What would you do??

[rocknmranch]

We have a 9yr old cow, AI'd to calve in 3 days. She was found down with bloat yesterday. We got her bloat down, antibiotic'd her and got her on her sturnum.  She wouldn't get and up and still won't get up. We tried slinging her to get her on her feet to no avail. She is eating and drinking, and scooting around, but won't get on her feet. What would you do?

 

[DL]

Call your vet

 

[BrechtCattleCo]

I second that, you need to call a vet

 

[BA Maines]

Call the vet,  Induce her to calve,  and try to get her in a float tank to see if she can get up.

 

[Show Heifer]

I would also call my vet.... could be any number of things.....injury, preg toxemia, illness.
And if you don't call a vet, call a neighbor with a sharp knife (c-section) or a loaded gun (put the cow out of her misery).

I personally would take the first option and call a vet!!

 

[braunvieh]

Sounds somewhat similar to one I posted about on here about 3 weeks...cow down in creek, and then could stand but not get up on her own. Ate, drank, got along good for 3 days then went downhill in a hurry. Vet came out (at the advice of several SP folks) and she had pregnancy toxemia. Did a c-section and saved the calf who was at least 3 weeks early. Lost the cow but would have lost them both if we would have waited. Good luck and keep us posted on what happens. 

 

[VJ]

We have a 9yr old cow, AI'd to calve in 3 days. She was found down with bloat yesterday. We got her bloat down, antibiotic'd her and got her on her sturnum.  She wouldn't get and up and still won't get up. We tried slinging her to get her on her feet to no avail. She is eating and drinking, and scooting around, but won't get on her feet. What would you do?

Rocknmranch, got an update for us?

 

[rocknmranch]

Well, shes still down, was given calcium glouconate, dexamethasone, and still hasnt calved. We are waiting on her to either calve (the calf is still live), or for her to go so far down that we can't get her back and c section her. We are hopeful that she might get up once she calves. We shall see. Probally not AI bred, so would be 20days out from Mar 3rd.The vet thinks its was milk fever. Not common in beef, but the situation fully fit the diagnoses.

We had a different old cow go down, same procedures were done, and last sun she was flat out. We csectioned her, saved the calf (heifer) and put the cow down. The calf so far is doing well. Got colostrum in her from a friend who saved some from her jersey cow, then some real cows milk, and now on replacer. Shes up, vigorious, happy, and knows the sound of my truck already. The heifer is a Boyd on Target out of a Right Time cow. Hopefully she will make it. She is living in my laundry room right now, she was about 10days early and about 40lbs. Fully hair'd out, soft hooves that have now hardened.

 

[Hofstatter Farms]

Call the vet,  Induce her to calve,  and try to get her in a float tank to see if she can get up.

be careful about inducing her, if she is paralyzed at all on the back end then she may not have enough control to push it out. Call your vet asap and be open minded to takin the calf out the side to be sure to get a live calf in case the cow were to die.

 

[DL]

If you have 2 pregnant cows go down and there is a diagnosis of milk fever I would suggest that you carefully review your nutrition, mineral and feed program - if she didn't respond to the drugs used to treat milk fever I would question the diagnosis. If she didn't go into labor despite giving her dexamathasone I would wonder what is going on ---

 

[Jill]

Have to agree with DL on this one.  I can tell you the longer they are down the less likely they are to get back up.

 

[rocknmranch]

We know that the cow will probally not get back up. We are mostly waiting on the calf to have as much time as possible to bake.

As far as feed goes, we figured out already what happenend. We feed alfalfa, high in calcium, got given a load of rye grass that was poor for horses so we fed that all out for the herd. Well considering that when cows are on alfalfa and they utilize the calcium from the feed and not regulate it from their body, the shock of not having alfalfa forced them to use it from their body, in turn depleted their system.

When we got diagnosed from the vet what it was, two days after she went down, we had lost too much time down. The cow getting back up was not likely. She responded to the cal gluconate, the dexamethasone didn't do anything. I was reading some studies done on the dex and sometimes it doesn't work and needs to have another med administered with it, which was not prescribed.

The likely hood of her birthing the calf on her own is not. She is a 10 yr old, corrected from previously stated checked her registration, and a terminal csection is likely.

 

[redwingfarm]

If this was my cow, I would do a c section yesterday if not sooner, we had a cow several years ago who went down about 2 wks prior to due date and we tried to treat her to calving, unfortunately we hauled her to the landfill, I have always regretted not taking the calf

 

[DL]

You have a down cow - she has been down for 11 days - you say she responded to the treatment but if she is still down either she did not respond to the treatment or the diagnosis is incorrect - you say you have identified the problem and perhaps you have but how good can this environment be for the calf? and what about the welfare of the cow? - keeping a down cow alive, a down cow with who knows what, stating that she can't calve on her own, not knowing if it is an AI or herd bull calf, keeping her alive until "We are waiting on her to either calve (the calf is still live), or for her to go so far down that we can't get her back and c section her." is not only bad management it is bad welfare. By not doing anything you are making a huge statement - step up to the plate and do the right thing.

 

[rocknmranch]

You have a down cow - she has been down for 11 days - you say she responded to the treatment but if she is still down either she did not respond to the treatment or the diagnosis is incorrect - you say you have identified the problem and perhaps you have but how good can this environment be for the calf? and what about the welfare of the cow? - keeping a down cow alive, a down cow with who knows what, stating that she can't calve on her own, not knowing if it is an AI or herd bull calf, keeping her alive until "We are waiting on her to either calve (the calf is still live), or for her to go so far down that we can't get her back and c section her." is not only bad management it is bad welfare. By not doing anything you are making a huge statement - step up to the plate and do the right thing.

In my opionion the cow is doing ok. She is eating, drinking, in a barn isolated from the rest of the herd. We have spoken with a vet about the situation, and we are doing what we can. I am not a vet, and I trust the vet that I am using. The environment for our cattle is great. Irrigated pastures, alfalfa hay, proper vaccinations and worming. Shit happens!! I came here for some idea as to what it might be, learn everything I possibly can, and I get crap from people who don't want to possibly help. If you are telling me that my vet is wrong in the diagnoses, why don't you offer up what it might be??

Further, when we AI, we AI in hopes that it will take. If by chance the AI doesn't take, the cow is put in with a bull no matter. The difference between a cow who is due anyday and a cow due 20 days difference is not easily told, unless you ultrasound each and every cow in your herd for the chance of them calving.

 

[Show Heifer]

You didn't mention mineral? A reason?

Relax rocknm. DL was just trying to point out what she knows from experience. You ask for it.  She was also pointing out that you MIGHT have a bigger problem since you have had more than one cow go down.... how many total cows do you have?

Good luck, read your pm...

 

[DL]

You have a down cow - she has been down for 11 days - you say she responded to the treatment but if she is still down either she did not respond to the treatment or the diagnosis is incorrect - you say you have identified the problem and perhaps you have but how good can this environment be for the calf? and what about the welfare of the cow? - keeping a down cow alive, a down cow with who knows what, stating that she can't calve on her own, not knowing if it is an AI or herd bull calf, keeping her alive until "We are waiting on her to either calve (the calf is still live), or for her to go so far down that we can't get her back and c section her." is not only bad management it is bad welfare. By not doing anything you are making a huge statement - step up to the plate and do the right thing.

In my opionion the cow is doing ok. She is eating, drinking, in a barn isolated from the rest of the herd. We have spoken with a vet about the situation, and we are doing what we can. I am not a vet, and I trust the vet that I am using. The environment for our cattle is great. Irrigated pastures, alfalfa hay, proper vaccinations and worming. **** happens!! I came here for some idea as to what it might be, learn everything I possibly can, and I get crap from people who don't want to possibly help. If you are telling me that my vet is wrong in the diagnoses, why don't you offer up what it might be??

Further, when we AI, we AI in hopes that it will take. If by chance the AI doesn't take, the cow is put in with a bull no matter. The difference between a cow who is due anyday and a cow due 20 days difference is not easily told, unless you ultrasound each and every cow in your herd for the chance of them calving.

You asked for advise - I told you to call your vet - did your vet see the cow or just give you advise over the phone? -  if you trust your vet then why would you ask for help from people you don't know who have not seen your cow??? Was this cow preg checked?

From what you tell me something DOES NOT ADD UP  -
If a down cow  is treated for the appropriate time with the appropriate drugs for milk fever and she doesn't get up - THEN
1. she doesn't have milk fever
2. she has milk fever but the damage to her muscles and nerves from being down is too severe for her to get up
3.  the initial diagnosis was incorrect and she has some other problem

I am not going to offer you a diagnosis because I have not seen your cow - down cows are generally a medical emergency - a cow that has been down 11 days have a very poor prognosis - a cow that is down 11 days without a diagnosis have a very poor prognosis  - even if she is eating - if you came here to learn open your mind - this is a bad situation (as you describe it) - your actions or inaction s IMHO are compromising the welfare of both the cow and the calf - your snotty attitude in regards to people who are just trying to help you is annoying - good luck with the situation

 

[Telos]

DL does not beat around the bush  O0  and can sometimes seem harsh but is very knowledgeable and gives good advice. Hoping for the best outcome.

 

[BIGTEX]

When cows die do they go to heaven?

 

[knabe]

when i ask a question, i expect information i didn't previously have and don't really care how it's packaged.

most people are the opposite and is proof that  image marketing is not a shrinking market.