weak calf

[sidney411]

Ok, I've got one that has me stumped. I had a cow and calf disapear from the pasture for 2 weeks. Looked everwhere and in all the neighboring herds. Cow is still missing but the calf showed back up with my herd a week ago. He is quite skinny and lethargic. We walked him into the pens and gave him some starter grain, and grass hay. He ate good for about 4 days then went off feed. Gave him a flake of alfalfa to try to get him to eat - nothing. Gave him a shot of B complex and Probios. No fever. Started scouring 5th day. Went down on Monday. Got B12, gastro cote, and panacur from vet. Tubed him with electrolites and 1 gallon of mik replacer per vets instructions. Same treatment again last night, still down, but has fight in him, it takes 2 of us to hold him to tube him. He weights 285 lbs. 2 of us can lift him up but he doesn't even try to stand, his legs just crumple under him. We rolled him on his side and worked his legs, which he will pull back on when I pull them out, so he has control of them and feeling in them. The vet said to call him back in 3 days if there is no improvement, so I will call him back tomorrow. Any other ideas I can try today? Thanks!

 

[milkmaid]

how much grain were you giving him?

 

[sidney411]

A couple handfuls topdressed on the hay to get him started since he'd never had any grain before.

Should I give another B complex shot and probios tonight? No ideas anyone?

 

[angie1]

Got this from Backhoeboogie couple of days ago ~ sounds like something you could try. What do his eyes look like? Inside of mouth nice and warm? If you push on his gums, do they turn nice and pink again real quick or are capilaries filling slow? If you give this stuff, might want to forgo the others, otherwise yes on the shot again. Good luck!

CMPK is a gel paste that comes in a 300 ml tube and looks much like a tube of caulk. It contains calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, propylene glycol and vitamin D3. When a cow is down, just like the ones you saw on televison out in CA, you can take that tube, put it on the back of their tongue, and deploy the entire contents in their throat. A really good large animal vet will tell you to give a bad one three tubes. I don't go three but have gone two.

Once treated with CMPK, the cow will be up within two hours. It gives them a heck of a jump start. If the cow doesn't get up, you may as well just go ahead and put her out of her misery the most humane way possible.

If a cow has difficulty calving, put her in a chute and give her a tube of CMPK. It is only about $5 a tube. If a cow is weak for any reason, I'll put them in a chute and give them a tube of it.

If I find any cow in a bog (never happened to my cows but it has happened to friends) I'll give them a tube of it first thing.

You can google CMPK or CMPK Plus and read about it but until you actually see it kick start a cow, you won't be a believer.

Yesterday I ordered 10 tubes from NEEPS Farm and Garden out of PA. $4.80 a tube but nearly $22 shipping all the way here. http://www.neeps.com/searchresult.html? ... &x=60&y=13

I may not use CMPK for 5 years. But I will always have it on hand henceforth. I have seen it work miracles

 

[milkmaid]

Yes, calcium is needed for proper muscle movement... however I'd be a bit reluctant to lay the blame there since we are talking about a 285lb calf and not a fresh cow.

If he was only getting a few handfuls of grain then acidosis is highly unlikely as the initial cause of going off feed... however, now that he DID have diarrhea you may want to consider treating him as though he does have a mild case of acidosis, since scouring animals lose fluids and electrolytes, and their bodies can be thrown into an acidic state. Try 1-2oz of sodium bicarbonate 12 hours apart and see if that makes a difference. Note that probiotics won't do a bit of good if the bacteria die as soon as they reach that acidic rumen.

If I were in your shoes and had a bottle of 50% dextrose handy, I might give that a try... about 200mLs (IV!), possibly repeat in 12 hours. I've seen an IV of dextrose get more than one weak downer cow back on her feet within minutes. If they aren't eating sometimes all they need is that extra energy from a dex IV. Also, IV fluids would also be a good idea if he's not drinking, but then it starts to come down to how badly you want to save him. Probably could use 3-4 bags of saline or lactated ringers for starters.

A good dose of Bo-Se (or Mu-Se or Multimin) could also be a good idea; don't expect it to work immediately as (if I remember right) Selenium takes about 2 weeks to be fully absorbed from an IM/SQ shot... but you could at least get it started.

Those are my best thoughts for the moment.

 

[Beefy]

well did you look in all your ditches and every place imaginable and nonimaginable for the cow? thats weird that he would just show back up emaciated unless he was stuck somewhere or something. also i might suspect poisonous plants.

 

[sidney411]

Yes, I walked the whole 120 acres they were in and found not hide nor hair or either one untill the calf showed back up in the herd. I searched every neighbors herds also. If they were in a neighbors pasture they could have gotten in to anything I guess. Almost everyone has some sort of a dump on their places around here. This one has me completely baffled, every other time I've had a cow missing she has always turned up somewhere. I've always found ones that have died also, never just completely disapeared with no sign at all.

As of last night he is still down. Hung him from the rafters with slings and he won't do anything with his legs. I put them up under him and they just fold up. Tubed him again w/ milk replacer and electrolite drench, more gastro cote and B complex. He will eat some grain out of my hand but won't eat any hay, lets it drop out of his mouth. His stool is a little more firm but not right yet. I did notice his eyes were a little cloudy but no discharge and not irritated looking. No snot either.

What are signs of poision?

 

[TexasBred]

Tried the CMPK paste once. Guess i didn't do it right as it blistered the hound out of the cow everywhere it touched her mouth. Have used a lot of CMPK for milk fever via IV. Works well but prefer narcalciphos.

 

[Needmore Land and Cattle]

Durvet calf paste, this condition is specifically what it's made for, and a whole lot of electrolytes given often. I wish you the best of luck. Been there, done that. Lotta work and worry.
The co-op carries the paste here.