Farminlund
Well-known member
It's been a tough stretch this fall calving season with 2 lost cows & now a calf. Now that I look back on the events leading up to the calf's death, my recollection of posts related to naval ill might seem to align. The calf was born mid Sept & never seemed to have the energy the other calves had – it would nurse & get up if I came close but he always moved slow & sort of gingerly. Upon returning from a week of vacation in late Oct, I found that he had lost much hair on his forehead & on the lower portion of his legs. He was so lethargic, that when I found him that first day back, he was surrounded by black buzzards. He could walk & so slowly I got him in the corral, gave shots of LA 200, Vit A & D, & sulfa boluses. His hair easily pulled out & his stool was not too loose but sort of grey in color. He responded almost immediately with a jump in energy & a change in stool color (now more brown). On the 3rd day, I again tried to tackle him to give a second shot of LA 200 – he was fast & it took me a few laps around the pen. Let him out with the others & since then the hair on his head had nearly grown all back & some hair was beginning to cover his legs (not too much there). Two days ago I actually saw him run as I went near him to check on him. I was sure there would be no further need for doctoring. Yesterday evening after a day of light rain, I found him in the middle of pasture stretched out & slightly bloated. I managed to get him up by lifting him to his feet (he must be well over 150) but his strength let him down after about 150 yds, the tractor bucket was used to get him back to the corral. Temp was 97 deg & he had difficulty holding his head up, the eyes were somewhat glazed (not sunken though). We got him under a heat lamp for an hour or so, and then tubed him (he would not suck) with about a qt of Scours Control 2 (medicated milk replacer) & gave him a shot of LA 200. He was dead within the next 2 hours. I took him to the "back 40" today & noticed his naval was swollen & there seemed to be even like a small open hole in the center that was filled with small pieces of white "stuff".
So, is this enough info to give me a diagnosis? I had talked with the vet when he was so slow that the buzzards were about to take him, & he said to hit him with the regiment that I described above – which seemed to work well. If this were naval ill, what should I have done differently? Where did I mess up (I didn't specifically look for him yesterday AM, but I know he wasn't spread out in the middle of field)? Why such a fast turn of events? Cull the ma?
So, is this enough info to give me a diagnosis? I had talked with the vet when he was so slow that the buzzards were about to take him, & he said to hit him with the regiment that I described above – which seemed to work well. If this were naval ill, what should I have done differently? Where did I mess up (I didn't specifically look for him yesterday AM, but I know he wasn't spread out in the middle of field)? Why such a fast turn of events? Cull the ma?