I think he got the short end....

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Luv4whippets

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of the Colostrum stick! It has been 2 weeks since our bout with pneumonia and the calf is sick again. We used NuFlor that time. This time left ear is drooping. I checked it all out and found one, teeny, tiny, tick on the end. Went ahead and removed it and we're still drooping. To top it off temp last PM was 105.5, this AM 103.3. There is no puss or any other discharge from either ear. I wiped them both out. There is a slightly milky colored discharge from the left nostril only, barely. I can tell the little guy is painful and I have given him some Banamine to help with the fever, pain, and inflamation. No head tilt or swollen joints. He is still eating for the most part, with encouragement. I am concerned about Mycoplasma. My husband is convinced it's because the little guy wants to keep his parts. Can I get your opinions regarding what you think is going on here? (I do appreciate ALL of your opinions and I hope you're not all mad at me over the castration thread!) I may just end up taking him up to MSU but I don't want to further stress him out by doing so.
 
If you think it is mycoplasma then maybe you should try draxxin, if this doesn't clear it up then I think I'd have to throw in the towell and end this poor creature's suffering. Better yet, take it to your vet.
 
It sounds like it could possibly be pneumonia again. Droopy ears and runny nose are often an indication. There are different strains out there, or, he could be relapsing. Something a lot of us forget (experienced or not) is to follow through on a course of treatment. It has been said that it is a good idea to treat one more time than you deem nescessary. Just because they look good doesn't always mean that they are completely over the bug, and they may fight the last of it on their own, or they may relapse a few days or a couple weeks later. Sometimes I wonder if these single treatment (or double treatment in the case of nuflor) are quite as great as they are cracked up to be. We've had calves treated with Nuflor that seem to come out of their illness only to relapse within a couple weeks. We generally treat them again (according to the label) and they snap out of it. I would hit him again with a dose of Nuflor and see how he responds over the next 24 hours. That may be all you need to do.

Oh, and tell your hubby, that he (the calf) isn't thinking that far ahead :p
 
Thanks guys, I don't really think he's suffering too much. I guess I hadn't considered not being able to straighten him out. His fever has come down this afternoon and he did eat well this morning. He's not dehydrated but does seem quiet today. I really would hate to lose him now, we have become kind of attached to the little guy. Thanks again for your input. Is it abnormal for calves to face so many challenges? Or is it that I bought him at auction? I guess I expected these things, but thought we could work thru them. In your experience, will it always be an uphill battle for him?
 
randiliana":1s62kyyz said:
or, he could be relapsing. Something a lot of us forget (experienced or not) is to follow through on a course of treatment. It has been said that it is a good idea to treat one more time than you deem nescessary. Just because they look good doesn't always mean that they are completely over the bug, and they may fight the last of it on their own, or they may relapse a few days or a couple weeks later.

Well said. I am a firm believer in 'just one more' for good measure.

With any luck, that is what is going on with this calf and not Mycoplasma.

Katherine
 
Luv4whippets":1p17e641 said:
Is it abnormal for calves to face so many challenges?

Not necessarily. For some yes, for others no. I have raised a couple of calves that had little to no colostrum and they were fine. One had a few issues, minor joint ill and scours but she came out of it just fine. Then there are others that just never seem to 'thrive' no matter what you do.

Or is it that I bought him at auction?

That can certainly contribute to health issues. Lord knows those calves are exposed to so many nasty organisms there. Even if they do get colostrum, it is entirely possible for them to be exposed to 'things' that their mother never was exposed to thus not having an immunity for that specific organism through the colostrum. Then there are those purchased at the sale barn that do just fine.

I guess I expected these things, but thought we could work thru them.

And you may very well do just that.

In your experience, will it always be an uphill battle for him?

If he is one of those who stays chronic, then yes, it will be. But, time will tell.

Katherine
 
Once and a while you will get one that relapses it is not uncommon. You just have to hit them a little harder and longer than the recommended label dose. I would stick with Nuflor but if you want to try another med Draxxin is good as well as Exceed, but you need to know if it is in fact pneumonia that is why I would stick with Nuflor as it is a brood spectrum antibiotic..
Careful with the banamine (as you probably know already) it would be a shame to get the little guy all better only to have him die a few weeks later from a perforated ulcer..

I don't think it is mycoplasma ( touch wood). I think your little guy would have had more problems thus far.

BTW I had a dairy bull calf a couple years ago that was chronic, I treated him per label 4 different times and he would always relapse finally I went way off label and if got it. ( ya ya I know always follow labels ) He has been healthy since and we will be eating him this fall.. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. Don't forget the probios too.

Good luck with him I hope what ever he has gets knocked out permanently I know It is very frustrating when they relapse. I guess he gets to keep his "boys" a while longer now until he is felling top notch again anyways. ;-)

Something to think of is if you decide to add more calves to your "herd" see if you can get one directly from a dairy near you. Then you can make sure he has adequate colostrum and you can even get them to give him collimune and calf guard as soon as they are born as well as iodining the navel and vitamins/selenium as well..You may have to pay a little more for them but it will be worth it in the end. When we dairied we had people fighting for contracts to get our bull calves because they knew that they were well cared for from day one be it a heifer or bull born they all got as much colostrum as they wanted for the first feeding and then at lest 4 pints for 3 more feedings. It makes for healthy calves and eventually a healthy herd.
 
It's tough when you get one like this. I don't have the time, nor the will to coddle and bottle feed one. I have always looked at it that if they can't make it on their own, they're not going to make it.

But.... I have now found someone that has the time and patience to nursemaid and bottle feed. Finally have a resource to get rid of those calves that don't cut it on the farm.

Good luck to you.
 
He's a little Jersey.

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I'm sorry that he isn't thriving. It's tough when you buy a baby calf (meaning a day old or less than a week old) at auction. There is no guarantee that he got much colostrum. They can go downhill just when you think that everything will be OK. Keep up with the antibiotics and probiotics. I've been in the same boat and it is disappointing.

Does he have normal stools? Good luck.
 
Thanks everyone. He's still hanging in there. Still eating well, including some of his calf pellets (on his own) and some grass. His stools are watery but he has just started eating stuff other than milk. They don't smell rancid by any means. Got some NuFlor into him today. Thanks for the reminder on the Banamine, it's not something we use frequently. Grannysoo, I wish he was a beef breed. If I lived near you, you could add me to your list ;-) Thanks again, everyone.
 
The feed should firm up his poops. If they are watery, run a fecal and see if he has coccidia. If his gut is OK, his poop should be like soft ice cream. Runny is bad. It doesn't have to smell bad to be a problem.
Does he have access to hay?
 
Thanks Chippie. I have done 2 fecals on him so far, both negative. His stool was looking great (if that's possible) until he came in on Saturday. I was thinking he ate too much grass. The stool is coming around. Temp is down this evening and attitude is good. He's not dehydrated and he ate like it's his last meal. Let's hope it's not. He did do some light coughing again this evening, the same as 2 weeks ago. I'm wondering if I just didn't clear whatever he had before. He does have hay available to him and free choice calf pellets (which he thinks are yucky) and water too at all times.
 
IL4W, I would continue with the treatment for 2 more sessions at least..

Also see if you can get some calf started ration it is not pellets but a mixture of all the goodies they love ( I prefer 18-20 % dairy ration if at all possible), I guarantee when your little guy is feeling better he will gobble it down.

Until he is top notch again it sounds like he is doing very well ,when they DON"T want milk that is a very bad sign but as long as he is finishing his bottle in a reasonable amount of time, I think he should pull through with flying colors..Just do not stop the antibiotics until a full treatment is done.

Sounds like he has turned the corner..
 

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