sick 4 month old calf

[GMN]

I got a calf who is now 4 months old, it has had problems on and off mostly respiratory since birth, it gets better, then worse. Last Monday, it got itself down, and hasn't gotten up since. Had the vet out for another animal, had her look at this calf, and it was dehydrated, thin and weak. She gave it IV fluids, and gave me a whole list of things to try, eggs in milk, Excenel, sulfa pills, we wormed it, plus it had its vaccinations when it was weaned, IBR/BVD, and Blackleg. My question is if anyone knows what else I can try please let me know? It eats grain, hay and drinks, but just won't get up. Vet said she isn't hopeful, yet it seems to want to live.

Thanks

GMN

 

[dun]

Only thing I can think of off hand is maybe selenium. Also you might want to vet to listen to it's heart, or you can if you know what to listen for. Had a calf almost exactly the same symptoms and it turned out he had a defective heart valve. Didn;t show up until he got to be a couple of months old. Just grasping at straws

dun

 

[MikeC]

I got a calf who is now 4 months old, it has had problems on and off mostly respiratory since birth, it gets better, then worse. Last Monday, it got itself down, and hasn't gotten up since. Had the vet out for another animal, had her look at this calf, and it was dehydrated, thin and weak. She gave it IV fluids, and gave me a whole list of things to try, eggs in milk, Excenel, sulfa pills, we wormed it, plus it had its vaccinations when it was weaned, IBR/BVD, and Blackleg. My question is if anyone knows what else I can try please let me know? It eats grain, hay and drinks, but just won't get up. Vet said she isn't hopeful, yet it seems to want to live.

Thanks

GMN

I'd have it tested for BVD before it dies. Sounds like a PI.

 

[buckaroo_bif]

You weaned the calf at when? 4 months? ?
many times there is not a lot one can do for a calf especially if it has had problems for some time. might just be a lunger. But! i would try a good broad spectum antibiotic such as penicillin or LA 200. just do Not use them in combination. and maybe some more sulfa pills like sustain 3. you can use the pills with the antibiotic. how big is the calf? a dose of A180 might turn him around if nothing else has worked.
good luck

bif

 

[milkmaid]

I'd have it tested for BVD before it dies. Sounds like a PI.

That's a thought. What do you usually pay for BVD testing, MikeC? -is it very expensive? Very complicated process? And how long does it take to get results back? When I attended this Pfizer talk a few months ago, they said some folks test every single calf as a routine thing. (Comments on that?)

 

[GMN]

The vet said it could have BVD, yet I did vaccinate against that when I weaned her at 2.5 months old. It did have the classic mouth ulcerations, yet not to a large extent, where the vet couldn't verify for sure.

It is more likely I think that it is something it was born with, and even if it recovers now will drag it down for the rest of its life. We moved it inside to a pen last nite (bad weather) and it did try to get up. You know how bovine are, they get stubborn after awhile, and give up, even if they can do it.

Thanks for the replies
GMN

 

[milkmaid]

The vet said it could have BVD, yet I did vaccinate against that when I weaned her at 2.5 months old.

It is more likely I think that it is something it was born with,

That's what a PI (persistantly infected) calf is. They're infected in utero between about 40 and 120 days of gestation - and for some reason, the calves that don't die/abort, will recognize the virus as "self". They're born infected with, carrying, and spreading the BVD virus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Scary thought, isn't it? Vaccinating them does nothing as their immune system views the virus as part of the calf, and will not attack and eliminate the BVD virus.

 

[MikeC]

I'd have it tested for BVD before it dies. Sounds like a PI.

That's a thought. What do you usually pay for BVD testing, MikeC? -is it very expensive? Very complicated process? And how long does it take to get results back? When I attended this Pfizer talk a few months ago, they said some folks test every single calf as a routine thing. (Comments on that?)

As you know BVD is very prevalent across the U.S. Our state lab at Auburn Univ. tests for nothing but the vet charges for taking samples. I usually have the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test done which takes a couple of days. False positives are more frequent than false negatives, which is good.

There is a big push now to test each calf before they get colostrum (notch taken out of ear) to be qualified for a BVD free herd. ELISA test.

I will NEVER buy another bred cow again because one that I bought a few years ago had a PI calf. I tested everything for a year before I felt comfortable.

The best way to rid ourselves of problems is to take the "Poor-doers" for a ride.

 

[milkmaid]

As you know BVD is very prevalent across the U.S. Our state lab at Auburn Univ. tests for nothing but the vet charges for taking samples. I usually have the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test done which takes a couple of days. False positives are more frequent than false negatives, which is good.

There is a big push now to test each calf before they get colostrum (notch taken out of ear) to be qualified for a BVD free herd. ELISA test.

I know a little bit about BVD, but not near as much as I'd like to. Back to the books, I guess! LOL. Why would you need to take an ear notch before the calf gets colostrum? isn't after just as good? And along the lines of having a PI animal on the property; how long does that virus live in the ground/apart from a cow? short life? long?

 

[MikeC]

As you know BVD is very prevalent across the U.S. Our state lab at Auburn Univ. tests for nothing but the vet charges for taking samples. I usually have the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test done which takes a couple of days. False positives are more frequent than false negatives, which is good.

There is a big push now to test each calf before they get colostrum (notch taken out of ear) to be qualified for a BVD free herd. ELISA test.

I know a little bit about BVD, but not near as much as I'd like to. Back to the books, I guess! LOL. Why would you need to take an ear notch before the calf gets colostrum? isn't after just as good? And along the lines of having a PI animal on the property; how long does that virus live in the ground/apart from a cow? short life? long?

Some tests detect antibodies and you would need to get a sample before the colostrum antibodies kick in. I have no idea how long the virus lives in the environment. Not long I wouldn't imagine though. Few days maybe, just guessing. Viruses are all different.