New Calf, new problems...HELP

[ColonialMilkmaid]

I have a 5 yr old Jersey who had her 3rd calf this past week. She was not induced. She showed signs of being 24 hours away from calving but took 72 hours to do so. Calf got stuck and my mom and I had to pull the calf out since my cow had given up. She ended up sprawled out and hardly moving. After some coaxing with the calf she finally started to move around again. The calf is a bit unbalanced on his front legs but tried to nurse normally. However, this is where I am stumped and worried. My momma cow wouldn't let the milk down and the poor bull calf had to really work hard for any milk at all. We tried milking it out and had the same problem. I was told it was retained water and would go away. But there are new issues. My calf went missing and the mom isn't concerned. She won't moo for him. And her udder is now full of solid lumps. We can milk out about a gallon of normal looking milk (her usual) and the lumps are still there. I am worried about the calf and the momma. I hope someone can help me out!

 

[regolith]

If Mum isn't concerned about her calf she probably knows where he is.
How long has he been missing for? He needs to feed at least every twelve hours & the cow should seek him out by that stage.

By 'lumps' you mean you can feel hard masses in the udder? But the milk looks normal? If it's edema it will clear up in a few days and in the meantime an injection of oxytocin may help with the milk letdown.
If you're worried about the lumps being due to mastitis, you could get some RMT (rapid mastitis test) solution and mix it with a little milk from each quarter. That will tell you which, if any, quarters are infected as the mixture goes gluggy when mastitis is present.

 

[ColonialMilkmaid]

We did find the baby. But he is super thin. He still tries to nurse off the mom but she won't let down. I'll go into town and get the things you mentioned. We did give her a vitamin B shot under vet orders. I also just got her a sulfur block.

 

[Nesikep]

A fresh 5 year old Jersey cow ought to have a ton of milk. If the calf can't get it directly from the mother, make sure you feed it by bottle..

I have had some cows that wouldn't let down the milk for me worth a darn, a shot of oxytocin would help with that, and perhaps lots of massaging, maybe even warm compresses would help.

 

[msscamp]

I have a 5 yr old Jersey who had her 3rd calf this past week. She was not induced. She showed signs of being 24 hours away from calving but took 72 hours to do so. Calf got stuck and my mom and I had to pull the calf out since my cow had given up. She ended up sprawled out and hardly moving. After some coaxing with the calf she finally started to move around again. The calf is a bit unbalanced on his front legs but tried to nurse normally. However, this is where I am stumped and worried. My momma cow wouldn't let the milk down and the poor bull calf had to really work hard for any milk at all. We tried milking it out and had the same problem. I was told it was retained water and would go away. But there are new issues. My calf went missing and the mom isn't concerned. She won't moo for him. And her udder is now full of solid lumps. We can milk out about a gallon of normal looking milk (her usual) and the lumps are still there. I am worried about the calf and the momma. I hope someone can help me out!

Your cow has been through a traumatic birth, and she could very well not giving a flying flip where her calf is or if he is getting fed. If you can milk her - milk her and bottle feed the baby. Hard lumps in her udder could be edema or it could be mastitis - do a mastitis test to determine which. If the mastitis test comes up negative, do warm compresses and massages using peppermint oil several times a day, but keep milking her and feed the calf. In the event you can't milk her, pull the calf and bottle him.

 

[redcowsrule33]

Was the calf a normal size and presentation? Jerseys rarely need assistance if the calf comes right. I would wonder about low-grade milk fever (low blood calcuim) if she doesn't have mastitis.

 

[ColonialMilkmaid]

Was the calf a normal size and presentation? Jerseys rarely need assistance if the calf comes right. I would wonder about low-grade milk fever (low blood calcuim) if she doesn't have mastitis.

The calf was a bit bigger than her last one. The head had gotten stuck and she had given up by the time we helped get it get the nose out. Her udder is slightly warmer than usual. But milk still looks normal.

 

[ColonialMilkmaid]

A fresh 5 year old Jersey cow ought to have a ton of milk. If the calf can't get it directly from the mother, make sure you feed it by bottle..

I have had some cows that wouldn't let down the milk for me worth a darn, a shot of oxytocin would help with that, and perhaps lots of massaging, maybe even warm compresses would help.

I am going to try the oxytocin and hope that works. Her udder is super full, more so than normal, she just won't let down. I have tried supplementing the calf but he won't take the bottle. Some days he looks like he is eating enough. Other days it looks like he is starved.

She is livelier than a few days ago. I have been using Kelp and Aloe Vera in her feed. Is using a molasses feed okay? It's what she ate before when we milked her. I am milking every 4 to 6 hours and putting a mix of Peppermint, oregano, and tea tree oils on the udder after milking.

 

[ColonialMilkmaid]

Thank you everyone for the advice! She is letting down more each day. The calf is eating normally and her appetite has really picked up. I gave her some calcium supplement and the milk fever is going away.