sick calve

[tennessean]

i just bought a calve from the local salebarn. he has saliva dripping from his mouth and is coughing. my neighbor called it shipping fever. called the vet he said it sounds like viral pneumonia and i should bring it in first thing in the morning. is there anything i can do now to help the little guy? now that i know what not to buy. i guess u got learn some how to bad i always go the hard route.

 

[msscamp]

Droopy ears, dull eyes, isolating himself from the bunch, standing with his head hanging, humped up and listless, and not eating? Shipping fever tends to be another name for pneumonia brought on by stress associated with the sale barn and shipping to and from. I would give him Baytril according to the one treatment dosage listed on the box for his weight. Depending on how miserable he looks, I might also give him Flunexin(generic version of Banamine). If it is viral pneumonia, antibiotics won't do a bit of good and it will just have to run its course. Banamine/Flunexin will help to reduce fever, though.

 

[msscamp]

Try la 200 first and work your way up.

LA200 isn't going to do diddly squat for pneumonia. Why bother?

 

[Bama]

Better be quick in treating this one as it ain't gonna last long. I wouldn't be surprised it it wasn't dead by morning.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Have you taken the calf temp?
Personally how can the vet tell the difference between bacterial and viral over the phone.
Giving it some LA-200 will do it no harm, if it is viral like the rest said it will not help, but i would give it a try.

Hopefully you will get a calf from a reputal breeder next time.
Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[cattleluvr18]

Try la 200 first and work your way up.

LA200 isn't going to do diddly squat for pneumonia. Why bother?

i agree. get some baytril or nuflor in him.

 

[msscamp]

Giving it some LA-200 will do it no harm...

I'm sorry, but I disagree. LA200 will do harm because the longer he screws around treating with something that won't knock out the pneumonia, the better the chances that this calf will die and the greater the chances that he develops a lunger calf, not to mention increasing the stress level of an already stressed calf due to multiple treatments. Plus, while LA200 won't knock out the pneumonia, it can (and will) knock out the good bacteria in the digestive tract - thus compounding the problem. If you're going to treat an illness, treat it to kill it!

 

[dun]

At the time he posted I doubt very seriously if there is any place to get antibiotics unless it's from a friedn/neighbor. If nothing has been done by morning, get the calf to the vet. Be there when he/she rolls in in the morning.

 

[I luv herfrds]

You use what you have on hand at the time you need it. Phobias, remember?????

Killed a calf a couple years ago listening to a vet. We were also treating pnumonia. Told us to use LA-200 then use penicillin and rotate it.
I wouldn't listen to that vet after that.

If all Tennessean has on hand is LA-200 then they should use it.

 

[highvoltagecattleco]

Use what is available. Like you said your taken it in to the vet. Not going to hurt giving some LA 200, Tylan, Penicillan, Gallimycin. I doubt you have Draxxin or Nuflor on hand. A neighbor might have some. The earlier you hit that bug the better. Some folks on this board haven't had good success with LA 200 (Agrimycin 200). I have had only one calf not respond. Ended up clearing him up with Lincomycin. I'm not saying I use LA everytime. If its a registered calf they're gettin Draxxin and Banamine. Dont hit them with more than one drug at a time. Some are gram negative, while others are gram positive. They will neutralize each other out. Good Luck

 

[Outrigger2]

used baytril with great success on really sick calves.

 

[msscamp]

You use what you have on hand at the time you need it. Phobias, remember?????

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Always.

 

[tennessean]

just the opposite little guy is up and moving around. i watched it for about a hour today and looks like the cough is gone. the vet gave it baytril and it responded very well. i didn't think to ask the vet so maybe yall know can i buy baytril over the counter or do i have to get it from the vet? cause i thought the ride to the vet was gonna do him in. he looked terrible after we got back home. thanks for all the helpful post it was hard to stay positive when ur a newbie and got a calve in that shape.

 

[Bez>]

just the opposite little guy is up and moving around. i watched it for about a hour today and looks like the cough is gone. the vet gave it baytril and it responded very well. i didn't think to ask the vet so maybe yall know can i buy baytril over the counter or do i have to get it from the vet? cause i thought the ride to the vet was gonna do him in. he looked terrible after we got back home. thanks for all the helpful post it was hard to stay positive when ur a newbie and got a calve in that shape.

Build that veterinarian relationship - buy it from him anyways.

Next time you need him he will be on his way because you are a valued client.

Bez>

 

[Alice]

Baytril is a prescription drug. Ask the vet if you can buy a small bottle of it from him and ask him how to administer it. Also, as with any antibiotic, make sure you give him probios. It's not prescription...you can buy it at the feed store or tractor supply. Also...good news...it's administered orally!

BTW, I'm so glad to read that the calf is doing better. I've followed this thread and hoped to hear back about the calf.

Alice