Sick Cow

[danl]

First of all let me say the vet is out of town for continuing education. Or I wouldn't be asking here.......

I have a 8 year old cow, she lost her calf back in Feb. so she is fat and slick.
I give all the cows about a pound of grain a day just to keep them happy and coming up when I want them to.
Wed. she didn't care much about eating and just wandered off, last night she walked over to the feeder sniffed of the grain and walked away and layed down.
She seems to have a clear mucous looking discharge from the vulva and is swishing her tail alot. Seems a little weak in the back legs. If I get her up she will pull a few bites of grass and lay back down. She went to the pond,got a drink,walked in a few feet then walked back out and lay down again. I thought maybe she was hot and going to stay in the pond.
She is an ornery cow. this is not her normal behavior. She was going to be gone two months ago but she jumped the gate of the corral when I tried to load her.
She has been vaccinated with Vira shield6 +5 and covexin 8 a little over a year ago. She was the only one I didn't get to vaccinate this spring. Couldn't get her up. Like I said she is a pain in the butt.

She isn't mean, she just doesn't want to cooperate. I told my wife a couple months ago they only way I was gonna get rid of her was to shoot her. but I didn't mean it.
Vet office just called and are gonna give me some Nuflor. Any other ideas?

 

[KNERSIE]

Give the Nuflor and a broad spectrum long acting antibiotic, make sure not to underdose, not much more you can do at this stage.

 

[rockridgecattle]

Take her temp before you drug her up. If she is not running a fever, she probably does not have an infection. Re asses with the vet because something else could be wrong.
Don't over medicate her either. Over medicating will change withdrawal times. If she is a ship cow, stick with the nuflor or ask your vet about withdrawal on mixed meds because mixing antiboitics can possilby change withdrawal times. Nuflor can be given SQ or IM. SQ lasts a day longer between doses. I would also add an anti-inflamatory. Most anti inflams have a short withdrawal period.

If she is a ship cow, asses how much drugs and how long the withdrawal times will be and her recovery time. Cow prices are holding but spending too much will bite into the profit you will get...especially if she dies anyhow.

 

[Anonymous]

Any chance she is still bred and getting ready to calve?

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

Any chance she is still bred and getting ready to calve?

:nod: that's what I was thinking... February + 40 days + 283 days = 12/21 a LOT early, but maybe...

Any chance you can convince her that she can eat all by herself in your catch pen for a day or two and then close the gate behind her?

 

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking she may not have slipped the calf after all

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

Good point - and possible

 

[danl]

I should have worded the calf different, it died at about 3 days.
It was nursing and fine and I found it all stretched out and all but dead, in a pouring cold rain. It died shortly after.
I guess she could be aborting or something. I had left her and two other cows with the bull because I was planning on culling them, and wanted them bred back as soon as possible.

Need more advice. I took off work at noon to either bury or doctor the cow. When I got in the field she was up, so I put out some feed and she came up. Slower, she is usually the first one there. She ate a while then went and stood in the shade.
After the way she acted last night I figured she would be dead or down.
She hasn't got scours, just mucous smeared on her rear.

It is pretty nice today but the sun is still pretty hot. So I am gonna get her in the headcatch around sunset. Should I go ahead with the Nuflor or just use la200?

 

[Anonymous]

Does she have a temp? Are you sure it was her calf you found dead?

 

[danl]

I figure she has a temperature by the way she is heading for shade. Positive on the calf.

I can check the temp later, she does not take kindly to the corral or headcatch, so I need to do all at once.
The main reason I wanted to sell her is because she is so hard to handle. No problem at all in the field. Once you shut the gate on the corral, she turns into a whole different animal. about a 1400 pound Brangus that knows she can take out a gate.

 

[hillsdown]

I should have worded the calf different, it died at about 3 days.
It was nursing and fine and I found it all stretched out and all but dead, in a pouring cold rain. It died shortly after.
I guess she could be aborting or something. I had left her and two other cows with the bull because I was planning on culling them, and wanted them bred back as soon as possible.

Need more advice. I took off work at noon to either bury or doctor the cow. When I got in the field she was up, so I put out some feed and she came up. Slower, she is usually the first one there. She ate a while then went and stood in the shade.
After the way she acted last night I figured she would be dead or down.
She hasn't got scours, just mucous smeared on her rear.

It is pretty nice today but the sun is still pretty hot. So I am gonna get her in the headcatch around sunset. Should I go ahead with the Nuflor or just use la200?

Did she clean after calving ? I would go ahead and give her the Nuflor and the anti inflam , it is a brood spectrum. Can you get your hands on Predef it is a steroidal anti inflam so it will help stimulate her appetite . If not banamine will work too ,or if you have Resflor it is Nuflor and Banamine combined. She cannot be shipped now in her condition as she will be condemned and if she dies you will not be able to ship her then either so you night as well be proactive .

Good luck .

 

[KNERSIE]

The fact that she favours the shade that much is a sure sign of fever, so I stand by my first post, but I agree with Hillsdown Predef would definately be beneficial for apetite and just to illeviate pain and make her feel better about herself.

 

[danl]

thanks all for advice

I will have to try to get predef in the morning, they close at noon on Fridays and Sat.

 

[danl]

Cow #9 did not wish to particate in the medication process. The first time I had failed to latch the gate into the barn correctly and she bumped it and got into the barn and naturally the barn gates were open. The next time she started ramming the gate until she knocked it off its hinges. She would have destroyed it if it hadn't came off the hinges. I may have to shoot her after all. She is the only cow I have that gives me any trouble.
Dad told me not to keep her when she was a heifer. I am 53 and Dad is still pretty smart. I should have listened.

I thought with her being sick I might be able to handle her this time.

Anyway, she is a lot better, at least she was last night. She has been getting better everyday since Friday. She started eating again, and last night was the first one to the feeders again.
She still seems a little draggy and has lost some weight.
I am wondering if she ate some poison weeds. I spot sprayed grazon on some horsenettle, bitterweed and croton as well as a bunch of other weeds about a week ago.

 

[hillsdown]

Glad to hear she is doing better, somethings are just not meant to be . ;-) It shouldn't have been the spray but who really knows just how safe that crap really is . Maybe the next time you get her locked up you can haul her straight to the sale barn . Thanks for updating.

Here is some info on Grazon :

Grazing restrictions
Grazon is very safe and there are no grazing restrictions for
livestock, other than a seven day restriction for lactating dairy
cows. Grazon works like a natural growth-regulating hormone
found only in plants, and not found in livestock, pets and
wildlife, including large or small mammals. Mammals do not
metabolize Grazon. When ingested, it is rapidly excreted from
the body in the urine, and thus does not accumulate even in
situations of repeated or prolonged exposures.

 

[danl]

Dun mentioned that sometimes cows would eat poison weeds after they had been sprayed that they normally wouldn't eat.
I don't know if that is what she did or not.
I am going to have to get some taller heavier gates if I am going to ever get rid of her.