Skinny Momma

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Copied from Breed Board:Hi Folks... I need some input. Have a 2 yr old Limi heifer that we had to pull her first calf 2 1/2 weeks ago. She was diagnosed with pneumonia a couple of weeks before the birth so she's had a rough month. Calf is fine, but Momma is starving herself. She's down at least 350# I'd guess from her pre-birth weight (90lbs of that was calf). She turns her nose up to show ration and creep, eats a little grass and drinks about 1/2 the water she should have in a day. She is going after the mineral block pretty heavily. Temp is 102 to 103. Usually give Penicillin (10cc) when temp passes 102.5. Also have given ProBios and some B vitamin. This is the girl we couldn't feed enough during show season now she's worse than my finicky eating kids!! We're feeding baby 1 gallon 2X a day just to help Momma. HELP!!! Anyone with any ideas as this has become a vigil???



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This is just a SQG, but I would be thinking of heat and humidity combined with the pneumonia combined with the hard deivery and still trying to milk. Heavy shade and feed and water late after it's cooled off. We had a heifer that completely quit eating when the high heat and humidity hit last year. She was on almost straight lespedeza with a little OG, minimal or no fescue. She would lay by the wtaer tank and ony stand long enough to feed her calf, then lay back down. She would eat a little during the night and went from BCS of 6.5 to about 4 within two weeks. When the severe weather decreased, she started eating but still looed like a worn out Holstein. He eventuall y gained back some of the wirhgt, during the winter got to about BCS 5.5. This year with the heat she's doing the same thing, raising a great calf and melting away to skin and bones. This year she's on OG and clover, doesn't sem as bad as last year, but she's a cow now and has less stress from the requirements of feeding a calf and still trying to grow as much as a 2 year old. I would have someone that really knows lungs give her a listen and see if she maybe doesn;t have some permanent lung damage.

dun

> Copied from Breed Board:Hi
> Folks... I need some input. Have a
> 2 yr old Limi heifer that we had
> to pull her first calf 2 1/2 weeks
> ago. She was diagnosed with
> pneumonia a couple of weeks before
> the birth so she's had a rough
> month. Calf is fine, but Momma is
> starving herself. She's down at
> least 350# I'd guess from her
> pre-birth weight (90lbs of that
> was calf). She turns her nose up
> to show ration and creep, eats a
> little grass and drinks about 1/2
> the water she should have in a
> day. She is going after the
> mineral block pretty heavily. Temp
> is 102 to 103. Usually give
> Penicillin (10cc) when temp passes
> 102.5. Also have given ProBios and
> some B vitamin. This is the girl
> we couldn't feed enough during
> show season now she's worse than
> my finicky eating kids!! We're
> feeding baby 1 gallon 2X a day
> just to help Momma. HELP!!! Anyone
> with any ideas as this has become
> a vigil???
 
> This is just a SQG, but I would be
> thinking of heat and humidity
> combined with the pneumonia
> combined with the hard deivery and
> still trying to milk. Heavy shade
> and feed and water late after it's
> cooled off. We had a heifer that
> completely quit eating when the
> high heat and humidity hit last
> year. She was on almost straight
> lespedeza with a little OG,
> minimal or no fescue. She would
> lay by the wtaer tank and ony
> stand long enough to feed her
> calf, then lay back down. She
> would eat a little during the
> night and went from BCS of 6.5 to
> about 4 within two weeks. When the
> severe weather decreased, she
> started eating but still looed
> like a worn out Holstein. He
> eventuall y gained back some of
> the wirhgt, during the winter got
> to about BCS 5.5. This year with
> the heat she's doing the same
> thing, raising a great calf and
> melting away to skin and bones.
> This year she's on OG and clover,
> doesn't sem as bad as last year,
> but she's a cow now and has less
> stress from the requirements of
> feeding a calf and still trying to
> grow as much as a 2 year old. I
> would have someone that really
> knows lungs give her a listen and
> see if she maybe doesn;t have some
> permanent lung damage.

> dun

Thanks... I just hope she can last until the cooler weather sets in...



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Look at a displaced abomasum--I'd guess left--or a fatty liver, or even hardware. Any can be life ending if not treated. This animal HAS to have a proper exam by a veterinarian ASAP!!

Good luck! V
 
What is BCS and what do the range of numbers after it mean? If it helps to give me info. that might be most useful to me I have a 13 month old holstein heifer. I'm sure it's a gauge of weight, but haven't heard of it before. Thanks.

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Do a google search for "tamu body condition score nutrition" and it will bring up a bunch of sites that explain it and give examples and pictures. For dairy cattle the range is only 1-5 instead of 1-10 like it is for beef but it means the same thing only divide by half, i.e. beef BCS of 6 would be a dairy BCS of 3, etc.

dun

> What is BCS and what do the range
> of numbers after it mean? If it
> helps to give me info. that might
> be most useful to me I have a 13
> month old holstein heifer. I'm
> sure it's a gauge of weight, but
> haven't heard of it before.
> Thanks.
 
> Look at a displaced abomasum--I'd
> guess left--or a fatty liver, or
> even hardware. Any can be life
> ending if not treated. This animal
> HAS to have a proper exam by a
> veterinarian ASAP!!

> Good luck! V

What do you mean by "hardware"... a displaced abdomen or fatty liver sounds pretty hard!!



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Hardware is when the cow picks up a piece of metal in her feed. I've seen nails, pieces of barbed wire fence....it can perforate the rumen, cause peritonitis or even pericarditis... a very serious disease. Fatty liver actually makes the liver large and friable, a displaced abomasum is a twisted stomach. An LDA is to the left, an RDA is to the right and an RTA is basically game over.
 
> Hardware is when the cow picks up
> a piece of metal in her feed. I've
> seen nails, pieces of barbed wire
> fence....it can perforate the
> rumen, cause peritonitis or even
> pericarditis... a very serious
> disease. Fatty liver actually
> makes the liver large and friable,
> a displaced abomasum is a twisted
> stomach. An LDA is to the left, an
> RDA is to the right and an RTA is
> basically game over.

Thanks for the insight. I've been in telephone contact with our vet, who is out of pocket at the moment. I don't like the other choice I have, so I wait. However, he had me take her up to 20cc penicillin for 5 days or when he gets back, which ever comes first. We're on Day 3. I don't think it is hardware, so that leaves one of the others. Another post asked about checking the uterus for part of the placenta. I'm printing all these for Doc when he gets back. After 2+ weeks, I'm worn out so I'm sure Momma is too. ALthough she looks a bit better today! Where you from... we need more vets like you!



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I have not read all the rest, but first of All 10cc of Pen. wont do flip on an adult cow, waist of time and drugs, any Antibiotic should be given at the Full recommended dose or not at all.

Second, you need blood work done for sure by a competant vet.

Third I would give her a full Dose of CMPK oral gel, then look at the blood work you have already pulled, see what is out of wack and try and correct it, sounds like she has a SEVER Mineral diffifiency, and or has real damage from a parasite overload and may require that you raise the calf entirley, if her problem is not correctable. Blood work and a liver biopsy will identify any real major trouble and at least the blood work will identify many things that may be able to be corrected or problems that probably can not be corrected. Good luck



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