The x could have been the stretching from the enormous swelling he'd already undergone, I think he'd been dead 1 day before I found him. Or a coyote came along at night maybe trying to eat him and maybe our bull chased them away..... just all speculation
oh my God yes vaccinated- he was right near our home we saw him at least every other day, he never limped, never lost his appetite. It's not blackleg
The vets can correct me but I have never seen any symptoms of blackleg until it was dead.
No but I initially asked same question; I looked in a tiny tree grove for blood splatters I surveyed the area quite a while (why hubby loaded him before I could get my glove into the hole cause it took a while to look at tree Stubbs, I checked the rusty hay ring, the barbed wire fence etc) this bull penned with him is a yearling, and the steer slept under him while bull ate hay — but he's just not old enough to show much aggression right now I've watched them carefully. Shall never know now
A person checking once a day or every other day could easily miss blackleg. They can go from normal to dead in a few hours.
I had a Charolais bull once that I thought might have caught a stray bullet in the leg during deer hunting. Vet checked him out and couldn't determine that it was, indeed, a bullet. And I think he was right because there was no exit wound. But if I were in your shoes, I'd have a vet do a post-mortem. That should satisfy your insurance claim. Problem solved -- well, sort of ...
Cowhide is really tough stuff, I don't see it ripping at all, and not in an X shape on the shoulder. Look up Cody Creelman on youtube, he's done lots of post mortems, some REALLY well inflated animals too
This! Years ago I noticed a heifer calf limping one evening; she seemed perfectly fine the day before. Watched her for a while and couldn't tell which leg or specifically why she was limping. No other real obvious symptoms except she was generally very friendly but didn't seem to want me around. Didn't see her nurse but it was later in the day when the mamas were grazing, most of the calves were bedded down. Went out first thing in the morning and she was thrashing, on her side, bawling and dead before I could even call my vet. She had been vaccinated with Covexin 8 the weekend prior. I didn't feel "bubbles popping" anywhere on her and didn't have the vet come out to post her, but he's fairly certain it was blackleg. It happens.
Your job sounded fun
How is blackleg transmitted when feedlot cattle are eating out of a bunk?
Alpha 7 is one dose protection. No booster required. But - Thick and a pain to administer. Tends to make a big knot.
I gave used Alpha 7 most of my.life and used to have knots but it's rare I get a knot anymore. Not sure why.
To piggyback on this answer, the blackleg spores can remain in tissue indefinitely before causing disease, so it can happen if an animal has ever been exposed to soil, not just recently.
I may have missed it, but I don't think the OP said what they vaccinated with and how many times.
