Need some advice on a cow - pics

[1982vett]

Bottle jaw was my first thought
Brisket disease was second but Alan be nice me off so I didn't answer

Sim has me on a good track, it sounds complete. Just treat your wife like she deserves you're azz, or she may be gone.

I googled swollen brisket in cattle and first link was from beefmagazine.com under health 2011. I don't know how to copy links with this phone. Brisket disease is discussed. It is found at 3000 elevations now. It certainly sounds like this is what your girl has. I hope you can find the article to read. Anybody help find this article and link it? Second link was cattletoday from 2004 discussing lumps in briskets.

I agree. I just wrote about Brisket Disease myself. Even if he is not at higher elevations, when cattle get heavier from the feed lot or prego, they can go into right sided heart failure if they are genetically prone to it. Sure sounds like it fits. The vet can possibly give diuretics until calf is born.

Congestive heart failure is my thought after fluke but you have not said anything about a large belly other than being pregnant, nor have you mentioned any respiratory distress and she fights her way to the feed OK, any mouth breathing? A cough goes in well with CHF. Has she got a prominent jugular pulse well up her neck? Hardware disease could be a cause of CHF.
I don't know anything about the altitude of where you live.
You have come this far now with her and you seem to want to give her a go knowing you might end with a calf to feed but then you might get some improvement in her after calving. If you are lucky I would unload her at the earliest opportunity.
Ken

If all that doesn't say to ship her while she still has a heartbeat..................Oh well.

 

[Lucky_P]

I'm with Ken.
My top three rule-outs are CHF, either due to hardware disease, lymphosarcoma, or idiopathic(that just means...we don't know why) heart failure.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Flukes, I dunno - have never lived anywhere that they were present (have seen ONE liver fluke in 35 years of working on live and dead cattle).

 

[greybeard]

Look familiar?
thymic lymphosarcoma

http://www.nadis.org.uk/bulletins/lymph ... attle.aspx

 

[Workinonit Farm]

My thoughts, FWIW, was also cardiac (heart) related. Congestive Heart Failure was the first thing that came to my mind.

If that is the issue, diuretics may be an option.

Good luck with her, whatever you decide to do.

Katherine

 

[Alan]

Look familiar?
thymic lymphosarcoma

http://www.nadis.org.uk/bulletins/lymph ... attle.aspx

Thanks for the post GB it really put everything together, the pic of the cow three or four pics down really summed her up ( the profile pic of the light brown cow). While my cows brisket is not close to that swollen it sure looks like her condition. I read that it could be related to bracken toxicity, we do have a little bracken fern in spots, but the cows have always left it alone. A little over a year ago in early fall I got some hay that had bracken baled in it, once I saw it I really watched what I fed, but I may have fed some before I saw it ...... A little later she started coughing ..... Who really knows, just a hunch. But CHF fits with the cough and fluid build up.

Thanks also to Sim.

 

[Alan]

My thoughts, FWIW, was also cardiac (heart) related. Congestive Heart Failure was the first thing that came to my mind.

If that is the issue, diuretics may be an option.

Good luck with her, whatever you decide to do.

Katherine

Thank you Katherine! Diuretics are something I'm looking into. She is due to calve at the end of march, so about six weeks away. She is still strong and one of the first to the feed trough. She is second in the pecking order and eats well.

So yes, I'm going to hang on to her and give her a shot at calving. Sorry to you guys that say ship her while she's breathing, she's doing a lot more than breathing.

My dice, I'll roll them if I want. :mrgreen: :tiphat:

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Bottle jaw was my first thought
Brisket disease was second but Alan be nice me off so I didn't answer

Huh?

 

[branguscowgirl]

My thoughts, FWIW, was also cardiac (heart) related. Congestive Heart Failure was the first thing that came to my mind.

If that is the issue, diuretics may be an option.

Good luck with her, whatever you decide to do.

Katherine

Thank you Katherine! Diuretics are something I'm looking into. She is due to calve at the end of march, so about six weeks away. She is still strong and one of the first to the feed trough. She is second in the pecking order and eats well.

So yes, I'm going to hang on to her and give her a shot at calving. Sorry to you guys that say ship her while she's breathing, she's doing a lot more than breathing.

My dice, I'll roll them if I want. :mrgreen: :tiphat:

Sounds like a good plan to me Alan! Please keep us updated on how she is doing.

 

[3waycross]

If she was here with those symptoms we would absolutely say she has briskett disease. The swollen jaw area is a dead giveaway. HOWEVER the fact that she is active and eats well makes me wonder. Also with Briskett we see a lot of real thin fould smelling diahrea.

I doubt anything good is gonna come of it.

 

[artesianspringsfarm]

Out of curiosity (more than just idle curiosity unfortunately), how did this turn out Alan?

 

[Rodwick]

Alan, look up "Brisket disease in cattle". The swelling can extend to the jaw. It sounds very much like what is going on with your cow.

What altitude is the ranch at? Brisket disease is an elevation disorder.