Sick Hamburger

Help Support CattleToday:

A

Anonymous

I have a sick yearling ("Hamburger" - the $40/hwt Black steer I bought a month back at auction)

When I bought him on the way home I ran him by the vet and had a full series of shots given to him and also we installed a fly ear tag. He weighs in at about 550 pounds.

Usually he is very friendly and alert (figures since he is destined next Spring for the butcher).

Yesterday I moved him and three shorthorn cows from a corral near the house into a small pasture some 100 yards distant. The corral was shaded by the same oaks that shade my house and the pasture has about 30 feet of oak forrest for shade at the end of it.

He has been hanging out in the shade, and the move was a simple walk, with an occasional nudge so they would hurry up as I didn't have all day. Essentially the actual move was NOT stressful.

Today Hamburger has a yellow/green mucus discharge from one eye, and the eye is defracting light differently than the other, so it is infected.

He also has as of this afternoon a heavy saliva discharge that drags nearly to the ground and he is moving very slow when following the cows up to the water trough. The other cows look fine.

The neighboring cattle ranch with a heard of about 60 has 7 cases of blindness / pink eye in this years calf crop (both eyes!) and a few older cows also with it, or that are entirely blind. They are NOT treating their animals with medication, and have told me they hope not to get nicked too much when they finally take some of them to auction sometime next Spring.

I went by my vet this afternoon and he suggested I feed a medicated feed which has 350 Mg of Chlortetracycline per head per day if fed at the proper ration. And to feed this ration for 10 days.

You all now know as much of the symptoms as my vet knows. Any second guesses or other suggestions?

I do not have a head gate or squeeze chute available on this place (I tore it out and will be re-building it). Shots will be impossible to give unless I borrow a portable chute or call in the vet with his.

Again any suggestions or thoughts?

Thanks!

[email protected]
 
Ok, just to make sure I have this clear...you've had the calf for 1 month and vaccinated him on the way home from the sale. Doubt that there was much of an immune response due to the stress... He was moved yesterday and now has pus and a cloudy eye. Neighbour has pinkeye and isn't treating it. He also has drool hanging to the ground and is moving slow. Sounds like he's damn sick and needs a proper exam. The eye could merely be pinkeye, which you can treat with mastitis ointment in the eye if necessary (and if he's friendly, shouldn't be difficult) but the drool and the slowness sounds like something more serious. I'd catch him (even on a rope and tie to a fence or catch behind a gate) take his temp and inject him with proper antibiotics. Chlortet in the feed is useless if the calf isn't eating his full ration, which they rarely do when sick. Best bet is to get the vet (and chute) out for a proper exam. Good Luck V
 
Vicki, My local vet today had me give an inter-muscular injection of 8cc of Chloromycetin (?) (chloramphenicol ?) The Vet called it "Mycetin 100"

The Vet also told me to give it in the shoulder or preferrably in the Butt. The vet loaned me a syringe stick (what a great tool!) to perform the injection.

I think it's the last time that steer is a gona turn his arse towards me.

I hope this antibiotic helps.

---Bill --

> Ok, just to make sure I have this
> clear...you've had the calf for 1
> month and vaccinated him on the
> way home from the sale. Doubt that
> there was much of an immune
> response due to the stress... He
> was moved yesterday and now has
> pus and a cloudy eye. Neighbour
> has pinkeye and isn't treating it.
> He also has drool hanging to the
> ground and is moving slow. Sounds
> like he's damn sick and needs a
> proper exam. The eye could merely
> be pinkeye, which you can treat
> with mastitis ointment in the eye
> if necessary (and if he's
> friendly, shouldn't be difficult)
> but the drool and the slowness
> sounds like something more
> serious. I'd catch him (even on a
> rope and tie to a fence or catch
> behind a gate) take his temp and
> inject him with proper
> antibiotics. Chlortet in the feed
> is useless if the calf isn't
> eating his full ration, which they
> rarely do when sick. Best bet is
> to get the vet (and chute) out for
> a proper exam. Good Luck V

[email protected]
 
Oops:

My Vet's secretary had givin me the wrong medication name. The actual drug I injected into Hamburger was: Micotil 300 ( <A HREF="http://www.elanco.com/us/species_beef_micotil.jsp" TARGET="_blank">http://www.elanco.com/us/species_beef_micotil.jsp</A> )

Hamburger seems to be doing just fine.

[email protected]
 

Latest posts

Top