Bloating problem

[Show Heifer]

I have a heifer calf that has decided to bloat frequently.
She was weaned about 6 weeks ago. Been on Show Chow and 1/3 mix for a total of 16 pounds per day. All the grass hay she wants. She is perky, bright eyed. Her poop is loose, but not watery (unless it is after I put mineral oil down her).
When I put the tube down her, she lets a bunch of air out and she is fine. It is never frothy.

I have turned her out to a grassy lot (last few days), and have her on Fasttrac, yet any time I feed her ANY GRAIN, she bloats within a few hours.
So should I just completely take her off grain? For how long? Is this going to be a future problem? 
She is a great heifer and hate to just ship her.....any ideas?
Thanks!!

 

[pigguy]

i would put some baking soda in her feed. i have tried the powder tide laundry detergent it worked great but she didnt like to eat it. then we tried th ebaking soda and it worked great.

 

[frostback]

Not trying to step on DLs toes but any time I have one the bloats I put them on good ol Penicillin for 3 or so days, then probias them. Take her off grain till you probias her then start back on grain slow. All the grass hay she wants in the mean time. Putting the baking soda in her feed is not going  to hurt anything either.

 

[DL]

I have a heifer calf that has decided to bloat frequently.
She was weaned about 6 weeks ago. Been on Show Chow and 1/3 mix for a total of 16 pounds per day. All the grass hay she wants. She is perky, bright eyed. Her poop is loose, but not watery (unless it is after I put mineral oil down her).
When I put the tube down her, she lets a bunch of air out and she is fine. It is never frothy.

I have turned her out to a grassy lot (last few days), and have her on Fasttrac, yet any time I feed her ANY GRAIN, she bloats within a few hours.
So should I just completely take her off grain? For how long? Is this going to be a future problem? 
She is a great heifer and hate to just ship her.....any ideas?
Thanks!!

Is she destined for the show ring or the pasture? I would take her off all grain and feed her grass and hy (minerals, salt the usual) - probably some probiotic (is Fasttrak a probiotic or is it something else?) - get those rumen bugs back to normal - as a conservative (with cattle not politically  (lol)) I would probably leave her off grain for a week or so and then gradually start back a titch at a time and maybe add some vegetable oil to the grain - it is possible to "burn up" the rumen which then becomes a chronic problem. This has worked for me - it is important to get those rumen bugs back in business

Also since pneumonia can cause bloat (the vagus nerve - the director of the gut) runs in that general area - I would make sure she doesn't have a temp or any signs of pneumonia (doesn't sound like it though)

Good luck and hollar if ya need anything

ps frostback - toes not stepped on - feet little! because of the way the rumen operates that is not entirely a bad idea as it may get rid of some of the bad bugs ....

 

[pigguy]

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_product_group.html?CGUID=1A2EF6C4-706E-46D3-A322-45AD76ABE63B

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[TJ]

I have a heifer calf that has decided to bloat frequently.
She was weaned about 6 weeks ago. Been on Show Chow and 1/3 mix for a total of 16 pounds per day. All the grass hay she wants. She is perky, bright eyed. Her poop is loose, but not watery (unless it is after I put mineral oil down her).
When I put the tube down her, she lets a bunch of air out and she is fine. It is never frothy.

I have turned her out to a grassy lot (last few days), and have her on Fasttrac, yet any time I feed her ANY GRAIN, she bloats within a few hours.
So should I just completely take her off grain? For how long? Is this going to be a future problem? 
She is a great heifer and hate to just ship her.....any ideas?
Thanks!!

(is Fasttrak a probiotic or is it something else?) - get those rumen bugs back to normal - as a conservative (with cattle not politically  (lol)) I would probably leave her off grain for a week or so and then gradually start back a titch at a time and maybe add some vegetable oil to the grain - it is possible to "burn up" the rumen which then becomes a chronic problem. This has worked for me - it is important to get those rumen bugs back in business

Yes, Fastrack is a probiotic.  As a matter of fact, if it is fresh & stored properly, I think it is the best probiotic on the market... better than probios, IMHO.  I've seen fastrack do some amazing stuff.

 

[pigguy]

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=30e078e7-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

 

[sawboss]

We had a steer that bloated last year several times, tried baking soda, Tide and several others.  Fast Track did the trick, used the granule on every feeding as a top dress and then used the tube paste once a week in 15cc dose.  I now use the paste once a week as a preventive measure on our current steers to help avoid rumen problems.  Good luck and remember to feed a good grass hay.

 

[Show Heifer]

Thanks all.  She was going to be a show heifer, but decided to keep her alive instead of pushing her to show (shes worth more to me as a replacement vs a show heifer). So now, she is out with an old cow in a small grassy lot, and getting  NO grain, so I am not sure how to get the Fastrack granules into her.  Might try and find the paste.
Is this something that is genetic? Or something that might be a problem down the line in her life?
Again, thanks for all the advice!
Beautiful day here..... (clapping)

 

[fluffer]

I had a show heifer in my barn a few years ago that I was showing for someone else.  She became a "cronic" bloater.  I found that she would bloat about ever other day.  I know you said you turned her out, but, I found with our heifer that if I just poured a little mineral oil down her throat with a drench gun each evening  she would be fine.  Baking soda works well also.
Some cattle just bloat.  This particular heifer quit bloating as she got older.  She had her first calf about 3 months ago and the guy that owns her know doens' t have a bit of problem with her now.  I don't know your heifer, but I doubt you will have long -term problems with her.
Good luck!

 

[colosteers]

Maybe DL or somebody can explain this, or tell me why this is BS. 
I read in a feedlot magazine ( years ago and cannot find the article), that molasses, when fed to ruminants, the sugar starts fermenting instantly and can really encourage bloat.

Can this be a problem or a solution to some of these bloat troubles?

Have a good one
Colosteers

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

Anytime I have a repetative bloater I start mixing a little Paloxalene meal (bloat guard) in the feed. Good luck!

 

[DL]

Good idea RW - I also find that my cattle/calves don't bloat when they have access to crystalyx barrels - even when they are eating lots of bloomy alfalfa/clover or when the calves are getting grain - I don't know if there is a surfactant effect or what - we need Up North to discuss the basics of ruminant nutrition - colosteers  (welcome) - I don't know if that is a rural legend or if it is true - I haven't heard it before - there must  be a nutritionist out there somewhere ;D

 

[shortyjock89]

Colosteers- alot of molasses in the feed can encourage bloat.  A friend of mine had a problem two years in a row with steers bloating from eating molasses...if they got any at all, they bloated up big. They took the molasses out and replaced it with a little liquid fat and problem was solved.  I don't know if this means anything, but both the steers were out of Kadabra..I've also noticed that Kool calves bloat up a little more often..has anyone noticed this?

 

[Jill]

We have had more trouble with bulls bloating never have had a heifer bloat.  We push very hard and this year we had a couple that started to bloat on us, someone on here suggested a bloat lick block and it is a little expensive, but it did the trick for us, it would be worth a try if she is good enough to keep.

 

[chambero]

I thinkt the idea of making her a replacement instead of show heifer is the correct one.  Bloating show calves can be managed, but they are a constant worry and lots of trouble to mess with.  If you know one is a bloater up front they are best sent elsewhere. 

Not sure how your typical replacement care works up there, but we grow ours on grass with just a little supplemental "corn cake" as we call it.  They are put on wheat their first year during the winter.  We always put out bloat blocks about a week before they go on wheat to avoid problems.  I think we use the ones Crystalyx makes.

 

[red]

We use a mixture of Rumensin, Tylan & dry molasses for some of the chronic bloaters.
Sometimes too much liquid molasses will cause some to bloat. Each case seems different unless you have a large group getting into a super rich pasture or excessive feed.
Good luck. I hate bloaters.

Red

 

[DL]

Since we don't have any ruminant nutritionists handy I want to add a couple of things - maybe Up North will surface from her 2 million dairy cows to add a real nutritionists perspective  ;D

Bloat is not a single disorder with a single cause - it is basically the result of a variety of insults with bloat as the bottom line - there are 2 basic kinds of bloat "free gas" and "frothy" - traditionally free gas bloat has been associated with hot ration - either lots of it, finely ground, cows get into feed (feed bin falls over), as well as cattle that are "pushed" show calves, feed lot etc  etc. Frothy bloat has been associated with  legumes - alfalfa or clover

There appears to be a genetic component or predisposition to bloat

Basically ruminants can utilize things we can't (ie cellulose) because the rumen is a huge fermentation vat filled with bacteria and protozoa - these bugs break down cellulose etc and create compounds that can be absorbed thru the rumen papilla. Ruminants of course are designed to eat fiber - so when we load them up on grain we change the products the bugs produce - we can change them so severely that the pH of the rumen drops (ie becomes more acid) and this results in some bugs who don't like acid dying and some bad bugs who do like acid living -this is what appears to happen is that say with a high carbohydrate load

it is possible to damage the rumen papilla when the rumen pH is low for a long time (rumen acidosis). So when pushing calves it becomes a balancing act esp with those that tend to bloat repeatedly - and of course it can result in death of the animal - basically the bloat becomes so severe that the opening to the esophagus is closed and the animal can't eructate. Animals without adequate fiber are more likely to bloat. Many of the treatments are basically aimed at changing the surface tension of the rumen....35 cents from the field