HELP! My steer might be sick!

[poultryrancher]

When I went outside this morning, my steer had been foaming at the mouth. This worries me, because the only times I have ever seen him do that is when they got him in the squeeze chute to put a halter on him, and then on the trailer ride home from the ranch.
He isn't foaming anymore, but he's restless..... He's usually pretty mellow and comes over to stand there and try to lick you before you feed him. Today he'll come over for a brief second, then go back and stare at the same two places on the other side of the pen--out at the woods. His ears will perk up and hill come back, then do it again. He also moved his pen (his pen consists of horse pannels and if he shoves really hard, he can kinda move his pen this way or that way) last night--AWAY from the feeding area (which is unlike him--sometimes he'll move it TOWARDS the feeding area). He still had hay left from his dinner last night only wanted to eat grain this morning. Fearing bloat, I took the grain away (he got two and a half extra scoops of grain last night--a scoop is about the same quantity of a coffee can). He still has the indent on the left side though--aren't they missing that if they have bloat? He has a bloat block to lick.
I wonder if it sounds like maybe something harassed him? We have A LOT of coyotes and elk around where we live. A coyote came and sat down next to our back porch tuesday morning... Would coyotes go harass a 850 LBS steer? I don't see any marks that would indicate they hurt him. Our dog also sleeps out next to the steer pen and he acts okay today.
I'm just so scared I'm gonna lose my steer! HELP!!!!!

 

[milkmaid]

So he got approximately 2 1/2 coffee cans worth of grain extra last night? depending on what you feed, that'd be around 6-8lbs extra. Why??

What's his manure look like this morning?

 

[poultryrancher]

He got two and half extra scoops because last week our feedstore (where I buy my grain) ran completely out and he ate only hay for about two days. So, to avoid intestinal upset, I have been slowly working him back up to his three scoops in the morning and three at night. He has been getting two and a half scoops in the morning (and a leaf of timothy hay) so I decided last night to start giving him grain again at night, too. (I probably should have given him just one scoop.)
His manure looks soft (but then again, it always does).
He is now eating hay and drinking water.

 

[milkmaid]

His actions sound normal... he may have just seen something that interested him and was watching it.

Now as far as feed goes; never, ever overfeed to make up for underfeeding at another time. Even if it's only been two days, you should still make increases to the ration slowly. 8lbs in one day is far too much. Maybe half that if he was used to being on that amount before.

If his manure gets a grayish appearance and smells nasty and a little bit sweet, he has a bit of acidosis from the increase in grain. Couple ounces of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) will set him to rights again.

 

[dun]

His actions sound normal... he may have just seen something that interested him and was watching it.

Folks on the other side of the woods have animals? Maybe like a cow in heat?

 

[TheBullLady]

I agree.. he doesn't sound like he's sick.. he sounds like he's lonely! Probably listening to cows nearby.

A coyote won't bother an 850 lb. steer.

I'd up his hay so he has something to do.. and as suggested previously, if you're going to up his feed, do so gradually. I'd also find a way to anchor his pen!

 

[VCC]

To secure his pen square the pen up and take 2 t-post and drive one in one corner of his pen, take the other t-post and drive it into the opposite corner this will keep the pen from moving.