

[kroberts]

I currently have a three year old heifer/cow that has a chronic lung problem. She got pnemonia about a year and a half ago along with bloat and was 99.9% dead. Well she survived and seemed fine so we turned her out with some brood cows. (My boyfriend raises beef cattle in CA). Then about six months later she got sick again, only this time nothing seems to help her. We give her Nuflor (sp?) every month and for a few days she is better. But then the labored breathing and coughing starts again. A friend (who knows nothings about cattle) told me she saw on the news where the FDA just approved a drug for cattle that is used in humans for respriotory problems. I have tried but cannot find out what it is anywhere. Does anyone know about this drug, what it does. She is an angus but born a dwarf and was headed to slaughter until I made a pet out of her, so I would really like to find something that might help her live more comfortably. Any help or advice is appreicated.

 

[dun]

Shoot her

dun

 

[bward]

I had a calf that didn't respond to Nuflor and was at my wits end and then as a last ditch effort I tried pennicillin. She did a 180. Its cheap to try.... you just have to give a shot everyday... but if its going to work you should see some improvement within 2 days.... and then keep up with the pennicillin for several days after she improves.

Good luck.

 

[hillsdown]

Shoot her

dun

I just about choked on my coffee. :shock:
Dun, I don't think that is quite the advice she was looking for.Although she didn't specify good advice. ;-)
I don't have any solutions to add.

 

[Alice]

You can try draxxin...and also what Bward suggested.

We've been told by feedlot people that you start with the best, then work your way down. You never know what might actually work.

Also, for some relief, try some banamine...but talk to the vet about how often to use it.

Chronic lungers are hard to deal with. In the summer, it's gonna get worse.

Alice

 

[dun]

Chronic lungers are hard to deal with. In the summer, it's gonna get worse.

Alice

Thus my recommendation!

dun

 

[Bama]

Dun is correct as usual. You can treat her to death. She ain't gonna make a major turn around, you can prolong it but why waste your money. If you slaughter her now you can get some use out of her. If you pump her full of meds you can very likely loose everthing. Now she is worth freezer beef. Treated she is only worth freezer beef after the withdrawal time, if she makes it that long.

edited to add - I just reread your post she may not be able to go into the freezer now, check the withdrawal time for anything you have given her recently.

 

[Alice]

It would be hard to butcher/eat a pet...I, personally couldn't do it. When I hit the submit button I thought, "I should've also said don't let the animal suffer." My bad...

It'll be easy to tell when the animal needs to be taken out of its misery. It may not be this summer, but one needs to be prepared to do what is right.

Alice

 

[msscamp]

It would be hard to butcher/eat a pet...I, personally couldn't do it. Alice

I would be willing to bet if you got hungry enough you could.......and would! :lol: :lol:


I don't know that I would shoot her, but if she was past the withdrawal time for any medications, I'd sure send her to the packing house.

 

[Bama]

cows ain't pets. Pets lay around licking themselves then jump on peoples lap and lick them in the face. cows do lick themselves but the part about them jumping in peoples laps is why they shouldn't be pets. Cows as pets is a recipe for someone getting hurt.

 

[rockridgecattle]

IMO which isn't always right, these guys that say ship or shoot after the withdrawl are on the mark. Look at the big picture.
You said dwarf calf.
Pnemonia real bad the first time
got it again
have to treat on a regular monthly basis
Now read about IBR and BVD.
The dwarfism could be PI or bad genetic. Either way you don't want that reproducing. The idea is to make money some how.
Constant pnemonia. Again PI calf at birth.
the Pnemonia could be a secondary infection due to IBR or BVD.
Either way you don't want it shedding to other cattle...contagious and bad news for the next breeding season.
Save your money for a cow that will recover fully and make some$
You don't mention what kind of vaccination program you are on.
Only Keep or buy your best stock. It's what makes you the money to pay the bills.
We all have had to put down out pet or sell for the benifit of being able to pay the bills or the health of the cattle.
If you are not on a herd vaccine program talk to your vet and get one.

Good luck

Tammy
PS do we have spell check here? cause i'm having trouble. Hooked on fonics didn't work for me i guess. :lol:

 

[msscamp]

cows ain't pets. Pets lay around licking themselves then jump on peoples lap and lick them in the face. cows do lick themselves but the part about them jumping in peoples laps is why they shouldn't be pets. Cows as pets is a recipe for someone getting hurt.

No argument here.

 

[kroberts]

I found this forum looking for something else and am grateful for all your comments, even Dun. He is right. I came out of the hi-tech corporate world where life and death is work or lay-offs. In this world (raising cattle) the life and death is real and painful (at least for me, yes I am a softie). And that is the bad part of it, but once in awhile I do see miracles happen. We use banamine and it does help but don't want to over do it. I will try the pennicillin, that might work. Thanks for that suggestion. She has been penned and not with a herd (as to contamination) and if I have to put her down (if she doesn't get better I will do that) she will be buried on the ranch. I could no way eat her. Thanks again for the help and you all have a great day!

 

[rockridgecattle]

Good to hear that she is isolated. Remember that isolation also includes the water trough.
Good luck with her.
I understand where you are coming from. My husband was the farm boy and I was the city girl. Now my husband does the tractor work and I'm the one looking after the animals. Not to say he doesn't do his share with the animals and i help with the tractor work, but we each have our gifts and talents....there was a rabbit trail if i ever saw one...but you are right life and death on the farm is different than the city and takes some getting used to.
With it being so hard to make money in farming, something we've started to implement is so many $ to get an animal well. if there is no visible improvement or a constant relapse...time to make the hard call.
'luck

 

[highvoltagecattleco]

Once a lunger, pretty much always a lunger. Send it down the road or eat it. No drugs are going to help this long after the initial problem. Most likely the lungs have been heavily scarred. Draxxin is very expensive and I wouldn't recommend it for a animal with this kind of history. Dun is right, "Shoot it". This animal is a money pit.

 

[milkmaid]

kroberts - I agree with the other posters, but the real reason I'm posting is because I just wanted to commend you for understanding and responding in a positive fashion. I've seen a lot of posters get defensive and upset when something's said they might not have wanted to hear, and it's always a relief when someone has a good attitude about it.

Have a great day!