skylavaulter
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- Aug 9, 2014
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We bought a holstein calf last night at auction on a whim. She's about a week old, maybe a little older. Umbilical cord still attached. She was ravenous last night after the auction and ride home, and suckling actively on a bottle but not getting anywhere with it (hard rubber pop on nipple). We cut a hole in the tip of the nipple and she took down 3 quarts in under 5 minutes. She perked up after that, following us around in a frenzy for more milk. We noticed she was wobbly when she walked, weak, and had diarrhea. This morning she refused a bottle for us, no matter how hard we tried to force it (tried backing her into a corner, pulling her head up while straddling her, etc). We bought a softer nipple for her and it didn't help. She's still weak, still having diarrhea, laying down the majority of today. We've gotten a dose of probiotics and electrolytes in her today, but only a pint of milk replacer.We even went and bought raw milk from a dairy farm nearby to entice her, but she wasn't interested. I have only raised up one calf before and that was 10 years ago and (from what I remember) fairly easy. We're at a loss and feel like we are missing something important. Should we start looking at antibiotics? I've never tubed a calf and no farm stores around here carry those. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!