Is it shipping fever?

[milkmaid]

Well thanks for the insight, cfpinz. I haven't entirely ruled it out, but... just really reluctant to use it. How fast did you see a response with yours?

ffamom -- that's a thought. Don't know if I could get my hands on magnets until Monday or Tuesday. If it IS hardware, what's the chance of her responding? obviously it's gone on for awhile. Thanks for the idea. :nod:

 

[msscamp]

Well thanks for the insight, cfpinz. I haven't entirely ruled it out, but... just really reluctant to use it. How fast did you see a response with yours?

I can fully understand your reluctance to use Micotil, but if it will save the cow.......... Surely your vet has a dart gun - you seem to have established a good relationship with him, do you think he might let you borrow it given your reluctance to handle Micotil directly? Just a thought.

 

[milkmaid]

Not sure about a dart gun, but... He'd probably be more than happy to come out and treat her for me, at a $40 farm call + time and labor. :shock: :lol:

I know I can't get Micotil until Monday anyways, so I have time to think about this.

 

[Howdyjabo]

you are in trouble
Its not Mycoplasma though

You are pretty much down to hit and miss

If you try Micotil or Nuflor and don't get a good drop in temp= Spectam seems to cover the niche they miss.

 

[msscamp]

Not sure about a dart gun, but... He'd probably be more than happy to come out and treat her for me, at a $40 farm call + time and labor. :shock: :lol:

I know I can't get Micotil until Monday anyways, so I have time to think about this.

I understand that - but I also understand you're hesitant about using Micotil and I can't blame you for that. It was just a suggestion.

 

[milkmaid]

I hit her with Rally 20, Banamine, and Baytril tonight. Really the only stuff I have on hand. (Well, I guess I do have Excenel and Excede, thoughts on those?) The only Spectam I have is the red scour-halt stuff for pigs. No injectable spectinomycin.

I'm thinking I'll leave a note on the vet clinic door for Doc -- I know there's a lot of cows over there that need to be fed twice a day -- and see if I can get Micotil in the morning -- and hopefully all will go smoothly and there won't be an unexplained absence of milkmaid on the boards. :shock: That's a little morbid, I know, sorry. I've been at the clinic enough I actually know where the spare key is and the key to the drug room, but I just don't feel right doing that without permission.

 

[milkmaid]

Not sure about a dart gun, but... He'd probably be more than happy to come out and treat her for me, at a $40 farm call + time and labor. :shock: :lol:

I know I can't get Micotil until Monday anyways, so I have time to think about this.

I understand that - but I also understand you're hesitant about using Micotil and I can't blame you for that. It was just a suggestion.

Yep, I understand, and thanks for it.

 

[msscamp]

I hit her with Rally 20, Banamine, and Baytril tonight. Really the only stuff I have on hand. (Well, I guess I do have Excenel and Excede, thoughts on those?) The only Spectam I have is the red scour-halt stuff for pigs. No injectable spectinomycin.

No experience with Excenel or Excede - sorry.

I'm thinking I'll leave a note on the vet clinic door for Doc -- I know there's a lot of cows over there that need to be fed twice a day -- and see if I can get Micotil in the morning -- and hopefully all will go smoothly and there won't be an unexplained absence of milkmaid on the boards. :shock: That's a little morbid, I know, sorry.

Not only is it morbid, it's completely not funny! No emoticon to express my feelings, so I guess I just have to rely on my statement.

 

[milkmaid]

I'm sorry then. It's late, I'm tired, and I wasn't thinking; shouldn't have said that.

Better log off before I say anything else I'll regret later. 'Night!

 

[msscamp]

I'm sorry then. It's late, I'm tired, and I wasn't thinking; shouldn't have said that.

Better log off before I say anything else I'll regret later. 'Night!

No need to apologize just because I don't have a sense of humor for these types of statements. 'night, hon, and take care.

 

[milkmaid]

Well I left a note on the vet clinic door, posted there with red duct tape (can't miss it) so I'm just waiting for a phone call and I'll go get that Micotil.

I gave the calf Rally 20 and Banamine this morning -- thankfully she's still alive -- and I saw her out grazing with the herd before I left for church. She's an odd one. Eats, drinks, and looks good until you get up near her and then you know she's not well at all.

 

[Texan]

You'll be fine with the Micotil and you'll love it. The more nervous you are, the more likely you are to have a problem. I don't mind my wife using it and if I thought it was really that risky, there's no way I'd do that.

If you're not real comfortable with it, use a 3/4 inch short bevel needle and don't tent the skin. Just ease it under the loose skin in front of her shoulders if the skin higher on her neck is too tight. Keep your other hand well out of the way and there's not much that can go wrong.

 

[milkmaid]

Well the phone call came this evening, wasn't home, but they left me a message they were leaving the Micotil in a box outside. I've got a really good vet to do that sort of thing for me! I treated her a few minutes ago with Micotil (and that went smoothly ;-)) and Rally 20 -- left off the Banamine so I can have a good temp reading to go with in 24 hours.

Question for ya'll on the Micotil. It says single dose, reevaluate in 48 hours. Do I...um, follow that to the letter or can I/should I retreat in 24 hours, then evaluate 48 hours after that and if she's improving retreat one last time?

Just seems like it's a pretty persistant bug and off-label therapy may be neccessary. Any comments on that? Anyone else ever used Micotil that way before?

Haven't been able to get magnets yet but I should be able to find one tomorrow. I don't think the whole problem could be hardware as there was a dramatic spike in temperature when I moved her off the Baytril, indicating to me there IS an infection, but I suppose hardware in addition to pneumonia is a distinct possibility, and with the way my pastures are I'm sure putting magnets down ALL my animals would be a really good idea.

 

[milkmaid]

you are in trouble
Its not Mycoplasma though

Meant to ask you... how can you rule out Myco based on the way she's responding (or not responding)? Is it because Myco is such a slow-growing bug that 24 hours is not sufficient time for them to multiply enough for her to take a "turn for the worse"?

I know my vet's said that Myco takes about 7 days to grow on culture plates. Is that the reason you can rule it out now?

What are the other most common bugs to cause respiratory problems? Pasturella was listed on the label of Micotil. What else might it be?

 

[IluvABbeef]

There was a calf that was down that I thought we were going to lose and the vet gave Micotil to be injected every three days (I think it was 25 cc) plus Borgal (also 25 cc)everyday. It worked.

 

[msscamp]

Question for ya'll on the Micotil. It says single dose, reevaluate in 48 hours. Do I...um, follow that to the letter or can I/should I retreat in 24 hours, then evaluate 48 hours after that and if she's improving retreat one last time?

I've never used Micotil, so I believe I'd follow the label until I had a 'base of knowledge' for comparison. Just my thoughts.

 

[cfpinz]

Well thanks for the insight, cfpinz. I haven't entirely ruled it out, but... just really reluctant to use it. How fast did you see a response with yours?

One calf wouldn't even raise his head when I gave him the shot out in the lot, 12 hours later he was up and moping around. 24 hrs afterwards wouldn't let me within 20 feet of him! Went from death's door to somewhat spunky in a day.

My future plans for this type of illness are using the Nuflor/Baytril along with Banamine first and if I don't see a noticeable improvement, then break out the Micotil. As far as being afraid to use it, my philosophy is that we are all going to leave this earth when our time is up, no sooner, no later. Someone else makes that decision, I trust Him. ;-)

Good Luck

cfpinz

 

[Howdyjabo]

The calves that I have had that developed joint problems(more than likely Myco). Never got a areal high temperature again. They just sat there around 104 and wasted away.

 

[milkmaid]

Well, I went and checked all her leg joints, Karen, and there's no swelling or inflammation. Guess that's a good thing.

Temp last night was at 105.4F, retreated with Micotil (Doc agreed with my treatment plan), I'll give her 48 hours -- that'd be to Wednesday night -- and retreat again with Micotil. Temp down to 104.2F this morning, but she still looks pretty bad. If I can walk up to her and take her temperature while she's laying down that's not exactly a good sign in my book! But I took her temp TWICE because I didn't believe it the first time, and it IS 104.2F, so... I don't know what to think.

When I went to catch her to give the Rally 20 and all, she did get up and she's getting good at evading me when I try to grab her halter. I'll take that as a good sign.

She eats, she drinks, but she's not well and she's not responding like I want her to, so I'm certainly puzzled. It's said "where there's a will there's a way" -- well if it was a question of MY will that calf would be perfectly healthy by now. :lol:

Thanks again for the advice, all.

 

[milkmaid]

Well...temp's 103 this morning, 102.9 yesterday with the help of Banamine, haven't taken it tonight BUT -- she is with the rest of the herd this evening. My vet stopped by to preg check a certain cow, and as I was looking the herd over I could see that calf was actually with the rest of the herd, and grazing. That's a good sign, because last couple days she's been by herself on the far end of the pasture at this time of day.

I didn't have him look her over, other than at a distance (300 yards away ) because he'd stopped by as I was his last appointment for the day, was supposed to be at the clinic but he was hoping to get done earlier so he came to my house -- basically I was afraid I'd get charged that $40 farm call if I asked him to walk out and look at that calf. :lol:

Question for you, Karen. Doc said he has a few feedlot clients that have tried a certain program and been quite happy with it. Said they vaccinate chronic cases every week for 4 or 5 weeks with a MLV, and the results are very good. (Guess it has to do with repeatedly stimulating the immune system against certain viruses.) He said you can argue that the calf may have recovered on its own in 5 weeks anyhow, but that he's had enough other folks try it per his advice, and call back later saying that it worked really well.

Have you ever tried it, and if so, what did you think?