colleen
Well-known member
How is your cow doing? Is she acting more normal?
Spooked cow?
- Thread starter Nesikep
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Floyd
Well-known member
Any bear around you? SScratches on the back sound like an animal attack.
Any dogs packing up around you?
Any dogs packing up around you?
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Nesikep
Well-known member
the scratches were from sticks or something.. as it was just a scratch here and there, not in sets of 3 or 4.
I can't say she's doing very much better, still has a temp of 38C, so a little warm still, still not drinking much, so I'm still hosing her a couple gallons a couple times a day.. she does eat, not a whole lot, but she's getting all sorts of treats and she does have an appetite for those alright. I think she may have some cracked ribs though.. about 8" behind her elbow there's a lump on her ribs... It doesn't look all that sore, she doesn't react much when I press on it.. her navel seems a bit sensitive though, not swollen however. she doesn't arch her back, but I find she doesn't stand as stretched out as usual.. her hind legs seem to be placed a little further forward than normal.. she's a really long cow and she doesn't look it when she does that...
I can't say she's doing very much better, still has a temp of 38C, so a little warm still, still not drinking much, so I'm still hosing her a couple gallons a couple times a day.. she does eat, not a whole lot, but she's getting all sorts of treats and she does have an appetite for those alright. I think she may have some cracked ribs though.. about 8" behind her elbow there's a lump on her ribs... It doesn't look all that sore, she doesn't react much when I press on it.. her navel seems a bit sensitive though, not swollen however. she doesn't arch her back, but I find she doesn't stand as stretched out as usual.. her hind legs seem to be placed a little further forward than normal.. she's a really long cow and she doesn't look it when she does that...
Nite Hawk
Well-known member
Could she have gotten into a ker-fluffal with another cow and gotten kicked hard and banged around?
Still wonder is she might not be in pain somehow with her pacing and not eating much.
Just hope she gets better, sounds like a real pet..
Still wonder is she might not be in pain somehow with her pacing and not eating much.
Just hope she gets better, sounds like a real pet..
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Nesikep
Well-known member
I think it's quite possible she got into a fight and that's what cracked the ribs.. though I think there may be more than 1 problem, since it doesn't make sense that you'd continually walk (and have a slight fever) with a cracked rib... she could even have gotten the cracked rib when she was in the corral and her old sister laid one to her... but her, a small (frame 5, 1400 lb) 17 year old arthritic old cow still is Boss Supreme and can move if she needs to... she just looks at her sister sideways and her sister (frame 7, 1700 lb) cowers... I had Tizia (the sick one) with a bunch of heifers, but the rest of the herd slipped one of the gates and they got all mixed up, and there could quite possibly have been a fight then I didn't see.
Oh, and about the name Tizia... It's short for Forsythia, the plant.. The old sister is Rosie
Oh, and about the name Tizia... It's short for Forsythia, the plant.. The old sister is Rosie
Nite Hawk
Well-known member
let us know how she turns out...
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Nesikep
Well-known member
Well, she is eating, I stopped tubing her water and she seems to be holding up... I certainly can't say she's getting better fast, but she's holding steady.... I'm still feeding her grain, and we have a few gallons of barley malt that I pour on top of it which she really likes... boy is that sticky stuff... I'm sure she has quite a time licking it off her snout when she's done.
I also noticed a bit of a bump/lump about 8 inches below and a little bit in front of her hip bone, no idea what that could be... She has a heck of a lump on her neck from the Tetracycline shot though. We gave her a shot of Vit A, D and E as well...
Her behavior is still off... when she's determined to walk, she walks just fine, but it seems as when she's trying to move around a little bit she's uncoordinated... It seems to take her some time to back out of a corner, etc... she also doesn't seem to come for food or treats readily, even though she likes them. As I said... she's still a bit off.
I also noticed a bit of a bump/lump about 8 inches below and a little bit in front of her hip bone, no idea what that could be... She has a heck of a lump on her neck from the Tetracycline shot though. We gave her a shot of Vit A, D and E as well...
Her behavior is still off... when she's determined to walk, she walks just fine, but it seems as when she's trying to move around a little bit she's uncoordinated... It seems to take her some time to back out of a corner, etc... she also doesn't seem to come for food or treats readily, even though she likes them. As I said... she's still a bit off.
Nite Hawk
Well-known member
Seems to get weirder than it was earlier.
some sort of bug effecting her balance /mental state? I think it is Cattle with listeria compulsively walk in circles or something like that don't they? But unless she got kicked that doesn't account for the lumps unless she crashed into something in her pacing. Maybe she got kicked in the head why she is acting weird??
Saw a horse once, crash head first into a fence post at a run. She started walking forward a few steps then backwards a few steps, back and forth, back and forth. She started bleeding a little from the nose. She died before the vet got there. Had a major head injury I guess. Wasn't my horse,but I told the owner something wasn't right the way she was acting.
Hope you get to the bottom of this issue..
some sort of bug effecting her balance /mental state? I think it is Cattle with listeria compulsively walk in circles or something like that don't they? But unless she got kicked that doesn't account for the lumps unless she crashed into something in her pacing. Maybe she got kicked in the head why she is acting weird??
Saw a horse once, crash head first into a fence post at a run. She started walking forward a few steps then backwards a few steps, back and forth, back and forth. She started bleeding a little from the nose. She died before the vet got there. Had a major head injury I guess. Wasn't my horse,but I told the owner something wasn't right the way she was acting.
Hope you get to the bottom of this issue..
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Nesikep
Well-known member
I spoke to the vet again.. he's waiting for a call back from the lab that did the bacterial culture... he finds it suspicious that it was completely sterile in there, and was thinking that there could be some other microorganism (can't remember the name) that could be causing grief. It seems as though the lumps on her ribs have nearly disappeared, however the one by her hip bone is still there... when she lays down (she's done that more today than recently) she is always right up against a fence.. her balance seems to be off a bit, maybe that's why she stays close to the fence. I did manage to get a video, here's the link... if it doesn't show up, wait a half hour, as of right now it has 45 minutes left until completion... it's still uploading
[youtube]Styq1RGJCzs[/youtube]
you can see her pawing a little bit with her front left hoof, as if she doesn't know where to put it, but when she's in full stride it doesn't seem to be painful... I'm getting more and more convinced she could have had a stroke... Also notice she always seems to have her head cocked to a side... she's alert enough it seems though.
[youtube]Styq1RGJCzs[/youtube]
you can see her pawing a little bit with her front left hoof, as if she doesn't know where to put it, but when she's in full stride it doesn't seem to be painful... I'm getting more and more convinced she could have had a stroke... Also notice she always seems to have her head cocked to a side... she's alert enough it seems though.
colleen
Well-known member
Looking at the video, to me, it looks like something is wrong with her front right leg. Maybe in the shoulder joint. From the video it looks like that is why she is unbalanced, because she has all her weight on the other one. Wants the feed just dosnt want to transfer weight over on that leg to get moving. May be just how it appears. You see her all the time, so you may see more.
We had a dog that had a stroke but we didn't know that until a day later. We found her hiding behind a bush in the flower bed. Acting scared, disoriented, going around and round in circles. Later realized that she couldn't hear. Brought her to the vet. Said she had a stroke. I wonder if it is possible that the cow had a stroke, as you suggested, and the leg is partially paralyzed? I think I would get the vet to check out her leg really well. I also think that when she is moving her head back and forth, to me, it looks like she is thinking/struggling to get her front legs moving. Once she gets moving she is fine.
I hope you figure it out because she is a really sweet and nice looking cow. I have a couple heifers that are Special to me. Only because we have raised them from birth. And our bull is my baby. First bull we have owned that I could get close to!! I brush him and I can pick up his feet etc but I only do that when he has a feed bucket in front of him. And when my husband is close by. He came to us that gentle, we can't take credit for it.
Good luck and let us know if you find out anything please.
Colleen
We had a dog that had a stroke but we didn't know that until a day later. We found her hiding behind a bush in the flower bed. Acting scared, disoriented, going around and round in circles. Later realized that she couldn't hear. Brought her to the vet. Said she had a stroke. I wonder if it is possible that the cow had a stroke, as you suggested, and the leg is partially paralyzed? I think I would get the vet to check out her leg really well. I also think that when she is moving her head back and forth, to me, it looks like she is thinking/struggling to get her front legs moving. Once she gets moving she is fine.
I hope you figure it out because she is a really sweet and nice looking cow. I have a couple heifers that are Special to me. Only because we have raised them from birth. And our bull is my baby. First bull we have owned that I could get close to!! I brush him and I can pick up his feet etc but I only do that when he has a feed bucket in front of him. And when my husband is close by. He came to us that gentle, we can't take credit for it.
Good luck and let us know if you find out anything please.
Colleen
inyati13
Well-known member
Nesikep, I agree with Colleen, Tizia is a sweet cow. The video was sad for me to watch. I can see what you mean by the possibility of a stoke. That contusion near her hip, the other skin damage, etc. might suggest a fall maybe after the stoke due to the balance problems. This is a tough one especially when you are bonded to her. I hope she performs a magical recovery.
chippie
Well-known member
Nesikep,
I too agree with Colleen. She acts like she may have had a stroke. A weakness on one side and difficulty maintaining her balance could make her spooky. She doesn't understand what is wrong.
She looks like a sweet one. I can see how much she trusts you. I sure hope that she recovers. Good luck.
I too agree with Colleen. She acts like she may have had a stroke. A weakness on one side and difficulty maintaining her balance could make her spooky. She doesn't understand what is wrong.
She looks like a sweet one. I can see how much she trusts you. I sure hope that she recovers. Good luck.
Nite Hawk
Well-known member
A question. does she still have a slight fever?
If so, why would she have a fever if she had a stroke when a fever usually is a sign of infection not normally a sign of stroke??
Is it possible some sort of "bug" caused the stroke and / or possible problem with her balance and still floating somewhere?
Just a question...
If so, why would she have a fever if she had a stroke when a fever usually is a sign of infection not normally a sign of stroke??
Is it possible some sort of "bug" caused the stroke and / or possible problem with her balance and still floating somewhere?
Just a question...
chippie
Well-known member
38c (100.4F) is normal maybe a tad on the lowside which could be due to the cold weather and her not feeling well. The normal temperature range for cattle is 101F to 103F or (38.3C to 39.4C)
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Nesikep
Well-known member
If you say 38C is normal for bovines, that's news to me.. I have a bunch of healthy cows I'm going to get a temp on now out of curiosity.
NiteHawk, I know exactly what you're thinking and saying... a stroke in and of itself wouldn't cause a fever... and I guess its hard to exclude as what caused the fever possibly causing a stroke too.
So speaking to the vet, he gave a list of a few more tests we should do, Draxxin, Thiamine,...
Bloodwork (Bovine Screen) - 99.90 - if you draw the blood yourself and bring it in to us (can set you up with the correct tubes)
dewormer - pour on for the herd - $60-75 (based on a 30 head herd)
Antibiotic - Draxxin - $98.28
Thiamine - 70
Mycoplasma culture - 160
Vaginal swab cytology - 101.90
that's a full $600... I don't think I'm going to take the whole bite
I did find that Tizia was always along a fence... It seems as though she's not along it quite as often anymore... But I noticed that if I fed her in the corral, she "couldn't get to the food", so I moved the feeder so there's enough room for her to get between it and the fence, and that seems to have improved her feeding a lot.. Before she probably didn't eat 1/4 bale a day, often a lot less, now I think I've got her up to eating about 1/3.. or about 30 lbs... I ran out of sunflower pellets now, which is too bad, but still have rolled barley.
As for her leg, it doesn't look like it's painful when she's in full walk... It seems like her fine motor skills are affected most. She's also got a distinct head tilt now... she looks a little like
Do they discriminate against cows in the special olympics? She's looking like a contender
Slightly off topic... I have Tizia's old sister Rosie on Phenylbutazone for her arthritic hip, which means she's not to get into the food chain (off label use on cows), and I can't say she's doing any better on it... maybe her hip is just too worn, I hear it creak when she positions herself... She doesnt mind getting the pound of grain with strawberry flavoured medicine in it though...
NiteHawk, I know exactly what you're thinking and saying... a stroke in and of itself wouldn't cause a fever... and I guess its hard to exclude as what caused the fever possibly causing a stroke too.
So speaking to the vet, he gave a list of a few more tests we should do, Draxxin, Thiamine,...
Bloodwork (Bovine Screen) - 99.90 - if you draw the blood yourself and bring it in to us (can set you up with the correct tubes)
dewormer - pour on for the herd - $60-75 (based on a 30 head herd)
Antibiotic - Draxxin - $98.28
Thiamine - 70
Mycoplasma culture - 160
Vaginal swab cytology - 101.90
that's a full $600... I don't think I'm going to take the whole bite
I did find that Tizia was always along a fence... It seems as though she's not along it quite as often anymore... But I noticed that if I fed her in the corral, she "couldn't get to the food", so I moved the feeder so there's enough room for her to get between it and the fence, and that seems to have improved her feeding a lot.. Before she probably didn't eat 1/4 bale a day, often a lot less, now I think I've got her up to eating about 1/3.. or about 30 lbs... I ran out of sunflower pellets now, which is too bad, but still have rolled barley.
As for her leg, it doesn't look like it's painful when she's in full walk... It seems like her fine motor skills are affected most. She's also got a distinct head tilt now... she looks a little like
Do they discriminate against cows in the special olympics? She's looking like a contender
Slightly off topic... I have Tizia's old sister Rosie on Phenylbutazone for her arthritic hip, which means she's not to get into the food chain (off label use on cows), and I can't say she's doing any better on it... maybe her hip is just too worn, I hear it creak when she positions herself... She doesnt mind getting the pound of grain with strawberry flavoured medicine in it though...
chippie
Well-known member
I showed the video to my husband and he agreed that she looks like she had a stroke.
Be careful with the Bute. Long term can damage her kidneys and cause somach and colon ulcers. There are other things that can help her that aren't quite so bad. B-L pellets work well for my arthritic mare. She has been on it for about 6 months and she doesn't creak and hobble around anymore. You can buy them online.
Banamine will also help her. You can buy it in paste form.
Be careful with the Bute. Long term can damage her kidneys and cause somach and colon ulcers. There are other things that can help her that aren't quite so bad. B-L pellets work well for my arthritic mare. She has been on it for about 6 months and she doesn't creak and hobble around anymore. You can buy them online.
Banamine will also help her. You can buy it in paste form.
Victoria
Well-known member
Have you attempted a shot of Metacam? If there is swelling putting pressure on a nerve it might help. Have the lumps gone down? Those seem really odd to me.
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Nesikep
Well-known member
thanks for the warning about Bute... I'll look into B-L pellets.. I tried banamine, mine was an injection, and it's not long acting, so she wasn't too fond of me in short order.. I give her about 5g of bute a day right now... you know what the active ingredient is in those B-L pellets?
Tizia is doing a bit better this week, she's not against the fence as much, and she seems a little bit more sure-footed, so we'll see how things continue... I'm not expecting her to be the same cow she used to be, but I'd sure like a second heifer from her, I wouldn't mind an entire herd of daughters like her last one... she raised a 680 lb steer for her first one and is as sweet as her mother. Tizia's lumps do seem to have gone down a bit... I still feel a bit of one on her rib, and the one by her hip isn't as pronounced, but she's also been eating better which helps.. I think I have her eating close to 1/3rd of a 80 lb bale a day, and a couple lbs of barley. I set up a infrared camera and wired it to my room so i can keep an eye on her (I was hoping to use it for calving but it isn't going to do).. she seems pretty alert, she's always looking around her, so I take that as a sign of improvement... i don't know if I can say her head tilt has improved, but it certainly hasn't worsened. I'm just glad she's more mobile now... Unfortunately i'm going to need that corral for calving, so i'm going to have to move her to the bullpen (alone), which is round and should suit her.. I'll just have to visit her lots so she doesn't get lonely and depressed
Tizia is doing a bit better this week, she's not against the fence as much, and she seems a little bit more sure-footed, so we'll see how things continue... I'm not expecting her to be the same cow she used to be, but I'd sure like a second heifer from her, I wouldn't mind an entire herd of daughters like her last one... she raised a 680 lb steer for her first one and is as sweet as her mother. Tizia's lumps do seem to have gone down a bit... I still feel a bit of one on her rib, and the one by her hip isn't as pronounced, but she's also been eating better which helps.. I think I have her eating close to 1/3rd of a 80 lb bale a day, and a couple lbs of barley. I set up a infrared camera and wired it to my room so i can keep an eye on her (I was hoping to use it for calving but it isn't going to do).. she seems pretty alert, she's always looking around her, so I take that as a sign of improvement... i don't know if I can say her head tilt has improved, but it certainly hasn't worsened. I'm just glad she's more mobile now... Unfortunately i'm going to need that corral for calving, so i'm going to have to move her to the bullpen (alone), which is round and should suit her.. I'll just have to visit her lots so she doesn't get lonely and depressed
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Nesikep
Well-known member
Oh, chippie, thanks for the info about normal body temp in cattle... which means I have a bone to pick with my vet...
I checked the temp of 3 other cows, two were at 38.4C and one was 38.6C
I checked the temp of 3 other cows, two were at 38.4C and one was 38.6C
chippie
Well-known member
If you can, split the bute into 2 doses (morning and night). good luck with her.
link to B-L Pellets at Jeffers.
http://www.jefferspet.com/b-l-pellets/camid/equ/cp/0030148/
link to B-L Pellets at Jeffers.
http://www.jefferspet.com/b-l-pellets/camid/equ/cp/0030148/
