Nesikep
Well-known member
Oh
Good luck tonight!
Good luck tonight!
Old Cow...can I keep her alive long enough to calve?
- Thread starter Wisteria Farms
- Start date
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OP
OP
Wisteria Farms
Well-known member
HAPPY ENDING!!!!!!
OK... so I was getting really concerned that she possibly had come into labor but due to her being "down" maybe couldn't push... I thought to myself "we have to realize this isn't going to seem like normal labor/delivery...we might be missing something"...So I called the Vet. I told her we had given the shot Saturday a.m. and that this morning STILL NO CALF. I told her to come out and palp her AGAIN... I wanted to know if the calf was alive or dead. If dead, we would euthanize and if not we would take it C-section and doctor Granny accordingly...The vaginal prolapse stayed in all Saturday but all yesterday and this morning I was battling it again trying to keep it in so it felt like we were just going to go downhill... I was really worried I had a momma with a dead calf.
So, vet comes out...dog's going nuts and by the time I get to the door she's smiling ear to ear and says "you have TWINS!"...I couldn't believe it. I said "they're out???" because I had JUST checked on Granny. She said, "yes... I pushed the prolapse back in and when I started to go in for the palp I felt feet. I tugged on a foot and it pulled back so I just pulled. Out came a bullcalf. She said, she then went in to feel and felt MORE feet. Pulled out a heifer. Now, I KNOW what this means and I'm totally BUMMED by the most-certain fact that the heifer will be a free-martin but I'm totally THANKING GOD that Granny gave us TWO.
Due to their size, they've shared a bottle of Colostrum Replacer (160g immunoglobin) and I'll make them another bottle of the same in another hour or so. Granny's milk is NOT in heavy but if she blows up today then we'll obviously milk her out and get HER colostrum in them. I just wanted to be sure to get their "suck" going early on with them being so small...We haven't weighed them yet... mainly just wanted to get them dry/fed and tucked away where its warm. Right now they're in deep straw under heatlamps in the warehouse.
I'm presently trying to upload 5 pictures to Ranchers but its not going... as soon as I get it to go I'll put the pictures on... I'm working on it but boy is it making me mad!!! I want so bad to get the pictures on!! THANK YOU everyone for your kinds words of encouragement and support... I'm going to now start researching free-martins...LOL
Thanks again,
Angie
OK... so I was getting really concerned that she possibly had come into labor but due to her being "down" maybe couldn't push... I thought to myself "we have to realize this isn't going to seem like normal labor/delivery...we might be missing something"...So I called the Vet. I told her we had given the shot Saturday a.m. and that this morning STILL NO CALF. I told her to come out and palp her AGAIN... I wanted to know if the calf was alive or dead. If dead, we would euthanize and if not we would take it C-section and doctor Granny accordingly...The vaginal prolapse stayed in all Saturday but all yesterday and this morning I was battling it again trying to keep it in so it felt like we were just going to go downhill... I was really worried I had a momma with a dead calf.
So, vet comes out...dog's going nuts and by the time I get to the door she's smiling ear to ear and says "you have TWINS!"...I couldn't believe it. I said "they're out???" because I had JUST checked on Granny. She said, "yes... I pushed the prolapse back in and when I started to go in for the palp I felt feet. I tugged on a foot and it pulled back so I just pulled. Out came a bullcalf. She said, she then went in to feel and felt MORE feet. Pulled out a heifer. Now, I KNOW what this means and I'm totally BUMMED by the most-certain fact that the heifer will be a free-martin but I'm totally THANKING GOD that Granny gave us TWO.
Due to their size, they've shared a bottle of Colostrum Replacer (160g immunoglobin) and I'll make them another bottle of the same in another hour or so. Granny's milk is NOT in heavy but if she blows up today then we'll obviously milk her out and get HER colostrum in them. I just wanted to be sure to get their "suck" going early on with them being so small...We haven't weighed them yet... mainly just wanted to get them dry/fed and tucked away where its warm. Right now they're in deep straw under heatlamps in the warehouse.
I'm presently trying to upload 5 pictures to Ranchers but its not going... as soon as I get it to go I'll put the pictures on... I'm working on it but boy is it making me mad!!! I want so bad to get the pictures on!! THANK YOU everyone for your kinds words of encouragement and support... I'm going to now start researching free-martins...LOL
Thanks again,
Angie
Hook
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You've got 2 live calves and a live momma can't ask for better than that
Putangitangi
Well-known member
Congratulations! A great ending. 
slick4591
Well-known member
Great news!! Really glad you had a happy ending after going through it all.
BDM
Member
That is great news! Always good to have a happy outcome!
cmf1
Well-known member
HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!!!
:banana: :bday: :banana: :bday: :banana: :bday: :banana: :clap: :clap: :clap:
:banana: :bday: :banana: :bday: :banana: :bday: :banana: :clap: :clap: :clap:
branguscowgirl
Well-known member
Wow!! Not one, but two! You go Granny! No wonder she has not been feeling so good!
Can't wait to see pics. Yes, wondering if Granny has tried to get up also??
Can't wait to see pics. Yes, wondering if Granny has tried to get up also??
OP
OP
Wisteria Farms
Well-known member
Cag (and Branguscowgirl),
Yes and no... the calves DID motivate her but I had to move them because the vet was doing her business and Granny was peddling her front legs and I thought she might kick one of them. Worth noting is that ONE of the pictures I'm trying so dang hard to get on Ranchers is of her trying to get UP... yesterday... prior to calving...so she WANTS to very badly.
Anyway, Vet asked what we wanted to do with Granny (I know she was asking if we wanted to euthanize or try something)... so I told her, do whatever you need to so she has a chance ("chance" meaning to get on her feet...not to ever breed again) So, she gave her an epidural and cleaned her completely out...gave her more calcium...gave her penicillin for the possible infection with the prolapse...sewed her V so the prolapse would stay in...
So, we're going to continue to feed/water her and tomorrow are going to try hoisting her with the tractor. We're going to use tow straps with rubatex on them for comfort and then the hay forks have four forks so we're going use the two end forks to lift her. I was afraid to try this previously because her belly was SO HUGE and I was afraid of fracturing something.. but now with the calves out I think we need to try some therapy or else dig a hole. As I said, she's my husband's baby so he's going to do whatever he can just to see her standing.
Anyone know what the problem is with Ranchers.net??? I'm trying so hard to load these pictures (there's only 5) and it keeps saying "processing please wait"... are the files too big maybe??? I'll try one at a time.
Yes and no... the calves DID motivate her but I had to move them because the vet was doing her business and Granny was peddling her front legs and I thought she might kick one of them. Worth noting is that ONE of the pictures I'm trying so dang hard to get on Ranchers is of her trying to get UP... yesterday... prior to calving...so she WANTS to very badly.
Anyway, Vet asked what we wanted to do with Granny (I know she was asking if we wanted to euthanize or try something)... so I told her, do whatever you need to so she has a chance ("chance" meaning to get on her feet...not to ever breed again) So, she gave her an epidural and cleaned her completely out...gave her more calcium...gave her penicillin for the possible infection with the prolapse...sewed her V so the prolapse would stay in...
So, we're going to continue to feed/water her and tomorrow are going to try hoisting her with the tractor. We're going to use tow straps with rubatex on them for comfort and then the hay forks have four forks so we're going use the two end forks to lift her. I was afraid to try this previously because her belly was SO HUGE and I was afraid of fracturing something.. but now with the calves out I think we need to try some therapy or else dig a hole. As I said, she's my husband's baby so he's going to do whatever he can just to see her standing.
Anyone know what the problem is with Ranchers.net??? I'm trying so hard to load these pictures (there's only 5) and it keeps saying "processing please wait"... are the files too big maybe??? I'll try one at a time.
branguscowgirl
Well-known member
Try photo bucket. I never was successful with ranchers. So happy for you! Hope Granny can improve!
OP
OP
Wisteria Farms
Well-known member
Thanks! I've got them loading on photobucket...hopefully just a couple minutes I'll have them posted.
OP
OP
Wisteria Farms
Well-known member
WARNING... GRAPHIC...
OK, so anyone that knows me knows I love to TEACH so for that reason, I'm posting a picture of the vaginal prolapse I was dealing with. This is a "before" picture and an "after" picture. For anyone who doesn't know... you push it in with a flat hand (no poking) and use lube...when you push it in, the body will help draw it in (much like losing a thermometer in a rearend)...so just hold pressure until it draw in and virtually disappears. The problem I had was that I would get it in...but the first moo or cough it would come back out. This picture was not taken at its worse...the flesh turned a dark pink/brown due to exposure to air and worse case would have died completely and gotten infected. The most kind thing you can do is to keep cleaning it and putting it back in...
[img
][/img]
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This picture is Granny TRYING to get up... this was yesterday morning and she wanted outside.
[img
][/img]
Next (and sorry its so hard to see) but I took a picture of us in the barn last night. The picture was taken over my husband's back but what is funny about this is that we started out several feet away from Granny and after a couple hours Jeff said, "I SWEAR she's getting closer"... she seriously was squirming towards us and chewing her cud...Kind of funny.
[/url][/img]
Last picture is her and the babies. The Vet was gathering her stuff for the epidural and clean out so we took the shot, however Granny started fussing a bit with her front legs so we moved the calves.
[/url][/img]
OK, so anyone that knows me knows I love to TEACH so for that reason, I'm posting a picture of the vaginal prolapse I was dealing with. This is a "before" picture and an "after" picture. For anyone who doesn't know... you push it in with a flat hand (no poking) and use lube...when you push it in, the body will help draw it in (much like losing a thermometer in a rearend)...so just hold pressure until it draw in and virtually disappears. The problem I had was that I would get it in...but the first moo or cough it would come back out. This picture was not taken at its worse...the flesh turned a dark pink/brown due to exposure to air and worse case would have died completely and gotten infected. The most kind thing you can do is to keep cleaning it and putting it back in...
[img
][/img]
This picture is Granny TRYING to get up... this was yesterday morning and she wanted outside.
[img
][/img]Next (and sorry its so hard to see) but I took a picture of us in the barn last night. The picture was taken over my husband's back but what is funny about this is that we started out several feet away from Granny and after a couple hours Jeff said, "I SWEAR she's getting closer"... she seriously was squirming towards us and chewing her cud...Kind of funny.
Last picture is her and the babies. The Vet was gathering her stuff for the epidural and clean out so we took the shot, however Granny started fussing a bit with her front legs so we moved the calves.
OP
OP
Wisteria Farms
Well-known member
OK...some of the pics didn't come through... what did I do wrong???
branguscowgirl
Well-known member
OMGosh! Bless granny and bless you two for getting the old girl through all this! :clap: She is one lucky girl! Thanks for sharing the pictures also!
I have the same problem when I post pics sometimes. It has to do with using only part of the URL address. Still haven't completely got it figured out myself.
Any progress with Grannys strength yet?
I have the same problem when I post pics sometimes. It has to do with using only part of the URL address. Still haven't completely got it figured out myself.
Any progress with Grannys strength yet?
Nesikep
Well-known member
Wow, that's impressive... you might want to do a check on that heifer to doublecheck if she's a freemartin or not... might be worth the test!
I figured the lack of posts meant you were busy, and took it as a good thing
My girl calved this morning too.. instead of twins she did a 2 for 1 deal and had a 130 lb bull calf...
Hope granny has the strength to get up now.. would be really good for her to not have to scoot herself around... she's a couple hundred lbs lighter probably
I figured the lack of posts meant you were busy, and took it as a good thing
My girl calved this morning too.. instead of twins she did a 2 for 1 deal and had a 130 lb bull calf...
Hope granny has the strength to get up now.. would be really good for her to not have to scoot herself around... she's a couple hundred lbs lighter probably
