Hope she makes it!

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Went out to feed this afternoon and saw one of my cows bloated, frothy, coughing & gagging. I immediately suspected a hedge apple. Fortunately, she wasn't far from the barn and I was able to get her in (after a little detour in the woods and me face-planting in the mud). Called the vet, hooked up the trailer, took her in. She was so bloated, she didn't fit through the alley. But she's also so docile, he & the Vet Tech just worked on her outside. Appears as if only a chunk of the hedge apple is still lodged. Vet worked on her for an hour before resorting to a trocar (with Lidocane prior) and she deflated like a balloon. Gave her a sedative, we brought her back to a small enclosed section of the barn with no access to hay/grass or water. Going back down shortly to hit her up with LA300 (she should be stoned enough I can do it without getting her in the chute). Nothing else I can really do for her tonight, except monitor her. Assuming she makes it through the night, we'll either take her back in or the vet will come out in the morning to try and completely clear her airway.

She's our quintessential red-headed step child, compliments of the neighbors bull. Bless her heart, you can spot her a mile away! But the sweetest cow ever. She's almost 11 and I've never treated her for anything other than foot rot, which was one 'n done with hand feeding Sustain boluses in the pasture.

Gonna be a long night.
 

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Just checked on her and AOC and Bill Gates would have a field day. My girl is still spewing methane gas every time she takes a step. But she's dropped at least 4 significant loads of healthy poo. Which leads me to: ain't no way she's getting LA tonight!!! Vet put her conservatively at 1800 lbs. There is zero chance of giving her 108 cc's, 11 injections. And I think he underestimated with the sedative because I haven't seen her down once. Water & green grass are between where she's currently held hostage and the chute. Picking my battles (and safety) in the dark and holding off on the antibiotics until it's light and I have back-up. But still alive and seems to be doing okay, all things considered.
 
If she is breathing easy and the bloat is down, then she should be fine.
Silly cows will try and put anything in their mouth. Had a fat steer deep throat a crow bar once. Tore the inside of his mouth all up.
Thank you, that's comforting and good to know. Side note: at almost 11 years old, her teeth are perfect!
 
Cautiously optimistic!! Vet said to let her have some water this morning, see if she can get it down without choking/spitting it out, which she did. Gave her a couple cubes and she didn't hark them up either. Can't hear or smell any gas coming out of the trocar, but I also haven't seen her burp. Temp is normal, hit her with LA300.
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Went out to feed this afternoon and saw one of my cows bloated, frothy, coughing & gagging. I immediately suspected a hedge apple. Fortunately, she wasn't far from the barn and I was able to get her in (after a little detour in the woods and me face-planting in the mud). Called the vet, hooked up the trailer, took her in. She was so bloated, she didn't fit through the alley. But she's also so docile, he & the Vet Tech just worked on her outside. Appears as if only a chunk of the hedge apple is still lodged. Vet worked on her for an hour before resorting to a trocar (with Lidocane prior) and she deflated like a balloon. Gave her a sedative, we brought her back to a small enclosed section of the barn with no access to hay/grass or water. Going back down shortly to hit her up with LA300 (she should be stoned enough I can do it without getting her in the chute). Nothing else I can really do for her tonight, except monitor her. Assuming she makes it through the night, we'll either take her back in or the vet will come out in the morning to try and completely clear her airway.

She's our quintessential red-headed step child, compliments of the neighbors bull. Bless her heart, you can spot her a mile away! But the sweetest cow ever. She's almost 11 and I've never treated her for anything other than foot rot, which was one 'n done with hand feeding Sustain boluses in the pasture.

Gonna be a long night.
Hope she recovers with no ill effects. A few years back, as we were driving to church one Sunday morning, noticed a silly cow in our pasture choking on a whole hedge apple. We stopped to watch and she finally coughed it up. Consequently, I routinely picked up hedge apples every day until the next years when I cut the offending tree down. A big job but well worth it to gain more grass and eliminate one source for tire punctures and dead animals.
 
Hope she recovers with no ill effects. A few years back, as we were driving to church one Sunday morning, noticed a silly cow in our pasture choking on a whole hedge apple. We stopped to watch and she finally coughed it up. Consequently, I routinely picked up hedge apples every day until the next years when I cut the offending tree down. A big job but well worth it to gain more grass and eliminate one source for tire punctures and dead animals.
I've done my due diligence with hedge apples & most of the trees in the pasture where I wean because I lost a calf a few years ago, almost lost one last year. But I've never had a cow bloat on one. Famous last words. Sage advise and duly noted, thank you.
 
Well, we had a little set-back. The cap/outer edge of the trocar freakin' broke off and the trocar was still inside - sideways. Vet was out within 20 minutes, cut her a little more, fished it out. But before he sewed her up, just for good measure, he tubed her again and she's completely clear. I'll take the stitches out in a couple weeks but now we're pretty sure she'll have a full recovery and I should be able to let her join the herd in a couple of days. She's pounding the bale of brome I gave her, I heard her belch, all good!
 

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Guess this is my year for bloat. Treated one of my weaned heifers for pneumonia earlier this week and she was doing great, but looking pretty punky and a little bloated yesterday. Gave her ProBios for her gut & Vitamin B Complex for a little energy, temp was normal. Checked her this morning and she was definitely bloated & kicking at her stomach but breathing clearly, so I suspected frothy bloat. Went back to the house & made a bicarbonate drench.

Naturally, she was deep in the woods and laying down when I went back, so I straddled her & got about pint of the drench in her before she threw me off & bolted for the safety of the herd. Which actually worked in my favor, because she ended up close to the corral & I got her in. Decided my best bet was to take her to the vet. He couldn't get much methane when he tubed her and there was no blockage, but he thinks she may have a "wad" of hay plugging her up. Drenched her with Bloat Guard/electrolytes, gave her Dex and we're going to try supportive therapy before resorting to a trocar. Keeping her at the barn with no hay, just whatever grass is left, and will follow up with another shot of Dex tomorrow. At least her lungs sounded clear, so there's that.
 
Guess this is my year for bloat. Treated one of my weaned heifers for pneumonia earlier this week and she was doing great, but looking pretty punky and a little bloated yesterday. Gave her ProBios for her gut & Vitamin B Complex for a little energy, temp was normal. Checked her this morning and she was definitely bloated & kicking at her stomach but breathing clearly, so I suspected frothy bloat. Went back to the house & made a bicarbonate drench.

Naturally, she was deep in the woods and laying down when I went back, so I straddled her & got about pint of the drench in her before she threw me off & bolted for the safety of the herd. Which actually worked in my favor, because she ended up close to the corral & I got her in. Decided my best bet was to take her to the vet. He couldn't get much methane when he tubed her and there was no blockage, but he thinks she may have a "wad" of hay plugging her up. Drenched her with Bloat Guard/electrolytes, gave her Dex and we're going to try supportive therapy before resorting to a trocar. Keeping her at the barn with no hay, just whatever grass is left, and will follow up with another shot of Dex tomorrow. At least her lungs sounded clear, so there's that.
Well dang it all.
Have u guys had much frost up there?
I've heard tell frosty wheat will cause bloat too.
 
She's doing MUCH better! Gave her the 2nd dose of Dex this morning and some cubes. Still going to keep her at the barn a couple more days, just to make sure, before I move her back with the weanlings.

@MurraysMutts & @Jeanne - Simme Valley, we've had a couple frosts, but the weaned calves are eating bales of brome and 20% protein cubes. They'll still graze, but it's native grass/prairie.
 

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Oh, sweet Jesus! Projectile diarrhea😮. Clearly, my heifer is no longer blocked. Had every intention of moving her today because she's perky, great appetite, zero signs of pneumonia or bloat and wants back with her buddies in the worst way. But . . . want to wait until her system settles down. Plus, they're predicting potential nasty weather/storms tomorrow, so she can just sit tight a couple more days. And then I can spend quality time sanitizing the barn, feed bunk, fountain, chute, etc.

And the cow? Too much vaginal discharge this early in gestation. Still on the fringe of the herd and hoping she doesn't abort, but otherwise doing great. Fingers crossed.
 

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