Katpau
Well-known member
Are cattle with rabies always uncoordinated?
I had a calf die last night and I have not been able to contact a Vet this AM with questions. None open until 9:00 and my direct cell phone numbers just roll to answering machine. It has been 100 degrees for several days and I am not sure if I should be trying to get the brain now.
The calf was a mile from the herd yesterday afternoon and obviously in distress. Breathing in little gasps and foaming from the mouth with tongue slightly protruding. We were able to easily herd it into the corrals. (Bad sign) He was moving OK but slow. In the corral he seemed to drink and pick at some hay. I drove back out of the Valley, contacted a Vet and got a prescription to pick up some Resflor Gold at the Coop just 4 mile away. When we got back down to the calf he peed and it looked clear and normal. At about 4:30PM we put him in the chute to give him the shot and check his temperature. He struggled and leaped up and down in the chute after I caught his head. There was a lot of foam by then, and his tongue was sticking way out. I stupidly stuck my hand in his mouth without a glove looking for any obstruction. We got a temp of 105 degrees on him and he went down. Managed to get him up and out of the chute and into the shade, but the temperature was still in the high 90's. He hung over the water making those gasps, foaming at the mouth and trying to drink. I could not tell if he was actually getting anything down. We made a mist with the hose and tried to cool him. Went back to the house about 5:30 to cool ourselves. This is a large ranch and the house is about 1 mile up out of the valley from the corrals. When we checked at 7:00 PM he seemed about the same. At 5:30 AM he was dead.
Could this be rabies? He had many symptoms but seemed to walk fine.
I had a calf die last night and I have not been able to contact a Vet this AM with questions. None open until 9:00 and my direct cell phone numbers just roll to answering machine. It has been 100 degrees for several days and I am not sure if I should be trying to get the brain now.
The calf was a mile from the herd yesterday afternoon and obviously in distress. Breathing in little gasps and foaming from the mouth with tongue slightly protruding. We were able to easily herd it into the corrals. (Bad sign) He was moving OK but slow. In the corral he seemed to drink and pick at some hay. I drove back out of the Valley, contacted a Vet and got a prescription to pick up some Resflor Gold at the Coop just 4 mile away. When we got back down to the calf he peed and it looked clear and normal. At about 4:30PM we put him in the chute to give him the shot and check his temperature. He struggled and leaped up and down in the chute after I caught his head. There was a lot of foam by then, and his tongue was sticking way out. I stupidly stuck my hand in his mouth without a glove looking for any obstruction. We got a temp of 105 degrees on him and he went down. Managed to get him up and out of the chute and into the shade, but the temperature was still in the high 90's. He hung over the water making those gasps, foaming at the mouth and trying to drink. I could not tell if he was actually getting anything down. We made a mist with the hose and tried to cool him. Went back to the house about 5:30 to cool ourselves. This is a large ranch and the house is about 1 mile up out of the valley from the corrals. When we checked at 7:00 PM he seemed about the same. At 5:30 AM he was dead.
Could this be rabies? He had many symptoms but seemed to walk fine.