lost the last calf born this year...

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braunvieh

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Joined
Oct 6, 2008
Messages
355
Location
NW Kansas
We had one last cow to calve this year and she was at least a week overdue. We went on a trip for 3 days and debated inducing her before going but decided she was 3 1/2 years old and capable of calving on her own and we had people to watch her. We were certain she would calve when we were gone. Worried about it the whole trip (makes for a fun vacation...NOT). Got home and she had not calved, but yesterday we knew it was the day, hubby getting ready to go out of town for work, so of course it was then! She finally bedded down at 10 pm to calve, hubby saw the beginning of a foot starting to come, but she was still standing around and not in real labor. Went back at 11:30pm, she was calving working on getting head out. Hubby pulled skin off the calf's nose, it was alive, came and got me up, had to drive 3 miles to get the pullers and then we headed out to pasture. By this time (10-15 min. max), she had the calf out to the chest and we easily helped her get him out. We thought all was well but quickly noticed he was not breathing. We did all the usual things but to no avail. I saw his sides suck in 2 times and that was it. His head looked swollen. What do you think happened? It was only the 2nd calf lost in the 2008 year calving of around 40 head, but I hate to lose any.
 

xxcc

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 21, 2007
Messages
613
Location
Sun River, MT
unlucky birth, probably hemorrhaged the diaphragm.  could've gotten him to a point where the fluid didn't push enough out of his lungs and he sufficated
 

shortyjock89

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Joined
Mar 6, 2007
Messages
4,465
Location
IL
xxcc said:
unlucky birth, probably hemorrhaged the diaphragm.  could've gotten him to a point where the fluid didn't push enough out of his lungs and he sufficated

Sounds about right to me...We've pulled some back from the very edge before, and it seems that tickling their nose with a piece of straw and thumpin them pretty good on the ribs (not hard, just solid) seems to do as much good as anything.  Once had a calf out and for 10 minutes we tried to get the thing to breathe and couldn't....and just to make very sure, someone stuck some straw up the nose, and AHHHCHOOOO the calf snorted and started looking around. He was a little slower to get started, but ended up catching the rest of the calves by weaning.
 

Joe Boy

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Joined
Jan 31, 2007
Messages
692
I am so sorry.  I think XXCC got it right.

I had the hardest pull I have had in 25-30 years last night.  I had trouble with my puller.  I had trouble with the heifer.  I was able to save both but had a hard time getting my wind afterwards. When I was in college I ran track... cross country, one mile and two mile.... You never heard of me because I made Jim Ryan run better....  anyway, after pulling the calf my lungs hurt just like they did when I finished a run.

I wished your fortune had been as well as mine... I am so sorry.
 
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