Pneumonia? Constipation? Help!

[DairyGirCows]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post. I've been keeping cattle for about a year now. I have pure Gir cattle, multipurpose breed. I am milking my cow, she has a 5 month old calf. I share the milk with the calf, After 10 hours of separation I get avg. 6 cups of milk, and he gets all the rest and is with the herd all night long.

A few days ago I noticed he did not get up for feed in the morning. And his mama had a full udder. I stupidly waited til the evening to check him again, he hadn't eaten any hay and was still laying in the same spot. I forced him to his feet and he showed no interest in nursing or walking or anything. Our weather has been cold and wet wet wet. I stupidly did not clean his bedding before the weather changed, he sat in thick wet bedding for who knows how long, unaware of the the cold winds around him. He had bad shivers.

So, a few hours later I gave him 5cc Baytril 100 on each side of his neck, my dairy mentor told me the weather causes pneumonia, especially is they're sitting in saturated bedding. The next morning he stopped shivering, I cleaned out all the bedding, though still raining and cold winds. I have been forcing him to eat garlic cloves a couple times a day, and he has now been nursing last night and this morning. yay!!! i think i saved him.

But now he is still slow and tired, which I would understand after fasting and healing from pneumonia. But the constipation is what scares me! I have not seen a single poop from him this whole time. He seems to try to poop but nothing happens, he gives up. Today i finally saw him try really hard and finally one little tiny marble came out. Then he gave up.

Is the constipation part of the root cause, was it not pneumonia? Or is the constipation from the sickness and fasting and antibiotics?

Please help! He is my first and only calf, he was so vigorous and wild only a few days ago. I do not feed him anything but oat hay, alfalfa hay, he nurses from his mom, has access to kelp and i have recently been giving a little molasses.

Thank you so much!!

 

[wbvs58]

He may have been a bit dehydrated from whatever was ailing him. Unusual for a 5mth old calf to be constipated but things like baling twine could cause an obstruction. Mineral oil like parafin given orally can help getting things to move, just make sure they are swallowing it if you drench it as it has no taste and can run into the lungs. As far as dose goes we would pump 1 gallon into horses with colic so 1 pint would be OK in that size calf but you will be limited to what you get to him to swallow. An enema of parafin or coloxyl will be usefull, coloxyl in particular or soapy water (washing up detergent) as a pint or two run in with a tube and as well you get to feel what is there that might be a bit hard.

Best of luck with him and welcome, hope you stick around for a bit.

Ken

 

[TCRanch]

Glad you treated for pneumonia/BRD and there's some improvement. Have you tried the "pinch test" to determine if he's dehydrated? Pinch the skin of his neck. If it flattens within a couple seconds he's probably okay, otherwise I'd drench him with electrolytes. I also give Vitamin B Complex for energy and ProBios or Nursemate ASAP as a supplement. Good luck!