sudden dead heifer

[valerie4s]

I have a heifer 5 months of age, around 500 pounds. Yesterday she was laying flat in the pasture (like a horse). When approached she got up, moved around a bit and then walked away. She then layed down flat again. She showed signs of just nursing, and was not lame or swollen. She looked healthy. This morning she was found dead. The mama cow had a full udder, like the calve did not nurse last night. There were no bullet holes in her and no death kick. She did have pink fluid coming from her nose this morning.
Any Ideas????????

 

[Dusty Britches]

call the vet.

check the legs. are they "crunchy". a 500 pound, sudden death, makes me instantly think Blackleg, but it could be a few other things.

 

[valerie4s]

The only reason we are ruling out blackleg is that there were no sympotoms of that. There was no heavy breathing, it was healthy yesterday.

What do you mean by crunchy legs??

 

[Dusty Britches]

On a non-blackleg death, the legs will feel hard, like bone. In blackleg, it will feel like a bean bag toy between the skin and leg bone.

I'm actually surprised no else has chimed in yet on this.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Could be any number of causes for death. A 5 mo old calf with no obvious signs of mechanical injury is very suspect.

Was the calf given all of their vaccinations and boosters?

We do IBR, BVD, Blackleg, PI3, BRSV, De-worm, at around 3-4 months with boosters not later than weaning. If it is a heifer, the Vet does the Brucellosis vaccination and tagging after calf is 4 months old (usually about weaning time).

Have never had a sick or dead calf yet (Vaccination Program + Raising Texas Longhorns)...

P.S.: There is another item called Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) which can affect cattle as well as horses. Causes sores in mouth, etc., that can impair eating, drinking.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

I have a heifer 5 months of age, around 500 pounds. Yesterday she was laying flat in the pasture (like a horse). When approached she got up, moved around a bit and then walked away. She then layed down flat again. She showed signs of just nursing, and was not lame or swollen. She looked healthy. This morning she was found dead. The mama cow had a full udder, like the calve did not nurse last night. There were no bullet holes in her and no death kick. She did have pink fluid coming from her nose this morning.
Any Ideas????????

Pink fluid coming out of nose and/or mouth, especially if it is frothy suggests lung damage where blood mixes with air. It is possible she could have been kicked or run into something that caused a rib to puncture a lung. Only an autopsy would confirm or rule out some kink of internal injury that was not observable on external exam.

 

[cowvet]

I would not consider an animal that dies after 24 hours of appearing ill to be a "sudden" death.

How many people see cattle sick with blackleg...not many - they are dead when you find them - that is sudden!

 

[Beefy]

my money is on blackleg.