Mama cow can't get up

[garyws]

Yesterday morning, checking on the herd, I found one of my most productive cows couldn't get up. She obviously was too weak in her hind legs. After coaxing her awhile she finally struggled to all four even though I could see she was having a hard time of it and had a small bit of trembling in her leg muscles. I watched her closely all day and she never went down. I put her up near the house with her calf so I could watch her and early this morning she was still standing. So far so good. Does anyone have any ideas what may be going on with her? Thanks ahead.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

How long ago did she calve, and does she look droopy?

 

[Nesikep]

Hard to say without knowing how long ago she calved, but if it was right after a hard birth, a pinched nerve would be likely. If you can take her temp that can would narrow any lists of ailments

 

[garyws]

How long ago did she calve, and does she look droopy?

Calved June 16, this year. Not really droopy, just not herself since yesterday. Before yesterday she was ok. Doesn't want to move around much. She's usually first at the feed trough. Still has an appetite though. I did a google and it looks like maybe low blood calcium(milk fever)even though she's not a dairy(an angus). Yesterday she acted like she was in pain in her hind quarters and just barely getting around. Today she's not too active but at least she's not down. Thanks for your interest!

 

[garyws]

Hard to say without knowing how long ago she calved, but if it was right after a hard birth, a pinched nerve would be likely. If you can take her temp that can would narrow any lists of ailments

Birthed June 16, this year. Don't have a thermometer just now, but I'll get one. Thanks for your interest!

 

[CG1]

How long ago did she calve, and does she look droopy?

Calved June 16, this year. Not really droopy, just not herself since yesterday. Before yesterday she was ok. Doesn't want to move around much. She's usually first at the feed trough. Still has an appetite though. I did a google and it looks like maybe low blood calcium(milk fever)even though she's not a dairy(an angus). Yesterday she acted like she was in pain in her hind quarters and just barely getting around. Today she's not too active but at least she's not down. Thanks for your interest!

My first thought was milk fever but I understood it to happen much sooner. I only have calved a few cows that were at risk of it and the vet had said I would see it in the first bit. I have not heard of it in an Angus but I could be wrong on that.

Since she calved so long ago id assume that this is a separate issue. We get lots of foot issues and slow cows this time of year with the weather change (below freezing here today and it came on fast), we also have lots of water. Could it be her feet? foot rot? Some sort of leg issue?

I just had a cow with a bad leg issue. Luckily she didn't have a calf on her. She just got better slowly over a week.

If she was my cow id offer grain twice a day so I could see her physically get up and walk over to the grain dish. Once she stopped coming, id call the vet.

 

[farmerjan]

Although "milk fever" is usually an early lactation/post partum occurance it is possible but remotely so. However, they have been known to get late lactation milk fever which is actually low potassium in the blood stream. Again it mostly only happens in cows with dairy influence in them, but not unheard of in beef cattle. There are also other things that only a vet would think to look for. It may serve you well to have a vet out, do a blood sample to run and see if there is something lacking. If there is, it could also affect the other animals. Could be that there is something lacking in the grass this year, or the hay. Last year when we were so wet, the cows did not put on the condition that they normally do. Had more than we would have come up open. Vet thought it was because the grass was so "washy" as in so much fast growth and not as much nutrition in it. He thought they were lacking in magnesium. We have upped the mag in the mineral and nearly everyone has since been checked pregnant. Maybe the reason, but the weather has been pretty screwy the last couple of years, so not discounting anything.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

is she bred? bull(s) riding her too hard? slippery ground? could she have fallen and injured herself?

 

[alisonb]

Agree with Nesi, take temp...and listen to breathing.

 

[bird dog]

How old is she?

 

[TCRanch]

My first thought was getting hunched (bull or cow) and subsequently injured. Can you tell if it's both legs? And agree, take her temp.

 

[ccr]

Yesterday morning, checking on the herd, I found one of my most productive cows couldn't get up. She obviously was too weak in her hind legs. After coaxing her awhile she finally struggled to all four even though I could see she was having a hard time of it and had a small bit of trembling in her leg muscles. I watched her closely all day and she never went down. I put her up near the house with her calf so I could watch her and early this morning she was still standing. So far so good. Does anyone have any ideas what may be going on with her? Thanks ahead.

my thoughts and just a rookie: been through something sounding very similar. magnesium deficiency? i suggest calling a vet and give her a tube of cmpk gel and use quality hi mag mineral.

 

[wbvs58]

I agree with Hippierancher. I would be suspicious of injury from bull riding or other cows for that matter.

Ken