Weird One

[I luv herfrds]

Had a bull calf born on the 25th. He was a little slow getting up but once he was up he was nosing around looking for the bag.
Hubby went down to tag him in the morning. Got a shot of Alpha 7 and banded. Looked like he had nursed the cow. Was bucking and kicking just acting like a normal calf. He put the cow in the head catch and got the calf up to the bag and put the teat in the calfs mouth, but he didn't even try to suck, so he figured he had a belly full.

This afternoon hubby went out to check the cows and found the calf just laying there. Still alive. Got both calf and cow in the barn and tried to get the calf to suck on a bottle to get some fresh milk into him. Calf wouldn't suck.

We went down at 6pm. Calf is still flat out. Eyes are sunk in and is shivering.
Tried to get the calf to suck on the bottle again. Nothing.
Then I got an idea. I held the calfs head up and opened its mouth a little bit and trickled a bit of milk into its mouth. Calf swallowed. We've killed a calf tubing it so we no longer attempt tubings.
I got a 1/4 of a pint milk in the calf and then turned him onto his other side.

Went to check around 9pm. Calf was laying on his chest and attempting to get up. Went back to house and got a pint of milk in the bottle. Calf actually sucked quite a few times on the bottle and got 1/2 a pint down him.
Left him laying on his chest.
He had also gotten up and moved to the other side of the pen.

I thought I was going to find him dead when I did my 9pm check.

This is just a weird one. We have had a calf or 2 in the past that would never suck no matter what you did and they died. It really surprised me when he started sucking on the bottle. It was pretty weak, but at least he was attempting it.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Got some good news.

Called and talked to the vet who said we would have to get the calf hydrated before giving him any meds for the runs.
Hubby tried to get the calf to nurse this morning, but the calf fought him.

I mixed up 2 pints electrolytes and the calf drank down 1 1/2 pints. Then the calf was looking around for more to drink.
cow wouldn't stand still so i put her in the head catch and got the calf up to her. She kicked at him, but I got him latched onto a teat and he took off to sucking.

Cows hitting the road this fall. She loves the calf, but just does not want to stand still for the calf to suck. Vet figures since she wouldn't let the calf suck to get any colostrum.

 

[hillbillycwo]

Has the vet looked at the cow? She may have mastitis or her teats could be sore from too much milk i them. That can get better as the calf nurses her. The mastitis may need some medicine if she has it.

 

[I luv herfrds]

It's not mastitis, it's attitude.
Cow only lets him suck when she is in the head catch.
Kicked the cow out of the pen and ran my milk cow in there, she stood still for the calf to nurse, she didn't have much, but at least he got some.
I heated up 2 1/2 pints of whole milk we have on hand from her and he sucked it down. That calf is super hungry.
He was given 20cc of Bovi Sera today to help him get over this bug he has.

That cow has a one way trip planned for Monday.

Now to decide if we are going to keep him or sell him as a bum. We will decide by next week.

 

[I luv herfrds]

RIP cow stepped on the calf last night. He's breathing is raspy and when you touch his side behind his shoulder he acts like he is in pain.
Waiting for the vet, but doubt if anything can be done.

 

[langecattle]

I know I am knew here but I do have some advise on tubing a calf if need be. Learned it from my vet about a month ago. When tubing a calf push the tube down it's neck then feel under his neck you should feel two tubes the one you put down there and the wind pipe. If you don't feel two the tube you put in then it is in the wind pipe. You also can move the tube in and out a little bit to be sure. I have killed a calf by putting the tube in the wind pipe before also. This has worked for me so far in cases where I need to get colostrum in a weak calf, and is allot easier than trying to make the calf suck a bottle.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Thanks langecattle, but after doing that one calf we just never got the nerve to do it again. The vet at the time told us how to do it wrong and also told us to give a different calf penecillian and then LA 200 and just keep rotating it to treat a different pnuemonia case. Killed that calf too.

Love our new vet.

Found out that that b*tch cow broke the calfs neck. Vet put him down and I stood out back and bawled. :cry2:
we all think she either kicked him or got him in a corner a butted him.

 

[Oldtimer]

Its he!! when you got a cow like that...I've got the opposite this year- some good mommas that lost their cows in the weeks of storms and blizzards we've been getting.... If you weren't there when they hit the ground- and got them in- they were dead in no time...
Lots of folks lost calves up here this year...That continuing snow, fog, no sun, 30 mph east wind, drifting snow, and cold really took its toll... Some were telling me they even had week old calves dying- not really sick, but just like they lost their will to live in that weather...

At least we've gotten a break with a couple days of sunshine and warm weather- altho it has turned everything into slop/mud...But I see they are predicting another major snowstorm for the weekend that could have 6" of wet snow.. :(

I don't think winter will ever leave us!!

 

[I luv herfrds]

Got a friend somewhere north of you writing that they are into day 5 of being drifted in, hope they can get out soon.
I'm kicking myself for leaving the calf with it's dam. Just hoped one last time that she would let him nurse. Was going to pull him out this morning and put him straight on my milk cow and let him get the first chance at the milk. Figured she kicked him alot before the final one. He was pretty sore all over.

I sure hope you don't get 6" of wet snow this weekend. Last thing you need.
Hope it warms up soon for you. Also hoping you don't get all the flood damage we have gotten in our county so far. Hate the thought of all the cost of repairing roads and broken reservior dams.

 

[spinandslide]

boy that sucks..What a tough situation..Id take much solace in dropping that bitch off at the salebarn and knowing she'll make good hamburger.