HELP: Steer breathing weird

[TheFutureFarmer]

I have a stocker steer that is breathing differently recently. When he breaths it sounds really nasally but he does not have any abnormal drainage from the nose, ears are not droopy, but is somewhat lethargic. Is this an early sign of BRD?

 

[milkmaid]

Age, weight?

BRD, broken nose, honker, etc....

 

[TheFutureFarmer]

580 lb, I was thinking it may be lungworms or BRD.. He was vaccinated 2 weeks ago with Bovishield Gold One Shot.

 

[dun]

Have your day time temperatures or humidity gone up a lot lately?

 

[TheFutureFarmer]

Yes the humidity and temperatures have rapidly increased over the past few days. Instead of cooler spring weather (60's) it has been in the high (70's) lately.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We have had the same problem with a September heifer. No temp, solid stools. When you listen to her lungs, they are clear. As you move the stethoscope up the neck, she gets rattly and noisey. I think it is in her throat, but I took a few videos and sent it to the vet. He thinks she has asma! Go figure. So, we have given her IV Dexamethasone, along with SQ Draxxin and a few days later IM Dex. He ordered some antihistamine to try on her. She got worse with this wet, humid weather we had. The last few days, she has been more quiet with her breathing, but it has been really dry. Notice how she breathes through her mouth, and not her nose... like it is hard to exhale air...

https://youtu.be/o_olpCV36_w

https://youtu.be/5hFaih1Iq8o

 

[milkmaid]

What's that heifer fed, Fire Sweep? Looks like a honker (tracheal edema) or feedlot AIP. How long has she been like that?

 

[TheFutureFarmer]

This morning his head was hanging and his ears were droopy but still eating. Any ideas?

 

[dun]

How long have you had him? I would temp him and if it's the slightest elevated would hit him with a serious antibiotic, the minimum would be Nuflor

 

[TheFutureFarmer]

I have had him 3 weeks tomorrow. I am going to work him through the chute today and listen to his lungs and temp check him.

 

[dun]

Just by looking at possibilities, the higher humidity/temps could be causing a problem from previous lung damage from pneumonia or the like.

 

[Alan]

This is not a reply as much a question on this steers symptoms. Sounds like the OP received the steer three weeks ago, two weeks ago gave him vaccines. Any chance the steer had a bit of "shipping sickness" was hit with vaccines during this time and knocked him down a bit more causing the problems? If so would you vaccinate him again after anti-biotic treatment and recovery?

Edit to add, let us know what you get for a temp on the steer.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

What's that heifer fed, Fire Sweep? Looks like a honker (tracheal edema) or feedlot AIP. How long has she been like that?

She is on pasture, and comes up at night for some show grain (just corn, soy bean pellets, oats, cotton seed hulls, molasses and bovatek... I think that is how you spell it). She eats about 3 pounds right now. She has been like that for about 30 days now...
What are you thinking? How would you treat for tracheal edema? She only weighs just over 700 pounds...

 

[TheFutureFarmer]

I ended up having the local vet come today. His temperature was 105, was diagnosed with pneumonia, slightly dehydrated, and an abscess in his throat which caused the weird breathing. When he breathed it sounded like he was snoring or growling at you. We treated him with 10cc of Banamine to cut the fever and 8cc of Draxxin for the pneumonia. He is currently separated from the rest of the herd for the time being.

 

[TheFutureFarmer]

Any chance the steer had a bit of "shipping sickness" was hit with vaccines during this time and knocked him down a bit more causing the problems? If so would you vaccinate him again after anti-biotic treatment and recovery?

He looked and acted perfectly fine upon arrival and quickly took to grain, hay, and grass. The Draxxin has a 10 day treatment time frame and the vet said he would not need another one but might need a steroid shot later on. They are going to call again to check up on him tomorrow.

 

[a7 livestock]

Draxxin works really well in my experience, however, the sooner you can treat the calf with it the better the chance of recovery and less likely chance of relapsing.

 

[TheFutureFarmer]

For the price of it, I would expect it to work well. He has not a shown much improvement yet. I am going to temp check him again Tuesday.