Help- sick steer

[mountainranch]

We have a 15 month old baldy steer that got a respiratory infection bout a week ago. We gave him several antibiotic shots and a wormer. He seems to be less congested and is breathing better,but my wife found him down inthe pasture several days ago. Turned out he had bloated. She pushed a hose down his throat into his stomach, which relieved the bloat. This has happened several more times, and after we use the hose on him ,we are able to get him back on his feet. Is there anything we can give him to prevent bloat? We took him off pasture,and are giving him hay now. THANKS

 

[rockridgecattle]

Hosed him? With what?
did you add in bloat ease or ruminex boluses? The bloat ease works like Pepto Bismal does for us and the ruminex boluses help get the gut going.

 

[dun]

There are bloat blocks that you can feed that will help with bloat, but some animals for whatever reason just become chronic bloaters. If he's on grass hay he shouldn;t have a problem with bloat. If he does, well.............

dun

 

[mountainranch]

RR
We used a hose to relieve the gas. We didn't have any medicine to give him,and didn't know what to give him.

 

[rockridgecattle]

okay, so got to the vet's or local livestock store and get:
Bloat ease.. enoughfor the weight of your animal for two doses. Incase 1 does not work.
Enough rumminex boluses for the weight of the animal and a bolus gun.
In Canada or manitoba, hard to find rumminex at a livestock store. We get it from the vet.
You should have on hand a drench bag. Get the vet to teach you how to use it.

Now i hope you have facilites to restrain an animal like a head gate or squeeze chute.
Get the animal in there, halter the head so you don't get hurt.
the boat ease comes in handy plastic bottles like the old pepsi or bottles or like the beer bottles. With the head haltered,shove the bottle in its mouth, kinda down the side. this will take serveral trys and attempts to get it all in. A word of caution, you will get as much on you as in the cow, maybe a bit more...dress appropriately.
Now the rumminex boluses. These boluses help to get the rummin working again.
If you can't get to the vet,
mix water and baking soda...kinda of like an alka seltzer. And drench. I like the bloat ease because you don't have to worry about getting it in the lungs, or them biting off the drench tube and swallowing it. We have used a pipe along with the drench but that yo should ask your vet about.
the idea is to get the gut working again

 

[mountainranch]

RR, and Dun
THANKS SO MUCH! This is our first sick cow, we're trying our best to save him.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

mountainranch

Possibly the antibiotics for the infection have killed much of the rumen bacteria, which could contribute to bloating. Give him a couple of doses of Probios, which is a rumen bacterial culture to jump-start the rumen.

Also you can use liquid detergent to relieve bloat. Just use a syringe without a needle to squirt it in the back of his mouth. Just stick the syringe between his jaw and cheek as far back as it will go. I use a 60 cc disposable syringe. Give 60 cc to a calf, 120cc to a yearling and 180cc to a cow or bull. If bloat is imparing his breathing, use the hose to relieve the bloat and then give the detergent. Hope this helps.

 

[mountainranch]

PaPaw,
Thanks for the help. Were just hobby farmers with 9 head. We're learning though, thanks to all of you on this forum. I am nearing completion of my corral, working chute and head gate project. Best of luck!

 

[TheBullLady]

If you're going to pen him, you can also get a product called "Bloat Guard" that comes in a bag (Purina) that you can top dress a grain ration with. If he's a chronic bloater, you'll have to decide if it's worth keeping him around.