When it rains ..... it pours

[Dave]

I am in the middle of calving. On Saturday afternoon a shorthorn cow who always raises a great calf had a bull calf. On Sunday morning she hadn't cleaned yet but it was only 12 hours so no concern. I saw her several times during the day and she seemed fine other than not cleaning yet. Sunday evening I was checking on another new calf and I noticed her. She had prolapsed. Got her in and called the vet. I hadn't done a prolapse in probably 30 years. After 2 hours of pushing, cussing, and fighting the vet and I got everything back in and sewed shut. Shot her full of antibiotics. Went to turn her loose and she just died. One minute she was kicking at us the next she was dead. Dang....... The vet was more upset than I was. But dang after all that work she could have at least hung on for a day or two to make me feel better.

So this morning I was bottle feeding the orphan calf. Something didn't look right out in the cows. I went and checked it out and a big heavy bred black whiteface cow was dead. Sometime during the night she laid down on a little slope with her feet up hill of her body and appearantly couldn't get up. Of course when they get stuck like that they don't last long. She was fine at 6:00 last night and dead at 6:00 this morning. Dang ....... At least I don't get a vet bill for this one.

Ain't raising cows a lot of fun?

 

[BILL CLAYLAND]

Darn, really sorry to hear that Dave.

Bill

 

[alacattleman]

things can go from well, to h@! pronto

 

[Howdyjabo]

Why didn't he do an epidural on her?

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Ain't raising cows a lot of fun?

It has its moments doesn't it? :?

Little consolation but you're not alone, most of us have had those 'rough' years/bad times. I'm sure that ILuvHerefords can commiserate well with you right about now.

Sorry for your losses and I hope the rest of the season is uneventful.

Katherine

 

[wtrapp]

Sorry for the loss. I lost a cow also. She calved December 29th and everything was fine. A month or so ago she got down and died. She was fine late afternoon when I put out hay 3 days later she was gone. Her calf found another mama and is doing fine. If you got em, you got em to lose.

 

[bigbull338]

sorry your having such a rough calving season.but cows will pick funnt ways to die.

 

[rkm]

Sorry for your bad luck. If I lose a cow i would like the vet standing right beside me. I like sharing my missery. I guess too many times I have been told she will be fine as they hand me a bill for $150. Next morning she is dead as a door nail. I know it is not their fault. But somehow I'm just a little sicker.

 

[bigbull338]

we had the vet out with a heifer that was calving.an she wasnt worth doing a C-section on.so he suggested we put her down.an we told him to go ahead an put her down.an he kept saying how sorry he was that we had to put her down.but it was something that had tobe done.

 

[msscamp]

Ain't raising cows a lot of fun?

It must be or you wouldnt be doing it. At the risk of sounding like a hard ass - which I don't mean to be - it goes with the territory, and you know that as well as I do. If you're going to have them, you're going to lose them - that is simply a fact of life. Better luck next time.

 

[angus9259]

Why didn't he do an epidural on her?

An epidural sure helps, but doesn't solve the problem of getting all that back in her. We did an epidural on one and still wore the vet right out pushing it all back in. After watching that, you could see why one might turn up dead the next day. Ours lived but struggled every day she raised that calf . . . right up till she went into the trailer on the way to the kill pen at the sale barn.