Lapping water like a dog

[2Bigfoots]

Hello, I am curious if I need to be concerned or not that one of my heifers only laps water. She will stand there for an hour or more lapping away...I have never seen her sip/suck like normal. I am worried she may not be getting enough water over long term vs the time and energy she spends to get water. Does it indicate a deficiency or issue she may have? Are there any measures I can take to help curb this? Or should I just not worry about it and continue to let it bring a smile to my face every time I see her trying to be a dog?

 

[bigbluegrass]

Has she always lapped water? Some cows just drink different than others. Probably not a big deal. It seems I read that lapping water could be a sign of woody tongue, but if it is you should be able to see the tongue is swollen and hard. If lapping water is her only problem, I wouldn't suspect anything.

 

[2Bigfoots]

Has she always lapped water? Some cows just drink different than others. Probably not a big deal. It seems I read that lapping water could be a sign of woody tongue, but if it is you should be able to see the tongue is swollen and hard. If lapping water is her only problem, I wouldn't suspect anything.

She's a new yearling that I recently purchased along with 14 others from a nearby farmer. I've Only had her for a month.

 

[A.J.]

If she seems to be in good condition and eating and looks like she feels ok I wouldn't be concerned. I've got an old cow i raised that has always stood at the water trough and lapped the water like that. She takes a long time to get her fill, but that's what she does. I always figured it was just a quirk of hers.

 

[ez14.]

I've seen quite a few cows do it. I've always figured they were just bored

 

[Ryder]

I've seen quite a few cows do it. I've always figured they were just bored

 

[Ryder]

If memory serves seems like I have seen them lap water when very hot. But in Canada I wouldn't think she is very hot. As has been said, if there is no other problem I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[ez14.]

If memory serves seems like I have seen them lap water when very hot. But in Canada I wouldn't think she is very hot. As has been said, if there is no other problem I wouldn't worry about it.

Yeah I've noticed that as well though not really sure how lapping would help with heat

 

[calfmomma]

Must be a holstein, lol! We have 2 holstein calves that do that with milk replacer and a cow as well. They always seem to be well hydrated and they are the first to volunteer to swallow the hose when its nearby. Just keep smiling!

 

[tumbleweed2]

Hello, I am curious if I need to be concerned or not that one of my heifers only laps water. She will stand there for an hour or more lapping away...I have never seen her sip/suck like normal. I am worried she may not be getting enough water over long term vs the time and energy she spends to get water. Does it indicate a deficiency or issue she may have? Are there any measures I can take to help curb this? Or should I just not worry about it and continue to let it bring a smile to my face every time I see her trying to be a dog?

I'm no vet but symptoms are that of being dehydrated ... could be a UTI problem... have vet analyze her urine for infection

 

[tex452]

If it's woody tougne they will swell up under the jaw and can't swallow good.
I'm doctoring a bull now that has woody tongue he swelled up under the jaw lapped water always drooling he even had a ball of grass stuck in his throat.
We gave him antibiotics put him in the lot and feeding him grain plus I turned him out in a trap where he can get grass after some swelling went down.
He's doing better drinking water good gaining weight and has no trouble eating.
He lost a lot of weight.

 

[TCRanch]

Had one cow with woody tongue and it was so stiff she couldn't lap the way the OP described. But worth checking out! BTW, one hefty dose of sodium iodide (IV) by the vet and she was good to go after a couple weeks.