Sick Calf for beginners

[Bama]

I have a calf that has symptons that a lot of folks will be seeing in the near future. Those of you that know right off what the problem is hold off a couple of days and let folks think about it. I'm doing this mostly for folks that haven't been in the business long. ( Hint ) It's something you will see sooner or later.

Calf is 350- 400 pound bull, the breed is "black un", purchased in a load 5 weeks ago. I have no idea where it came from. It was not the best looking of the bunch but was ok for the price. It unloaded in a barn for 2 days. Medicated with piliguard, alpha 7, and la200 on day 3. It was in a pen with its arrival mates for the past 5 weeks. It has been grazing ryegrass and fescue since its introduction. It has had free choice bermuda/fescue hay. Eating 3- 3.5 pounds of hay daily for the 5 weeks. It has been fed 2 pounds daily of 13 percent cattle pellets for the 5 weeks. It has had free choice high mag mineral for 5 weeks. No implants and not cut yet. Its the only one showing any signs or symptons of anything wrong.
I noticed it walking funny, "light" on back legs. It gets up and after a short spell it will lay down again. It is kinds wobbly. Drunk looking. Its ears are not drooping, no fever, no cloudly eyes - just staggering around on weak legs. It looks fine, then all at once it starts wobbling. Then laying down again.
I will give another hint my treatment involves a 100cc dose of something. I'll give my treatment and the outcome of the calf later.

BAMA

 

[Bama]

Another hint.

This is rarely seen in calves. It is mostly seen in lactating cattle with a young calf. I should add the ryegrass was fertilized with lots of nitrogen.

 

[gerardplauche]

Bama, I am facing the exact same problem right now with one of my calves. She has now been laying down for 2 days. She looks perfectly healthy except she will not get up. Her eyes look clear and she is very attentive, but her backlegs won't hold her up. She is getting LA200 (and 1 cc of B Complex every morning to eat). I've never seen this before. Any ideas of what this is? I'm stumped. As of this morning, it is the same. The way she acts, I am not worried that she will die at any moment, just worried that if she doesn't get up soon, some digestive problem may come about...

 

[angie1]

Here is my guess.....

Grass tetany, sometimes called grass staggers or hypomagnesemia, can be a serious problem with cattle grazing small grain or ryegrass pastures. The problem is usually confined to lactating cows. It is always associated with an imbalance in the mineral components of blood serum, especially reduced magnesium levels. Grass tetany is more severe when cattle are grazing young forage, particularly the first flush of growth during December and January

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I would say Angie will go to the head of the class.

 

[angie1]

Was I right?!

 

[rockridgecattle]

I would say Angie is right, but for me that would be a guess, cause i have no clue. So in all honesty, I would call the vet, stop the grain, possible rumenx boluses, and drench with...glycol...no...gylcerin...can't remembe the name but it's pink and tastes awful. Supose to help rebalance the system.

 

[Howdyjabo]

Fresh calves that are in bad nutritional shape can get the staggers without having the normal grass triggers around.And whatever it is- It can be treated the same as grass tetany . One other clasic sign that goes with it is being wild eyed crazy(if its still up) and muscle tremors.
I don't see it often maybe one out of 1000 calves.

 

[Bama]

Angie is correct, yes grass tetany. Normally you don't see it in calves. It is more of a problem with cows giving milk to young calves. It is a lack of magnesium in the system. Heavy fertilizing rye with nitrogen can set it off as well. It normally hits the weaker ones. I don't think this one was getting much from the mineral trough. My treatment was 100 cc of epson salt mixed with steril water under the skin. Not all in one spot of course. Well actually I didn't have steril water and used distilled instead. I gave some la200 because I wasn't using steril stuff. Calf is fine today. This may not be the best treatment but I have done this before with good results.

Disclaimer: I ain't a vet, I'm just an onery old cattlefarmer.

 

[Caustic Burno]

That was a good post Bama I was thinking nitrate posioning.

 

[gerardplauche]

Bama - I have a calf that is acting very similar. I may give that a try. I figure I have nothing to lose on this one. She has been down for 3 days now, and her condition is still the same.

 

[Bama]

A calf down for 3 days may not recover. I have done this on several occasions. It helps to act quickly. It may not be a true form of grass tetany but the cure is the same. The magnesium in the epson salt brings em around. This may be a regional thing so I'm not recommending this treatment or anything i'm just telling you what works for me. My soil has lots of magnesium and I rarely see this problem, always when I do its from a weaker one. I just posted this because the season is here for the lower south and will be coming soon for folks further north. Cows will be getting grass tetany if they are not feed high mag minerals. As far as nitrate poisioning, that would have been a good guess. I had the benefit of seeing the calf firsthand. Most of the time nitrate poisioning I see the calf will not be feeling as well. Its head will be low and ears drooped. It will also have a fast heartbeat and labored breathing. Gerard if you try this treatment use as sterial stuff as you can ( although don't waste time getting the sterial stuff, walmart epson salt and distilled water works in a pinch) Put no more than 15 - 20 cc in one spot, slowly just under the skin. I know that sounds like a lot in one spot. Trust me with 100 cc you will run out of spots quickly. You can also IV this but do it "very" slowly. Hope this helps someone or at least gets em a thinkin.

 

[gerardplauche]

Thanks Bama. I will give it a shot. I figure at this point I have little to lose.