Sick steer

[IluvABbeef]

Thanks for the tip, dun.

Mystery, sorry for your loss, but thanks for your tip too. Something to think about, I guess.

 

[Howdyjabo]

Draxin is a bad choice for accute phneumonia---
It takes too long to reach high concentrations active in the system.

 

[msscamp]

I am sorry to hear about your loss, we had a hereford that had very similiar signs however, the day he died was the only time he showed signs of pneumonia, early in the morning, he was breathing almost grunting, I called the vet out , there was no runny nose, no foam , just very heavy breathing and grunting,

I would be willing to bet that, had you known what to look for, he was showing signs before then. Although there are usually several things to look for in calves that are developing respiratory problems (slightly off, eyes don't look quite right, lack of enthusiasm, not playing like they usually do, lackluster nursing, slightly drooping ears, general attitude of not feeling well, etc.), one of the major ones is calves 'panting' - breathing rapidly, like they would on a very hot day - in the morning or when the temps don't justify breathing that hard and fast. We treat at this stage with penicillin and it almost always knocks it out. Another scenario that should put you on high alert for respiratory problems is when the days are very warm, but the nights are cool. Checking the calves early, before the day warms up, will tip you off for a lot of these type problems - not all of them, but a lot of them. I hope this helps.

 

[bggoff]

I have found that most of the time when a calf goes down and is too weak to walk its usually over.I had a calf a while back like that and he would stand but would not eat.I asked the vet how to get him eating again.He gave me a shot of sterroid and the calf started eating gaining strength and I thought he would make it.Then after about three days he quit eating again.I asked the vet for another shot of that sterroid to get him eating again and he wouldn't give it to me he said he just did me a favor the first time that it is illegal for him to let me give that shot.I already had a fortune in the calf so I just let it die.The key is to keep them eating and that is very difficult.Has anyone here been able to solve that problem without a vet?

 

[Hippie Rancher]

You can tube feed, but I agree that is likely to be futile, once they are really down.

 

[msscamp]

The key is to keep them eating and that is very difficult.Has anyone here been able to solve that problem without a vet?

9 times out of 10, it is not difficult to keep calves eating. The key to keeping a calf eating is to learn to recognize the symptoms of illness before it becomes a full-blown case of pneumonia, scours, etc - and the key to that is to know how calves look and act when they are not sick, and to be able to distinguish between respiratory problems, scours, etc. That is accomplished by research, and by spending as much time as necessary with the calves until one knows the usual behaviour patterns - ears, chewing cud, eyes, activity vs apathy, etc. By thoroughly checking them at least once a day - I'm not talking about a cursory glance here, I'm talking about watching them. Is one panting even thought the temps are only 70 degrees? Is one laying off by himself, curled in a ball? When you rouse him, are his ears drooping or his eyes dull? Has he been at the feed bunk in the last 24 hours? Does he look full? Calves don't just stop eating one day out of a clear blue sky.

 

[bggoff]

I agree with you that you should keep a close watch on your cattle for all those signs of sickness and that catching them early enough you will have a positive outcome 9 out of 10 times.But we are not talking about one of those cases here. I was just wondering if anyone had any firsthand info on keeping a calf eating that reaches the late stages of this very frustrating illness in cattle.