strange heifer incident?

[talltimber]

I've got a heifer that has been as big as a barn. She has really been big in the belly, acts like she can hardly go. Heavy, not sickly. Fed them a bite last evening, no problem, big as usual. This morning she came up with the others and had lost about a third of her width and tail out. No smear or discharge. Not springing. Where she had been rounded high in flank/loin/hip area, is now ganted looking compared to what she was. Has had a small bag for a while now, along with half the others or more. Due date Sept 9. I walked the draws and washes while my wife drove the pasture on four wheeler. Found nothing. Heifer occasionally ambled around, smelling the ground, tail out. I got her in the lot, until I could figure out what's going on. Got to thinking about it, too hot and she fretted being alone. Turned her out after a bit, she went straight to the creek with the others and was there when I left her a little bit ago. Going back to check.
My gut tells me the calf has changed position. Instead of her guts being pushed up giving her a full look, is somehow now kind of pulling on her to "bare" her hips/tailhead more? The tail out is due to her not knowing what's happening/different pressures on her, and her trying to relieve it? Her belly seemed to hang lower than it did, instead of out and high? Anyone experience with anything like this?

 

[inyati13]

Tail out: common in early stage of labor.

Change in form: calf may have dropped. Possible loss of amniotic fluid but unlikely if you saw no sign of discharge.

Question: is due date firm? If it is firm, looks like a coming premature birth.

 

[dun]

If she is jackhandled tail for more than a couple of hours I would glove up and check and make sure the calf is in the right position.
Just sounds like early labor, but I always like to double check when things have been dragging on

 

[callmefence]

They get thin looking. Right before they calve . right before is a broad term here could be several days or right now.

 

[TCRanch]

I agree the calf has most likely dropped and she's getting ready. Can't always judge by whether she's springing or bagging, especially with heifers. And as far as the due date, I used a gestation calculator this year and the results (so far) have been 0% accuracy. One calved a day prior & that was the closest to the calculated date.

 

[3LEGGED1]

You got one coming early. If it was mine, I put her up.Everthing probably fine,but if need to get your hands on quick, There she'll be.As Dun stated sleeve her if you need peace of mind.

 

[talltimber]

Good calls.
Due date is 9/9, natural service. I think they missed her, and she was actually AI bred after all?

I don't know if I did right or not. Worried about acting too soon, afraid to wait too long. Pretty down about the whole thing right now. Here's how it went/is going.

After turning her out, she was with the other heifers a good while. I was at the farm doing different things, and would run down and check on her every so often. Around 3 I checked her and she was laying down and straining and pushing every so often. Bag got waxy looking, still no springing or discharge. There was a gentleman that said he would come help me if I needed him to. Him and his close neighbors calved around 130 heifers last year, so he at least knows what to look for I figured. I got her back up and he palp'd her. Said, he's right here, gloved up again and got a foot. Dug for two hours off and on for the other one, dug another two off and on looking for the head. No go. We figured his head is down between his front legs and back. Used puller, tried twisting, tried shoving his legs back in...This guy has arms several inches longer than me, so I didn't try. Said he could reach the chest/shoulders. No head, jaw/ears, nothing. No vet return call in a timely manner. So, now I've got a heifer with a dead calf in her, weighing my options. Got a vet ready to cut him up in the morning if I want to. I'm thinking with the heat, 12 hrs plus of a dead calf in her, may be as well off to put her down first thing in the morning.

Any input appreciated.

 

[dun]

Had the same issues a couple of years ago, that was why I suggested sleeving her. Get the vet to remove the calf and fill her with antibitocs, with any luck she'll be ok

 

[TCRanch]

Not the response I was expecting. I'm so sorry! If there's any way you can keep her in the barn without getting too hot, I'd follow Dun's suggestion & try to salvage her. Our vet had to do a c-section on a heifer, calf was breech & dead, we kept her at the barn, cleaned/flushed the wound & pumped her full of penicillin for almost a month. She healed beautifully but we did sell her.

 

[callmefence]

Dang it.

 

[talltimber]

One more in the bone pile. It's a shame too. She was a tough little customer, and dog gentle.

Vet couldn't get all the calf. Left the hips and back legs. Spine was coming in vertebrae at a time, til he couldn't reach it anymore.

She was finally feeling the strain on the way home. The stress, the heat. I got her back home, turned the shop fan on her, gave her a good drink, and an offer of something to eat, and said goodnight. Man, this sucks.

Thanks for the replies, all.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Well, I just had a reply all typed out, you posted the update, I erased my reply.

Sorry to hear of the outcome. I was thinking there would be a chance to salvage the heifer, and sell her, down the road.

 

[inyati13]

Man, really sad. I never get completely over these deals. They always haunt me. Pizz on the money. It is the failure. You always feel like you could have saved them.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We had a calving like that. Only one foot could be reached, nothing else. I worked on her for about 30 minutes, trying to reach the other foot or turn it or whatever! When I realized I was out of my league, I had the vet out right away.The vet arrived, in what seemed like forever (I think it was actually 45 minutes later). The only thing he did that I could not do was give the cow a shot of lidocaine in her tailhead. This numbed her contractions (like the dentist does to your teeth). He was able to reach right in, find the other foot, get the calf aligned, and get it out (alive!).
Why couldn't a vet get out there, even if it was after hours? Hard to lose one that way, with the value of cows and all. Sorry it had to end bad for both. Were you able to figure out the size of the calf? Was it too big for her? I have been on some nasty fetotomies, getting all the parts out when they are decomposing is always a difficult task.
:cry2:

 

[TCRanch]

Oh, dang, I am so sorry!

 

[slick4591]

About 4 years ago I had one I thought was breech and took her to the vet about 2:30 AM. He dug around and called the calf dead and waited until the office opened and he had more help. Later, about 10, he called and told me come and get my cow and her new bull calf. Turned out its head was turned up and back. He said it scared everyone of them when he took a giant breath.

 

[talltimber]

Man, really sad. I never get completely over these deals. They always haunt me. Pizz on the money. It is the failure. You always feel like you could have saved them.

I know, me too. I hate it, and can't do a thing to stop it.

My wife is a wonderful, compassionate, soft hearted person (she has her own problems is other areas lol) but I try to talk to her about things like this, just to bounce ideas off of her, and to keep her in the loop about what's going on in case I fall over dead mid-step. We talked about what we had in her, what we'd likely have in her after the vet trip, and what the salvage would be. My wife said we need to try to help her. I was hot, tired, wore out and pissed off about the whole thing last night. I had intended to put her down this morning.

I woke up refreshed, and with a new dawn, although the problem still existed. I got to the barn and the heifer was down in the lot. It slopes gradual away from the barn. Heifer was down, feet uphill, overcentered. I figured she was dead. I got to her and I couldn't hold her head to give her leverage, so I grabbed a back foot and flipped her. She wouldn't get up, but was up on her breastbone. The yearlings came up to see what was going on and was smelling her through the fence. When I got done dumping feed to the other heifers and turned around, she was up and tracking. I knew then that we were going to the vet. As strong a will to live as I've seen so far. This heifer had been through a lot. If $500 is gonna break me, then I want it to be that 500.

 

[dun]

If $500 is gonna break me, then I want it to be that 500.

Excellent sentiment!

 

[greatgerts]

If $500 is gonna break me, then I want it to be that 500.

Excellent sentiment!

Amen!

 

[talltimber]

We had a calving like that. Only one foot could be reached, nothing else. I worked on her for about 30 minutes, trying to reach the other foot or turn it or whatever! When I realized I was out of my league, I had the vet out right away.The vet arrived, in what seemed like forever (I think it was actually 45 minutes later). The only thing he did that I could not do was give the cow a shot of lidocaine in her tailhead. This numbed her contractions (like the dentist does to your teeth). He was able to reach right in, find the other foot, get the calf aligned, and get it out (alive!).
Why couldn't a vet get out there, even if it was after hours? Hard to lose one that way, with the value of cows and all. Sorry it had to end bad for both. Were you able to figure out the size of the calf? Was it too big for her? I have been on some nasty fetotomies, getting all the parts out when they are decomposing is always a difficult task.
:cry2:

I missed this earlier.

We have a vet problem here, a big one after hours. There is about five vets within 50 miles of here. If you get an answering machine you've done good. Won't forward their calls, call back the next day if/when they read your message if one was left. I don't expect someone to never be unavailable, but this is a sore spot for me. I mean they knew going to school, or before, that folks need service at all hours right? But instead, they set up shop all over, as long as it's a dog/cat deal, which knocks out the make up business of one that would help with cows.
My wife called an emergency call number that's supposed to have a number for an on-call vet. This time it worked. She called about 10 ish Sat. nite and he returned our call around 11:30 and told me he WOULD come the next morning but would charge travel, or I can bring her in. I thanked him several times for the call back. He graduated in May, so he's not been taught to blow it off yet I guess. This young fella worked his ass off once he got his stuff gathered up (I was early).

Here is an example of what we are working with. My wife went through facebook to contact the wife of one of the vets close. She said their work truck was in the shop, and all his tools were in it, so they couldn't help. So, either they think they will get their truck fixed over the weekend (and had no intention of helping anyone on a farm call on the weekend) or they are not going to go on a farm call period until their truck is fixed?? I don't make my living with my tools, farm use and personal vehicles/projects, and I take my stuff out when I take it to be worked on. I'm sure vet stuff is way more valuable than what few tools I have.

The calf didn't look all that small, but Doc said it should have fit.