stiff show steers

[hellobovine]

i have 2 show steers (angus/maine) that both seem to be sore and slow moving, and have been for about 3 months. they are on a grass/alfalfa hay and a high quality grain/mineral ration.

what oral pain reliever/inflamation reliever can i give them.- will asprin or bute address the stiffness and/or inflamation?

 

[jkwilson]

You don't have them on concrete do you? What % body weight are they eating a day, and what kind of energy and protein levels are they getting in the feed?

 

[msscamp]

i have 2 show steers (angus/maine) that both seem to be sore and slow moving, and have been for about 3 months. they are on a grass/alfalfa hay and a high quality grain/mineral ration.

what oral pain reliever/inflamation reliever can i give them.- will asprin or bute address the stiffness and/or inflamation?

Are they sore on all feet, front ones, or just one foot? How much grain are you feeding them, what type, and how often? Based on the description given, and the fact that they are show steers, there is a very real possibility that they have foundered.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Don't think bute would be legal for butchering animals, but aspirin is OK. Get cattle aspirin boluses.
It does sound like they are foundered - or possibly they are post legged & the added weight they are now carrying is starting to bother them - being structurally unsound.
As asked above, how much are they consuming?
Any pictures? Are their hooves getting long?

 

[Engler]

Show steers not moving well. Are they too straight off of one or both ends? When dealing with show cattle, pigs or sheep and someone says that they are having chronic trouble moving I assume that it's structure until proven otherwise, and I'm usually right. If it is structure there is nothing (legal) that you can do to fix it. Get them on to dirt, antiinflamatories (sp) may help the pain (probably illegal), go to church on Sunday and pray.

 

[TheBullLady]

Most likely due to either structural incorrectness, or being "pushed" on feed. A lot of show steers will almost founder from the feed overload.

If they are both equally sore, I would suspect a feed problem. Are they penned in a lot? Or are they allowed to move freely in a small pasture?

 

[toby]

IMHO it sounds like they found an unattended feed bag and have foundered. I had a show heifer that found the oat bin open and sure enough that is what happened to her. Has the front hoves started to grow and curl upward? If they have -Founder.

 

[hellobovine]

they weigh about 1200 pounds now. they get a corn/oats/beet pellet/barley mixture that also includes a mineral supplement. we started them at 8lbs a day each when they were about 700 lbs and now feed about 18lbs each a day. they also get grass/alfalfa hay- 4 flakes each per day. i thought they might be calcium deficient but the mineral has calcium in it.

they have been in a 1/2 acre pasture since last october; they have never been confined.

 

[jkwilson]

That is way light on the feed for show animals, so I don't think you have founder or feed issues. With beet pellet in there, I'd think you could go 26 or 28 lbs a day with no problems. You could try some aspirin boluses to see if it helps, but I can't see any reason they should be sore.

 

[hellobovine]

their hooves are a bit long. also they do walk a bit post legged. their hooves look fine-no ridges. they never have access to feed other than what we put out in the feeder for them, they've never bloated, if anything they look a little thinner than i'd like them to look. how much asprin would you give them? how long can they be on asprin?

Don't think bute would be legal for butchering animals, but aspirin is OK. Get cattle aspirin boluses.
It does sound like they are foundered - or possibly they are post legged & the added weight they are now carrying is starting to bother them - being structurally unsound.
As asked above, how much are they consuming?
Any pictures? Are their hooves getting long?

 

[hellobovine]

I have a feeling based on everyone's feedback that we just did a poor job of picking these steers as show prospects. it's pretty difficult for the layman to look at a 700lb calf and get it right. i think you are right about the 'straight off the end' comment. what would you look for in a calf to make sure that he doesn't have structural problems?

Show steers not moving well. Are they too straight off of one or both ends? When dealing with show cattle, pigs or sheep and someone says that they are having chronic trouble moving I assume that it's structure until proven otherwise, and I'm usually right. If it is structure there is nothing (legal) that you can do to fix it. Get them on to dirt, antiinflamatories (sp) may help the pain (probably illegal), go to church on Sunday and pray.

 

[hellobovine]

no, no access to open feed. no curling toes. i've been giving them glucosamine the past several weeks and that seems to be making them a wee bit better but they are still not happy to stride out.

IMHO it sounds like they found an unattended feed bag and have foundered. I had a show heifer that found the oat bin open and sure enough that is what happened to her. Has the front hoves started to grow and curl upward? If they have -Founder.

 

[hellobovine]

I think you are right on the feed. its been really hot here lately and they have been not eating as robustly as before. we've been rinsing them. they don't like being confined in the range shelter we have for shade; i'm afraid they'll just give up eating if i confine them. what do you think?

That is way light on the feed for show animals, so I don't think you have founder or feed issues. With beet pellet in there, I'd think you could go 26 or 28 lbs a day with no problems. You could try some aspirin boluses to see if it helps, but I can't see any reason they should be sore.

 

[hellobovine]

no concrete, my other posts list what they get to eat. i was really suspicious of what they were eating as well but the feed store that mixes this ration works with the county extension agent and cargill rep to mix it just for our region. i spoke to the feed rep and they have had no complaints about the mix and have been using it for years. all the judges we have put these steers in front of say the same thing, 'structural problems, stiffness.'

You don't have them on concrete do you? What % body weight are they eating a day, and what kind of energy and protein levels are they getting in the feed?

 

[TheBullLady]

No.. it doesn't sound like a feed or confinement problem. The only thing left is confirmation or structure. Especially where they are at that weight. If a steer is structurally unsound, the larger he gets, the more you'll see a problem.

I wouldn't confine them, that will only make it worse. You have to keep them happy to keep them eating.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Learning how to pick structural problems takes time & the disire to SEE what you are looking at.
If they are post legged (straight legged) now, they were when they were calves. Any structural problem becomes an issue as they put on weight.
If possible, put up a fan in the shelter & only keep them in it during the day, letting them out at night.
Sorry, but if judges have already told you they are structurally unsound, nothing will change that.
Cattle aspirin has the dosage on the container, but don't know how long I would keep them on it. Might give it to them for few days before each show.