Is this Udder Edema?

[chevytaHOE5674]

The best thing to bring a cows milk in is a calf suckling.

 

[AmandaQ]

Avoid bottle calf if possible. They are expensive and if anything is going to get sick or have issues 9/10 it's the bottle calf.

I tried my best to avoid it but she has been diagnosed as a dummy cow with a fever. We are trying everything to get her healthy. I sent her to someone that knows how to bottle raise a calf and I hope she gets hungry, learns to nurse on the nipple and is home feeling better by Sunday. We are all worried at my house.

Yes it is better for a beef calf to be dam raised. But if the calf is not getting enough milk from the cow something needs to be done and soon

I took her back to the vet's tonight and she got antibiotics for the second time today because her fever was higher this evening than it was this morning. They gave her a third round of colostrum. Then she went straight to a barn where they often bottle raise calves. I'm hoping for good news. The vet said she is a dummy cow. I looked it up and it's very concerning. Trying to just stay hopeful we have a positive outcome.

 

[AmandaQ]

The best thing to bring a cows milk in is a calf suckling.

This calf won't go anywhere near her mother's udder. And the mom doesn't seem to know what the teets are for. I can't even get the calf to stand up much, I am running out of options!

Will the calf suck on your finger? Since you don't have a chute or way of restraint, I've given cows cubes to keep them occupied while I get the calf latched on. Let the calf suck on your finger, then lead its mouth to the teat and gently shove the teat in the calf's mouth.

Today I couldn't even get her to stand up very much. She had a weak suckle this morning but it was stronger by the evening. I'm hoping all the antibiotics fix what is causing the malaise.

 

[AmandaQ]

Dairies have had a lot of failure with bottle calves that ultimately leads them to success. They learn how to treat them, what to look for, early signs of distress/sickness, etc.

That's hard experience to gain for a newbie with 1 animal. The best bet is spend as much time as needed getting mother to take the calf. A calf on a cow is light-years ahead of a bottle calf.

I'm hoping against hope my mama's milk doesn't dry up while the calf is learning how to bottle feed. I know once we get on the bottle, I'm giving up on the natural and better option. But I really don't want this baby to die.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Amanda, please don't worry. You and the vet have done everything that needed to be done for the calf. She's good place and in good hands. With the antibiotics, rest and keeping her electrolytes and fluid balanced she could make it. If she lives you have probably got yourself a bottle calf.

 

[redcowsrule33]

Dairy's are successful with bottle calves. Beef bottle calves raised on ranches usually turn out to be pot bellied screebs and cost more to raise than they sell for, if they live.

Only because the owners are too cheap or won't put the time in to raise them right. Yes when prices are down you can lose money on them but I'd rather lose money on a calf that looks equal to his peers than a scrub. But that's me.

 

[AmandaQ]

Is this time to find yet another vet?

2 vets missed that an extremely fat cow was pregnant.

Didn't check before the table

Amanda, please don't worry. You and the vet have done everything that needed to be done for the calf. She's good place and in good hands. With the antibiotics, rest and keeping her electrolytes and fluid balanced she could make it. If she lives you have probably got yourself a bottle calf.

Not knowing if you know how to get milk out of a teat, I thought you might want to take a look at this video. It has some other good ideas about various things too, like restraining a cow with limited tools, etc. Check out the video at 8:25 minutes to see how to get milk.

Thank you! I needed this.

 

[TCRanch]

The vet said she is a dummy cow.

Your vet would have benefited from preforming the Madigan Squeeze. And it's not too late.

Lots of videos on the 'net, this is just one:

madigan squeeze method for calves - Search Videos

www.bing.com

 

[farmerjan]

Only because the owners are too cheap or won't put the time in to raise them right. Yes when prices are down you can lose money on them but I'd rather lose money on a calf that looks equal to his peers than a scrub. But that's me

Agree with you on this. A beef calf does not have to be a pot bellied scrub if bottle raised... it is up to the person raising the calf to do it right. I have raised lots on bottles... same with dairy calves... they need to be taken care of right and will turn out just fine. It is not cheap to bottle raise a calf.... GOOD milk replacer does not come cheap but it is worth the money if you want a calf to look good and to keep on growing and gaining... so many do not put the time into them, get them the start they need and then continue with proper feeding so they continue to grow and gain... Doesn't matter the breed, they need to be fed right.

 

[farmerjan]

Just wanted to add that a cow raised beef calf is the best way to go... but there are cows that don't raise a very good calf and they should be culled... yet many would keep a "poor doer" around if they put a calf on the ground every year... I have pulled a few calves over the years that the cow just wasn't doing it any good, and bottle raised it or fostered it over on a nurse cow... this latest run of culling cows and low numbers, will either get rid of the ones doing a poor job of raising a calf, or will have some holding on to any and everything to just get a calf. With the cull cow prices, my hope is it will get people to cull out those cows and to keep better animals.
There will always be cull cows as long as there are cattle... but we can "up our level of standards" of cull cows...

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I have pulled a few calves over the years that the cow just wasn't doing it any good, and bottle raised it ...

If I have to pull her calf and bottle feed it then the cow can catch the first ride on a truck outa here. She's got one job to do....

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

How is the calf today, Amanda?

 

[farmerjan]

If I have to pull her calf and bottle feed it then the cow can catch the first ride on a truck outa here. She's got one job to do....

Agree, when I have pulled a calf, the cow leaves... sometimes it is the smart thing to do... I used to have some pretty poor kinda cows when I got started..... mostly "rejects" that I could buy within my budget.... cheap... and if the cow didn't do her job, she went... and I would raise the calf on my dairy nurse cows... That is partly how I got into more beef cows... by raising some calves that I pulled, and some that the cows raised, then sold the cows and kept the heifers... It was a LONG road for me in the beginning... and I do appreciate what it taught me... and I do cull pretty ruthlessly now. But my point was that beef calves do best if the momma can raise them... if not, then proper bottle feeding and care of the beef calf will not result in a pot bellied scrub...

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

What if the calf had to be pulled because of leg back, neck turned back or breach? Malpresentation is not the cow's fault.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

In this context "pulled calf" is a calf taken off its mother and bottle fed because mother or calf are struggling. Not physically pulled during birth.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

"That is partly how I got into more beef cows... by raising some calves that I pulled, and some that the cows raised, then sold the cows and kept the heifers..." Opps I misunderstood.

My husband would sell any cow that did not produce a live calf that year. But he would keep the cow if it was not her fault. For instance, he 'assisited' (pulled) many malpositioned calves and some were born dead he did not sell the cow. Or if the calf was lost to a predator. He also raised bummer calves rfom a cow that died or had kicked it off (she was sold for that) and raised them on bottles. Although he feed them milk replacer twice a day and offered Calf Manna he said they never really made a dam n and he sold them ASAP.

 

[AmandaQ]

Your vet would have benefited from preforming the Madigan Squeeze. And it's not too late.

Lots of videos on the 'net, this is just one:

madigan squeeze method for calves - Search Videos

www.bing.com

I asked her about it this morning and she said if the morning goes bad, we are going that route. But the morning noon and night went fabulously. I am picking her up tomorrow at noon and getting her back to her mom. Fever is gone, she learned to bottle feed and she pranced around with a three year old kid tonight. Answered prayers! (I went to see her today at noon and squeezed her as hard as I could several times. Not quite the ropes but I tried! I very much believe in the MST.)

How is the calf

Agree with you on this. A beef calf does not have to be a pot bellied scrub if bottle raised... it is up to the person raising the calf to do it right. I have raised lots on bottles... same with dairy calves... they need to be taken care of right and will turn out just fine. It is not cheap to bottle raise a calf.... GOOD milk replacer does not come cheap but it is worth the money if you want a calf to look good and to keep on growing and gaining... so many do not put the time into them, get them the start they need and then continue with proper feeding so they continue to grow and gain... Doesn't matter the breed, they need to be fed right.

Can you tell me the good milk replacer? I bought one at Ttactor Supply (not Purina) and ADM, bith whey based. I heard the ADM was the best but had to get something right away so her first bottle was the Tractor Supply one. (I'll find the bag and figure out its name.)

 

[AmandaQ]

I've taken some flack for giving advice here, but being realistic is my vibe so if you don't like it, don't read.

Congratulations on the calf. That's pretty cool. Looking back at the pics of the udder it doesn't look like a cow about to give birth unless she's just got an udder that develops milk after the fact... and there are those. Or maybe she just doesn't have milk.
One thing you might consider is that hovering and manipulating things as a human being that is managing everything to their degree of concern may impede the cow/calf bonding relationship. It's hard to tell because we aren't there. But if the calf is searching for a nipple and you don't ever give it time to find the nipple, then maybe it's not the cow/calf. On the other hand, if the calf was born during the night and the calf was standing well and strong and it's been a while without seeming to know where the faucet is... then management may be necessary.
Post a good pic of the udder now. It could be that the teats are engorged and the calf can't latch on because they are huge... and you have to milk them down so they shrink. Older cows can have teats that are too large and it's hard for the calf to latch on.

Not knowing if you know how to get milk out of a teat, I thought you might want to take a look at this video. It has some other good ideas about various things too, like restraining a cow with limited tools, etc. Check out the video at 8:25 minutes to see how to get milk.

I will keep working on it, I like this chick's form. Thank you!!

 

[AmandaQ]

How is the calf today, Amanda?

Miraculously better. That little boy danced with her and she danced back. Fever is gone, she has the hang with the bottle and she has some energy for the first time. Bringing her home tomorrow at 1:00. Can't wait!

 

[Travlr]

Miraculously better. That little boy danced with her and she danced back. Fever is gone, she has the hang with the bottle and she has some energy for the first time. Bringing her home tomorrow at 1:00. Can't wait!

Well now you have three... and apparently they will all be going through normal estrus cycles. If you don't want accidental calves, or them (or a bull) testing your fences, or just them being sexually emotional, you might want to consider getting them spayed. It's a quick and easy procedure, and it will save you money on feed costs because they will get fat on what a fertile cow will starve on. (Well, not really... that's a slight exaggeration.)