Sick Cow

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Roblob

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I have an old cow that is sick & wondering if it's pnemonia or ?? She stays away from the other cattle will either stand or lay down in the same place for long periods of time. snotty Mucus with a slight amount of blood visible in nostrils.Short some what rapid breathing. Sometimes drooling & some coughing. No real interest in eating or drinking will go to both water bucket & food to check it out but thats about it. I was able to seperate her yesterday to a pen & gave her a shot of antibiotic. Anyone know what may be wrong with her ? Does this sound like pnemonia ?

Thanks ,
Rob
 
Sure sounds like you have a real sick cow, what was the antibiotic that you gave? Respirtory problems need some more advanced meds than you can get at the feed store. Did you take the animals temp?
Getting the vet on Sunday can be expensive but then how valuable is the cow...big decision time.
Hope that things work out well for you. DMc
 
Check with the vet and get some REAL antibiotics, Nuflor, Excenel, etc.
 
If you want to treat her give her a brood spectrum antibiotic like nuflor..Do it IM not sub as it will work faster which means she needs two doses. Oxytetracycline will not touch pneumonia anymore.

What is her temp?

And what Dun said, if she was mine I would still try and treat her especially if she has a calf at her side and/or is bred. BYW this is the perfect time of year for pneumonia .

Also she needs an anti inflammatory if it is pneumonia.
 
Thanks for all the advice , I'll try to get the vet out here on Monday morning.
 
Roblob":nfblex0i said:
Thanks for all the advice , I'll try to get the vet out here on Monday morning.

Get her temp first. You may not even need the vet to ocme out if you have a good relationship with him/her. May just give (sell) you the required antibiotics.
 
I'll call them first for advice as she has shown some improvement. albeit little it is somewhat encouraging. Has stopped coughing , ate a little ( very little ),isn't as lithargic a bit more alert. Haven't noticed the drooling lately. Wish me luck .
Rob
 
Oxytetracycline will not touch pneumonia anymore.

Hillsdown; are you guys seeing a lot of resistance to oxytetracycline?
That's what the last two vets who've diagnosed pneumonia in my animals have prescribed. They were both wrong (neither animal had pneumonia)... because I know so much better than two different vets :help:
So needless to say, the drug didn't work in either case.

Must we warn beginners about SL in every thread...??

Sometimes drooling & some coughing. No real interest in eating or drinking will go to both water bucket & food to check it out but thats about it.

They are all signs of dehydration (real cause unknown) which will be the real cause of death if you do not act in her best interest.

They are all signs of a sick animal. Oddly enough, I've *never* seen a severely dehydrated animal presenting coughing as a major symptom.

To answer your question Rob - yes, it sounds like pneumonia. *But* that doesn't mean it is. A number of other conditions can show similar symptoms.
Looking at an animal like this, I either call the vet out for a correct diagnosis and treat as recommended... or hit her with a good dose of antibiotics and observe to see if she improves.
 
I never knew coughing and drooling were signs of calving, either.

Oxytet still works fine for me, for pneumonia, but from what I understand not so much in the US.

I agree, either get a vet or hit her hard with a/b and see if she picks up.
 
hillsdown":2syiutn2 said:
If you want to treat her give her a brood spectrum antibiotic like nuflor..Do it IM not sub as it will work faster which means she needs two doses. Oxytetracycline will not touch pneumonia anymore.

What is her temp?

And what Dun said, if she was mine I would still try and treat her especially if she has a calf at her side and/or is bred. BYW this is the perfect time of year for pneumonia .

Also she needs an anti inflammatory if it is pneumonia.

I might even see while I was at it if the vet would give me some dexamethasone. Seems to work real well on taking the swelling and irritation out of the lungs while the nuflor goes in there and kicks the crap out of he pnuemonia.
 
Keren":1cja71xw said:
I never knew coughing and drooling were signs of calving, either.

Oxytet still works fine for me, for pneumonia, but from what I understand not so much in the US.

I agree, either get a vet or hit her hard with a/b and see if she picks up.

I had a cow with pneumonia. The oxy tet did knock it out for a couple days. I didnt retreat though and it came back. I hit her with nuflor and dex per vet recommendation and never had to treat her again. She is at a mcdonalds near you as after with the with drawal period I shipped out.
 
Just spoke to the vets office manager who said they are seeing alot of pnemunia rigght now in Northern Wisc..She said what I've described sure sounds like pnuemonia . I Asked about the dark urine, she said it was coralating to fever. Will consult with vet & have him drop off Nuflor & something else ( I didn't catch the name).
 
Sounds good Rob get her treated asap and make sure you follow up as per label/vet instructions. You need to knock pneumonia out completely or it will come back again and again, then you will have a huge problem.
I agree about the dark urine it is indicative of fever as well as dehydration because she has not been eating or drink do to her illness.
Good Luck and let us know how she is doing.

Regolith, OTC drugs like oxytet. have been so over used here that they have lost their effectiveness.They were used for every little thing and also feed was medicated with it ..The dairy industry in Canada over used Micotil about 15 years ago and it also became ineffective for pneumonia, thus it is a drug you will never find in my cabinet. I fear the same thing is going to happen to Nuflor soon.

I use oxytet. for very specific things as it still has it's place.
 
I would check her for wooden tongue also as she'll have the same signs everybody has diagnosed as pneumonia.
 
Update. The vet gave me Nuflor plus an appitie enhancer but I was unable to administer either as the Oxytetracyline took hold & I was no longer able to handle her. I kept her penned up making sure she had enough to eat & drink. When She made it apparent she was ready to join the rest of the herd she did. All seems to be well. I had wondered about wooden tongue & worn teeth also. I needed the thoughts of all of you to feel more comfortable about what to do.In a non related story, Last summer I lost a first calf cow during a storm. A large diameter tree top snapped off due to high winds & as my luck would have it fell on the neck of the cow who had taken to the woods for shelter. What are the odds . Her calf did well & was very healthy until 1 day late in the winter I found him dead. No wounds, appeared very healthy ( other than dead ) was up against a wind break. I've heard of cattle laying against something & not being able to get up & then dying. I have helped cattle up in similar situations but hadn't lost one due to this . How long before they die & what do they actually die from. I suppose it is possble a cow stepped or laid on him. Any thoughts ??
Thanks everyone for all the help
 

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