Need some advice/options, please...UPDATE

[mitchwi]

I was feeling really cooped up yesterday, so I took a drive to the farm, just to be outside really.

Walked by the steer pen, they seemed like they are doing good. Went to the pasture with the heifers/cows/bull and spent a little time with them... I think they have adequate condition, and all seem extremely healthy and content.

Went back to the steer pen and as I moved around them and stirred them up a bit I noticed coughing, and the more I walked around them and the more they were moving, the more coughing. No runny eyes, no runny noses, none looking dehydrated. Although some look a bit like they are stiff in hips....when they are slow moving, when they would get a little spunky, then I could not notice anything amiss.

When we had the really cold snap (it is 28 degrees warmer this morning than last Monday morning) I had crumbles added to their feed. So the past couple of weeks they have had that.

I did post last weekend, about a steer that was lieing flat out, and hubby thought it was a goner, but he did get up, and hubby watched him throughout the weekend... we ended giving Nuflor/Banamine on Monday, and he was doing well yesterday.

My question(s) are: Can I, or should I treat more aggressively for the coughing? Can I do this thru top dressing with crumbles? Or are they destined to come down one at a time and treat at that time? (like the last one) And is the stiffness something real or something I am just being overly concerned about? Steers are 7 to 8 wts.

I have to say this winter has been a struggle with these steers, seems like we are having a lot more problems than usual. And nothing has changed in our program.

I would appreciate any advice and comments....

Michele

 

[IluvABbeef]

In my opinion, I think you might be worrying too much about that. When I was home on the weekend I heard some coughing among some of my steers and I didn't worry much about it.

I thought maybe they could be choking a little on the crumbles (but maybe I'm wrong.)

Stiffness....MIGHT be due to the cold, but I wouldn't worry until something a little worse happens.

My two cents.

 

[dun]

Think benign neglect. Keep an eye on them but don;t go wacking them with antibiotics willy-nilly.

dun

 

[cfpinz]

Think benign neglect. Keep an eye on them but don;t go wacking them with antibiotics willy-nilly.

dun

I'm with the old fart on this one, but it wouldn't hurt to have a bottle of baytril/micotil on the shelf along with some banamine.

cfpinz

 

[Cowdirt]

Ive had a calf laying on its side the last couple days. i went out yesterday and it was laying on its side with is eyes closed. I assumed the worse and thought it was dead. Come to find out it was just sleeping and as soon as I got right up on it it jumped up and ran to its moma and started nursing. I had some cough here recently but it sounded more like a cough like they had hay stuck in thier throat than it did a resperatory cough.

Hey Cowboy, when their eyes are closed it means they're not dead, I think.

 

[Limomike]

My opinion (for what its worth) is to just keep an eye on them, and dont do anything at the moment. This winter has been tough on all herds around the country. As long as they are up on their shots, and dont get any worse, then should be ok.

 

[GMN]

I got to agree with everyone else, wait and see.

GMN

 

[mitchwi]

Ok, the steer that we doctored Monday before last, # 74.

I received a call this Monday, saying there was a sick steer. ... Remember I went to the farm on Sunday, and I thought all was well, except for the coughing.

Monday night, went to the farm, and was there for over an hour checking out each one, in the pasture. I could not find one that I thought was SICK, and NOT ABLE TO WALK, as I was told on the phone... UGH. I went home.

Tuesday, got another call, and said it is locked up in the corral now... VERY SICK, CAN"T GET AROUND... thats what I was told on the phone.... I went to the farm... kicking myself the whole drive over, wondering how I could of missed it.

I picked up my sis and her oldest boy. The steer was in one corral laying down, as I jumped the fence the steer got up... I walked up to it and it moved away. He was a little "wobbly" on his feet. The 3 of us tried to manuever him into the other corral to get him up into the chute. He was having none of it, rather than move away from us, he wanted to charge at me, I guess he thought that required less effort. Had to call my dear B-I-L and he came right over and the 4 of us could not get him to go where we wanted... UGH. So we charged him and pinned him on the corral fence, put a halter on him and held on tight. For the most part he was well behaved at this point.

Looking at him he looked healthy, plump not dehydrated, no loud or heavy breathing. Temp of 103.4 as I tried to give med's subq I realized he must be dehydrated as I had a heck of a time getting a hold of skin to give the shot... and had a heck of a time trying to keep the med's in him and not drip out.

This is a 7wt steer, so then I drenched him with 2 bottles of electrolytes. I thought... what could it hurt.

Wed morning, got a call, saying.. Don't think that steer is going to make it.... got a call Wed evening and by gosh if that steer wasn't up and eating feed!

Every steer that has come down sick has been from the same lot bought... no other from another lot has gotten sick. As these were bought from auction, vacc's were listed as being given. I'm thinking I was lied to....

Michele

 

[preston39]

michele,

Many wrestle with that all the time. A neighbor buys several at sales and first thing....... he gives them shots. He will not rely on others..... preconditioning.

 

[Howdyjabo]

On farm preconditioning gives REAL preconditioning a bad name.
Its better than nothing- you can still count on having to Dr calves almost as much--but when they get sick they do tend to do better faster .
Not many buyers even believe they were vaccinated right-because of it.Or regret paying more for it- expecting better (ie perfect)results

 

[AngusLimoX]

I'm thinking I was lied to....

Michele

Although that is possible lots of us who vax our own are going through the same thing.

When it comes to the crumbles, the way my vet put it to me is, when they start to show symptoms the crumbles can be enough of a help to their system to put the illness down reducing the likelihood of needing to go to the heavy hitters if the sickness progresses.

I handled my snot storm around Xmas the way dun suggested and it worked out fine. Weather changed and it is minus 40 with the windchill, lots of snow, and we LOVE it! :lol:

 

[dun]

I handled my snot storm around Xmas the way dun suggested and it worked out fine. Weather changed and it is minus 40 with the windchill, lots of snow, and we LOVE it! :lol:

What was the suggestion?

 

[AngusLimoX]

I handled my snot storm around Xmas the way dun suggested and it worked out fine. Weather changed and it is minus 40 with the windchill, lots of snow, and we LOVE it! :lol:

What was the suggestion?

Sorry, benign neglect.

Sounds like Michele has someone that won't tolerate the neglect part, it's up to her to administer the benign! :lol:

 

[TheBullLady]

No matter the vaccinations and health programs, you'll still get some that will catch a virus or get sick. You can't vaccinate for everything, and it may be that calf didn't get very good colostrum at birth.. or maybe he was the one squashed in the middle of the trailer when they were shipped and got overheated, then chilled in a pen. No telling.. they just get sick.

This crazy weather isn't helping either!

I would just keep as your doing.. check them and doctor anything that looks sick. It will be spring soon!

 

[Limomike]

Just gotta keep checking them every single day, in this extremely cold weather, its imperative to check them closely.
I hope they all turn out healthy for you.

 

[novatech]

I lost the best heifer I had. I checked cattle one evening, they were fine. The next evening I cheked on them again and found my heifer. The vet said there was a very fast actin phnimonia ging around. He had several cases due to the sudden cold snaps. So I would watch them very close when we have these bad cold fronts come through.

 

[mitchwi]

I'm thinking I was lied to....

Michele

Although that is possible lots of us who vax our own are going through the same thing.

I understand what you're saying, we've had tough weather this year also... and I've been watching the usual runny noses, coughs, etc.

I guess I should say, every extreme case that has had to have med's was from the same lot.... which could be a lot of reasons, of which I will probably never know the answer.

 

[mitchwi]

I lost the best heifer I had. I checked cattle one evening, they were fine. The next evening I cheked on them again and found my heifer. The vet said there was a very fast actin phnimonia ging around. He had several cases due to the sudden cold snaps. So I would watch them very close when we have these bad cold fronts come through.

I have talked with a lot of people around here and also they are saying there is a very fast acting type of pneumonia.... no outward signs of initial symptoms, but dead in 6 to 8 hours. Hard to catch and hard to treat.

 

[Howdyjabo]

I have had two with the fast acting pneumonia this week.
What I know from the past is once we see it we'll have 25% of the load come down with it. Bet it doesn't spread as bad with home grown calves.
This is one case where going by temp fails. They can have a normal or slightly elevated temp and still be at deaths door.
We hit them up with antihistimines- it really seems to cut down on the chronics.
And we use Dexamethazone more liberaly than we normally would.
Baytril seems to work the best for an antibiotic. Probably cause it goes to work the fastest.

We start checking 4 times a day instead of 2. If you catch it fast enough they recover great- if not they are a realizer or dead