sick calf,not eating grain

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ufo_chris

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My bottle calf is almost 6 weeks old now. He had mild abomasal bloat at 10 days, called vet right away.
He was on aquacillin and reglan for 5 days(electrolyte only 1 day) and did fine .
He would not take his bottle ,that's when I called the vet.
He's been doing great ,eating a little grain ,hay and some grass when I tie him outside a few hours each day.
2 days ago ,he quit eating grain, even when I offer it by hand.
He was taking his bottles eagerly though (i have him on 3 smaller feedings still to help digestion)
Temp is fine ,poob is fine, so I didn't call the vet.
the next day he seemed a bit better,ate 1 very small mouthful out of my hand.
I expected him to get better but he won't eat again today, still drinking eagerly though.
Seems to lie around a bit more then before.
I'm watching for bloat ,his side between ribs and hipbone feels a bit spongey,bouncy I guess is the best way to describe it, but is not even close to a balloon.
Should I give him some oil (will canola work?) and how much,or baking soda (how much? he's around 100lbs.)just in case?
Put him back on electrolytes 1 day?
Give him some Aquacillin orally?
I have an esophogal (ok ,I know that is spelled totally wrong!) feeder, should I take the tube off and see if I get some air out of his stomach?
What other signs do you look for before calling the vet? For any sickness.
(He is not kicking his belly or anything.)
I've been accused of worrying to much before!
Thanks for any responses.
Chris
 
Ok,noone answered yet so I did a few things....
after I posted last I did some research and gave him about 4 oz mineral oil then 3 cc aquacillin orally.
I just now checked him and the spongyness seemed to be a little bigger ,but again ,nothing too big,but thought I'd put the tube down him,shouldn't hurt. (My vet showed me how before,with the feeder)
I did hear gurgling and burping like sonds,coulldn't smell too much as I was straddling his neck.
Thought that might be a good sign that it did some good,then this green yuck came up,through the tube and out. Did not smell too good!
Cosistency of baby food I'd say.
So waht does this mean?
Should I do it again? How often?
Still give something else?
 
Forgot to say, the spot where I feel the sponginess (you can see a little diffrence from his right side) did not seem to go down.
 
Thought that might be a good sign that it did some good,then this green yuck came up,through the tube and out. Did not smell too good!

Sounds like you got his cud that he brings back up to chew. Sorry I do not have very much experience with bloat, thank goodness, but you can drench them with vegetable oil.

Why not try cutting out grain for a while and see how he does. As long as he is still on milk I wouldn't worry and you can increase his milk a little to compensate.
 
What was his temp reading? Try to post a pic. If he is actually bloated that is one thing, if not then the stuff you are doing will not be much help. He is just the right age for respiratory problems.

Larry
 
Thanks,yeah I took his grain away just in case, but he wasn't eating it anyways.
With respiratory problems wouldn't there be some other signs?
Temp was 102.2.
Chris
 
Sick calves don't eat. You really need to determine whether or not the calf is bloated. 102.2 is a little high, so I would check it again. A good product for bloat is Therabloat, you can get it at PBS.

Larry
 
My cow book says up to 102.5 is normal.
It was pretty hot out when I took it too,so I figured it's ok ,just on the higher end.
Hey ,what's PBS? We have TSC .
And this is better then the home remedies?
Ok, so wouldn't he not want his bottle either if he was really sick.
What about bloat,do they still eat? Could he just have mild bloat?
Chris
 
how much milk are you feeding him. sounds like he is being overfed & he is not hungry. if he was bloated his left side would be protruding out up by his hip. the hollow spot wouldn;t even show & he would have trouble breathing. 2 quarts twice a day is plenty for him. a hungry calf will eat other stuff quicker. we used to wean our holtein calves at 6 weeks, but not until they were eating grain good.
 
ufo_chris":26mthpqh said:
My cow book says up to 102.5 is normal.
In my opinion 101.5 is normal, the 102.5 is on the upper end of what I would consider ok. I would for sure check it again at different times of the day, just to make sure.It was pretty hot out when I took it too,so I figured it's ok ,just on the higher end.
Hey ,what's PBS? We have TSC .
You can do a search on PBS Anumal Health, they have several stores in Ohio and will ship.
And this is better then the home remedies?
I like it better and it's not expensive, plus it's more convenient.Ok, so wouldn't he not want his bottle either if he was really sick.
Yes, if he gets worse he'll stop the bottle too.
What about bloat,do they still eat? Could he just have mild bloat?
Yes, the amount he will eat will be somewhat proportional to the severity of the bloat.Chris


Larry
 
Sorry,I've been to busy to get on here, but here's a update.
Called my vet Friday after his temp went up to 103 and he told me to give him 2 aspirin every feeding and 1 cup of plain yogurt for a few days. (I feed him 3x 2 1/2 pints each,recommended by him after his last visit)
Today I called again because the temp hovers between 102.2 and 102.6 with the aspirin and I didn't know if I should keep him on it.
He said keep him on it 3 more days unless it really goes down, and if there is no improvement after 3 days call again.
He told me to watch for other signs like coughing,snotty nose,diarr. and of course not taking his bottle.
I'm glad I have a nice vet like him that's not to quick to 'have to see him in person'.
He works out of a vet clinic with other vets and they always have someone on emergency duty too (for a price of course)
Anyways, he actually ate a bit of feed today, let's hope he'll finally get better.
Chris
 
Chris, I would be more in favor of a good broad spectrum antibiotic. If he is at 102.6 what do you think it would be without the aspirin? Ask your vet for a shot of Draxxin for him.

Larry
 
Just wanted to update....
He kept the temp for a while,it was pretty hot out and it was hovering close to 103 (quit giving aspirin).
When it got cooler it dropped down to normal and stayed.
Don't know if he was just sensitive to the hot weather?
Other than the temp he was always fine(after he started eating again)
He's been eating very,very good and I'm hoping he'll be ok from now on :)
 
101.5'F is normal for a mature cow, plus or minus one degree. 102.5'F is normal for a calf with a bit of variation either way. Wouldn't worry about the temp as long as he eats and acts okay otherwise.
 

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