Why should you call a Vet

[hillrancher]

Yesterday, pm cow down did not really know what was wrong with her. Thought grass tetany. Vet got there just when she stated to insert the needle she died. Was down only 4 hours. She cut her into pieces found nothing, gather blood and eye ball to send to lab.
The point is 95% + of the time I call a vet animal dies. Every one always say call a vet I do not need hired company to see them die. When they come we always send into lab and have never gotten a positive diagnosis. I do not use enough of most medical supplies to keep everything on hand. This is the reason I usually call a vet I do not have supplies on hand.
Just upset another bill and no results. This happen about twice per year.

 

[denoginnizer]

I suspect you are more experienced than many of the cattle owners on here. Often times the vet could help these folks.

 

[bigbull338]

after 36yrs with cows.i know when to call the vet.an when not to call him.an if it was grass tetney a vet would get there to late anyway.ive seen cows dropp dead with grass tetney in less than an hr.but people need to learn when to call the vet.

 

[GMN]

Personal preference, and what you think the animal is worth to try to save. I call the Vet on calving problems, dead calf inside, Milk fever, when the cow is off feed, losing milk production, I have called a vet for a older sick heifer calf with pneumonia, basically anything where I think the animal can be helped by a vet. Someitmes they can be helped and sometimes they can't, and die, or I cull them, and get peasly for them, that doesn't even cover the Vet bill. The worst is a situation like yours, animal dies and still have a vet bill. Don't beat yourself up too much, it happens to everyone. Just be glad that you have a good Vet that you can get out to your farm when you need one.

GMN

 

[Jogeephus]

If he/she is good and cares about the animal more than the dollar you are a lucky person. I'd call one like that in a minute - if only I knew one within 50 miles of me. :cry2:

Of course I should feel blessed cause one of our local vets can put braces on your dogs teeth and they don't charge but $300 to clean your cat's teeth. I'm told they are also offering pet counseling and they also sell health insurance for Fido. I'm hoping they will expand this counseling over to cattle. I've got a couple of brangus that really seem to have some issues. :lol:

 

[Brad D]

It depends on if the vet wants to teach you something or just do their job and get their cheque. I have a vet that dosen't want to teach me anything, so i have not called him in two years. over 90% of the time the vet is late or in a hurry so the animal ends up dying anyways. I have a 3000 head feedlot so I had to teach myself with most of my problems. But it never husts to call a vet they are free most of the time.

 

[hillrancher]

I am not down on this vet she was about 26 years old and eager to come out and cared for the animal. That was the reason we took her apart to try to find out what was wrong with her. Cow was in good condition, 6 yrs old with a 82 day old calf was making sure it wasn't something contagious.
Did learn about black-leg and how to make sure that a animal died with it. Black-leg will happen in older cattle also. Did not know this.
I am still amazed how a mother cow can stuff a calf inside her with all those part between those ribs.

 

[Brute 23]

The point is 95% + of the time I call a vet animal dies........ I do not need hired company to see them die............ another bill and no results.

I think you answered your own question. ;-)

 

[Alice]

You do what you have to do...at the time you have to do it. Will it make a difference one way or the other what you do the next time? In my case, NO...the decision will be made at that time with no 20/20 hindsight involved.

Alice

 

[Jogeephus]

Good large animal vets are hard to come by and should be rewarded for their time and efforts. I read yesterday that the average vet has to pay between $35 - $50 thousand a year for their education. The average vet graduates with a debt load of $100,000. A vet with the desire to help large animals has to be doing it for the right reason.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Vets are excellent for preventative maintenance. IMHO, afterwards is not the time. Would you spend $1800 for a broken leg for a cow that's worth $1500 at best?

I have never lost a bottle calf and I am at well over 500. Go ahead and call it lucky if you'd like but I think otherwise. I have never tubed one. Hence, I don't agree with most of the posters in this forum nor do I agree with some vets when it comes to bottle babies.

We had an angus calf born that wasn't right. To my anguish the boss lady hauled it to the vet. $375 and it died. They called and wanted to know if I wanted to spend the money for the disposal fee.

For preventative maintenance, I will use a vet in a heart beat.

 

[Brute 23]

Well said backhoe :clap:

 

[GMN]

Vets are excellent for preventative maintenance. IMHO, afterwards is not the time. Would you spend $1800 for a broken leg for a cow that's worth $1500 at best?

I have never lost a bottle calf and I am at well over 500. Go ahead and call it lucky if you'd like but I think otherwise. I have never tubed one. Hence, I don't agree with most of the posters in this forum nor do I agree with some vets when it comes to bottle babies.

We had an angus calf born that wasn't right. To my anguish the boss lady hauled it to the vet. $375 and it died. They called and wanted to know if I wanted to spend the money for the disposal fee.

For preventative maintenance, I will use a vet in a heart beat.

Alot of the preventative issues though, one can learn thru a Vet and then do by themselves where a Vet isn't required any further, especially with baby calves. Once you learn what treats what, and what vaccines to give, a Vet isn't totally necessary.

I find spending money taking calves to the Vet is pointless, they way overcharge for this, and I have never taken one there that has survived, only racked up hundreds of dollars in bills. One calf I took there, they said yeah we can make it good, 2 days later after calling about the calf, I realized that they had no clue, I went and got it, it died shortly after I got home, I wondered would they have ever stopped keeping it alive, and just kept charging me money, if I wouldn't have said enough and went and got it? When I went and got it, it was obvious to me, it was not going to be fixed, it was worse off then before I dropped it off. I said never again take a calf to the vet, it was a heifer that is why I did it, but I know enough of what to do, that if I can't save it, I know the Vet can't either. Thats why I say, its personal preference, sometimes you can rack up a huge vet bill, and you have to be realistic, f the animal is going to die anyways, its not worth the cost of the Vet Bill, etc...Everytime they come out its over $100 for large animal services, got to watch the pocketbook, especially now.

GMN

 

[dun]

Too frequently by the time it's decided to call the vet the owner has exhausted his/her bag of tricks and it's t6oo late for the animal anyway. If the owner realized earlier (comes with experiance) that the are out of their depths and called the vet sooner the result is frequently a healed/recovered animal. Or when they realize they can;t do anything, just shoot the poor creature.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Maybe I'm fortunate but I use a vet maybe once every two or three years. Last time I took a cow to the vet because she had the signs of being ready to deliver for about a month. Sure enough she was breached (or something) and vet did a C section. Cost me a hundred dollar bill but calf and mom were just fine. Sold the pair 7 or 8 months later for $900.

Time before that I had a wormy cow that I didn't catch until it was too late. Took her in and was told he would either cure her or kill her. I manged to get her back home before she died. But this wasn't the vets fault. Vets don't walk on water and I'm absolutely sure if I had been more observant that this cow would have lived.

I guess that's one thing that gets me about newbies posting on this board - people asking advice about sick animals. Don't ask advice here, get the animal to a vet! Nobody here has seen the animal, you don't get all the symtoms and most of the time they don't have any way to handle an animal sick or not.

I don't know if there are any vets posting here but I doubt it. And even if there were any they still need to see the animal.

 

[Brute 23]

I guess that's one thing that gets me about newbies posting on this board - people asking advice about sick animals. Don't ask advice here, get the animal to a vet! Nobody here has seen the animal, you don't get all the symtoms and most of the time they don't have any way to handle an animal sick or not.

Ya that is funny to me also. I got on my soapbox to some one on here about that one time.

 

[GMN]

Too frequently by the time it's decided to call the vet the owner has exhausted his/her bag of tricks and it's t6oo late for the animal anyway. If the owner realized earlier (comes with experiance) that the are out of their depths and called the vet sooner the result is frequently a healed/recovered animal. Or when they realize they can;t do anything, just shoot the poor creature.

When I first started milking, a elderly dairy farmer that lives close by, told me "A sick cow is a dead cow" Too some extent this is very true. If they have something easy, milk fever, a calving issue, a twisted stomach, that are all curable-sometimes, it is good to have a Vet out. Other times I have had a Vet out, and they have told me they honestly don';t know what is wrong, they can treat the symptoms, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, they are just doing the best they know how. I respect everyone of the Vets I have, and I realize they can only do so much, however I do think sometimes they know where they can make a buck, and they do, to the clients disadvantage.

GMN

 

[Avalon]

Generally if I do not know what the problem is, I will call and describe symptoms to the vet. Nine times out of ten we get the problems resolved over the phone. I may have to run up there for some type of med but it is still much less expensive that way.

 

[flaboy]

I never call the vet for bovines as there aren't any that will come. Equine vets are everywhere.

 

[hillrancher]

Got results back from lab yesterday. Every test intolerance did not know exactly what the cause of death. If any more animals get sick or die vet clinic will call state vet and run more test.