Wait and see?

[TCRanch]

Not sure what to do with an 8 year old cow. No coughing, snotty nose, runny/crusty eyes, heavy breathing, drooling, limping. Eyes aren't jaundice, vulva & gums nice and pink. No limping, stretches like normal when she gets up, still has a good appetite. But her ears are droopy and she is suddenly away but not far from the herd. Temp has gone from 100.7 yesterday afternoon (but not sure if that's accurate because I never heard the beep), 101.7 this morning and 102.1 this afternoon. If she were even remotely close to the corral or barn I'd just catch & take her to the vet but she's about as far as she can get - can't even get to her except on foot.

Thoughts on what could be wrong? Should I just keep watching/taking her temp? She's super docile but I wouldn't want to press my luck giving shots; worst case scenario I could halter/tie her to a tree.

 

[Bright Raven]

Not sure what to do with an 8 year old cow. No coughing, snotty nose, runny/crusty eyes, heavy breathing, drooling, limping. Eyes aren't jaundice, vulva & gums nice and pink. No limping stretches like normal when she gets up, still has a good appetite. But her ears are droopy and she is suddenly away but not far from the herd.

Sounds like possible heat stress.

 

[TCRanch]

Not sure what to do with an 8 year old cow. No coughing, snotty nose, runny/crusty eyes, heavy breathing, drooling, limping. Eyes aren't jaundice, vulva & gums nice and pink. No limping stretches like normal when she gets up, still has a good appetite. But her ears are droopy and she is suddenly away but not far from the herd.

Sounds like possible heat stress.

It was in the 70's yesterday with (much needed!) t-storms, 81 was the high today. But just in case, what other symptoms should I look for & what would I do to treat heat stress? That's a new one for me. She's hanging out under a tree, completely shaded. Has access to water in a stream but not enough to wade/submerge herself.

 

[Bright Raven]

Not as likely at that temperature. She would also be breathing hard, even drooling.

Heat stress is a killer. It is common. There was a guy who lost a whole herd of steers in Kansas last year to heat stress.

 

[TCRanch]

Not as likely at that temperature. She would also be breathing hard, even drooling.

Heat stress is a killer. It is common. There was a guy who lost a whole herd of steers in Kansas last year to heat stress.

I saw those pics on Facebook last year and it was heart wrenching! No heavy breathing or drooling with my girl. I'm stumped!

 

[JMJ Farms]

Banamine would help with fever and any mild inflammation. Sounds somewhat like pneumonia but some symptoms are missing or it may just be presenting in a different way. Good appetite is definitely a huge positive. As long as she wasn't off feed I'd probably just watch her. But I'm not a vet. Good luck.

 

[Bright Raven]

Not as likely at that temperature. She would also be breathing hard, even drooling.

Heat stress is a killer. It is common. There was a guy who lost a whole herd of steers in Kansas last year to heat stress.

I saw those pics on Facebook last year and it was heart wrenching! No heavy breathing or drooling with my girl. I'm stumped!

Those temperatures are close to normal. That is why I suggested heat stress because an infection would cause a greater response in temperature as the body responds to an infectious agent.

What about fescue toxicity? Is she shed out slick?

 

[True Grit Farms]

A mild case of nitrate poisoning? After being really dry and then some getting rain could cause problems.

 

[TCRanch]

Not as likely at that temperature. She would also be breathing hard, even drooling.

Heat stress is a killer. It is common. There was a guy who lost a whole herd of steers in Kansas last year to heat stress.

I saw those pics on Facebook last year and it was heart wrenching! No heavy breathing or drooling with my girl. I'm stumped!

Those temperatures are close to normal. That is why I suggested heat stress because an infection would cause a greater response in temperature as the body responds to an infectious agent.

What about fescue toxicity? Is she shed out slick?

Slick as snot. Really don't have fescue around here, grazing primarily plain old prairie and occasionally johnsongrass. Having phone issues & can't upload a pic.

 

[TCRanch]

A mild case of nitrate poisoning? After being really dry and then some getting rain could cause problems.

Tell me about nitrate poisoning. Fortunately something else I'm not familiar with. Additional symptoms?

 

[TCRanch]

Finally able to upload a pic:

 

[Bright Raven]

Finally able to upload a pic:

She looks good. Maybe just monitor her. Is she halter broke?

 

[TCRanch]

Finally able to upload a pic:

She looks good. Maybe just monitor her. Is she halter broke?

Not halter broke but she just laid there while I took her temp 3 times, checked her vulva & gums & dug between her toes checking for foot rot. Not sure I'd press my luck trying to give her a shot without her being contained, though!

 

[Turkeybird]

Perilla mint weed grow there?

 

[TCRanch]

Perilla mint weed grow there?

I've never seen it in our pastures or heard of it around here. Doesn't mean it's not there - never say never.

 

[Bright Raven]

Perilla mint weed grow there?

I've never seen it in our pastures or heard of it around here. Doesn't mean it's not there - never say never.

You would see a lot more signs of respiratory distress if she had mint perella toxicosis. I underlined the necropsy results, as you can see, the clinical effect is dramatic. Here is an abstract on mint perella toxicosis:

Perilla frutescens or purple mint has been associated with atypical interstitial pneumonia (AIP) for a quarter of a century. The amount and the stage of the plant required to produce AIP have been much debated. A field case in which catastrophic loses occurred in cattle ingesting hay containing purple mint showed that more than the green plants have the capability of producing atypical interstitial pneumonia. In this study, Perilla frutescens produced atypical interstitial pneumonia in three of five calves to which it was given. The amount required to produce the syndrome ranged from 2.3 to 15.5 kg of green seed stage mint and 11.8 kg of mint hay. The toxic syndromes were similar in signs, but quite different in duration. Necropsy examinations showed varied amounts of pulmonary emphysema and edema. Two of the three affected animals' lungs histologically displayed a marked proliferation of Type II pneumocytes. The flowering or seed parts of perilla mint were found by high pressure liquid chromatographic analysis to contain the highest concentration of perilla ketone, considered the most toxic agent involved. This stage of plant growth was also shown to be the most toxic in our calf feeding trial. Calves fed the flowering plant developed the toxic syndrome while those fed earlier plants (collected before seed stage) and late plants (collected after frost) remained asymptomatic. The time of year when perilla reaches the seed stage often corresponds to periods when pasture grass is scarce forcing cattle to consume plants not normally eaten when ample desirable forage is available.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).

 

[TCRanch]

Thanks for the explanation. That's some scary stuff! We did have blue-green algae in the watershed lake 3 weeks ago and the toxicology results from Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Lab indicated there were high concentrations of cyanobacteria Anabaena that can produce toxins but no microcystin toxin detected (so no blue-green toxins but toxins from some other source). The pathologist wasn't too concerned about the effect on the cattle because while they had access to the algae/contaminated water, they were on the other side of the lake & the wind shifted that day, moving it to the north shore where they have no access. Well that, plus they would have been dead along with our dogs and anything else the lives in or drinks the water.

She was with the herd this morning. Still looks punky/droopy and she's not in the best mood but at least she's grazing. Wasn't able to take her temp.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

The temps you listed are "normal". You know your cattle. Obviously something is going on.
How about hardware? If anything, a cow will run a low to normal temp.

 

[TCRanch]

The temps you listed are "normal". You know your cattle. Obviously something is going on.
How about hardware? If anything, a cow will run a low to normal temp.

She has a magnet. Although "hardware" could also be attributed to a shard of glass, even a sharp piece of rock and it's unlikely but possible it never settled. That said, we've had our share of hardware (hence, all my cattle/bulls now have magnets) and she's not laying on her brisket for better air flow, no drooling or going off feed, no swelling under the jaw or in her legs, no coughing. She's just not right. Although she was still with the herd this afternoon and I'm heading back down shortly to check again & hopefully take her temp. The herd has been at the south pasture for a couple of days and if they follow their normal routine - and she stays with them - they should be heading back towards the central pasture in a day or so, making it somewhat doable to catch her. Like you said, I know my cattle and she was born/raised here; this is not her normal behavior but at least she's with the herd today so I'm somewhat relieved.

 

[Dempster]

She looks like she has a big brisket, hardware is a possibility. Anaplasmosis should also be a consideration in your part of the country when you see a depressed adult in the summer.