my STEER is still bloated. NEED HELP!!!

hello folks. I'm new to this site because I'm in need of assistance.

My show steer is about 1200lbs and he has had chronic bloating for about a month.
it started out pretty bad. (I've seen worse tho). it would come and go about every other day.but he never seems to be in 'pain or discomfort'. i had the vet out about a week ago and he said that his breathing was fine and so were his vitals. he gave him some anti-bloat and it seemed to help. he also said to to give him a shot of Draxxin. 
now the only time he seems to bloat is right after we feed him. after a while it seems to go away. but he is still bloated slightly. he is currently on a shelled corn and pellet mix. about 8lbs daily. we also added to his mix about 2lb rolled oats.

I've heard of adding granular non-foaming tide to the feed but i wanted some more input first.

Sure champ pellets help a ton. I had a heifer pry ten years ago that was a chronic bloater to the point I had a piece of garden hose I was using to let her down with. Sure champ fixed it. Tide also does work. I have used it.  Good luck.

Baking soda, or mineral oil in the feed also may help. Don't try all of them at once.

Our local supply store has "bloat blocks" that have worked for us this year on a heifer.

i forgot to add in my post that the steer can be in the pasture whenever it wants and it also get a square of grassy hay once a day. when the steer was younger 500-800lbs he was on a completely different feed. it was a mixture that we have our beef cattle on. we never had a problem with him bloating when he was on that. should i try switching him back to that. or should i just try one of these ideas first?
when you say use baking soda or mineral oil. how much do you recommend. also for how long?
Thanks.

Have seen the tide work, takes about a 1/4 cup. Is it a gas bloat, or a foamy bloat? Baking soda is for the gas.

Best thing I have found to do is buy a bloat block and drop it down in their water trough. It makes the water a little brown but it sure works.

I had a steer last year that did the same thing. If it hurts him bad enough pour some mylanta or stomach liquid antiacid down him. I know it sounds wierd but it doesn't hurt them. Also make him walk alot to try and get rid of the bloat the best cure i found is to walk it off.

I do not know what feed he was on earlier, but since you are only feeding 10 pounds a day, I would think about going back to the feed that did not bloat him, do you know the Protein and fat content of the feed that did not bother him? Depending on the protein and fat you may need to add some fat to it to finish him, if the fat content is low I would add some Stabilized Rice Bran, start with 1/2 pound a feeding and work him up to one pound each feeding. Remember if you change him back to do it over the coarse of several days.
We had one that bloated constantly, we found if we hayed him before grain he would not bloat, grain first he would bloat. We just fed him his hay (coarse grain hay) 1/2 hour prior to grain and had no problems. I think the hay would get his rumen up and going.

There is something that is not working in his digestive system properly. I would definitely try the Sure Champ pellets. It is going to work to increase the microbe population in with stomach, and help create a healthier digestive system. Also, after he bloats try Vita Charge a sister product to Sure Champ. It will help kick start he gut. I think you'll see good results with these two products in addition to the other things they do like keep appetite more consistent and improve hair quality and bloom.

Check to see if your mill is or can add Rumensin or Bovatec to your feed.  G-Luck

Bloat Block

rackranch said:

Check to see if your mill is or can add Rumensin or Bovatec to your feed.  G-Luck

Click to expand...

Or see if you can get rumensin pellets.  We have been feeding rumensin pellets since November and steers have never gone off feed or bloated.  They cost something like $18 for a 50 lb. bag and we feed ½ lb. per head per day based on the dose in the pellets.

Have not been able to get on here and give you an update on my steer. but i got him a bloat block on the 1st of June. and since then he hasn't been bloated a single bit. it sure is nice going out to the barn and not seeing a bloated steer.. i appreciate everyones input!!!
THANKS (thumbsup)

I have always heard to feed them some corn stalk hay something to rough up or scratch the rumen sides.  Changes up the bugs and resets the digestion process.  After a few days slowly reintroduce him your regular show steer feed.

the steer had been doing real well and hasn't bloated for about 20 days. we started putting him out on the pasture on cool nights about a week ago.
and every morning when i go out to lock him up he is bloated back up again. if i keep him off the pasture for the next night he is fine in the morning.
i really hate to keep him off the pasture. but i guess I'm going to have to separate the two steers. because if he's bloated that means hes not eating... and he needs to gain weight.