Just another bloat post

[bcox]

Will bloating go away on its own?

I bought 12 heifers about two weeks ago. More than half of them got sick.

I thought since I only had them for about 7-10 days that they may have shipping fever.

Some were coughing. Some humped up and were very wabley when they walked. Some were laying down a lot.

I gave all of them a shot of LA 200 then another shot of Nuflor two days later, thinking the problem was shipping fever. Now I'm not so sure. As I was reading some of the other bloat posts, it seems what everyone was describing was what was happening to me.

I tried to get the vet out to look at them but he refused.(I'll save that story for another post)

They seem to be doing fine now. I just realized that I have not had to deal with bloating problems before and know very little on how to deal with it.

bcox

 

[milkmaid]

What kind of feed are they on and what age/weight class are they in?

 

[bcox]

500-600 lbs yearlings. They are eating grass right now but I have been giving 1/2-1 5lb bucket of sweet feed (grain) about every 2 to 3 days just to keep them coming into the barn lot.

 

[GMN]

Doesn't sound like bloat to me. The coughing you described makes me wonder if you shouldn't vaccinate for IBR BVD, and if they don't have a respiratory thing going on.

I had a calf bloat severely, actually it ended up dying in a matter of 10 minutes, from what the vet didn't even know, and bloat is pretty obvious.

I'd get a vet opinion for sure.

GMN

 

[bcox]

Is there a vaccine for IBR or do you just load them up on antibiotics, like Nuflor etc...?

bcox

 

[Farminlund]

Bloat is obvious - they are huge, look like blimps. First the left side then the right (in severe cases). It can clear up if it has not progressed to severe (then immediate action is required), but as you have read on the other threads, tubing & oil/detergent is usually required (& a change in feed for a while at least).

 

[milkmaid]

Doesn't quite sound like bloat to me... there are vaccinations available for BVD, IBR, PI3, BRSV, but vaccinations don't work on an animal that's under stress. You'd be best off to buy animals that have been vaccinated prior to purchase. Otherwise, you just tough it out and wait until they're doing good, healthy, on feed, and then vaccinate.

 

[bcox]

I think you guys are right. They was never any noticable swelling like everyone decribed.

It could have been IBR. If it was, it seems to have run its course.
They all seem to be doing fine now. I hope whatever they had doesnt return.

Thanks everyone for replying.

 

[GMN]

Just for curiosity bcox, are these heifers calfhooded? If they are they should have a metal clip in their ear. When they get healthy again, I sure would vaccinate them, and worm them.

Hope all continues to go well.