help! sick heifer

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doubled

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 8, 2007
Messages
1,004
Location
Iowa
Showstick09

Im so sorry that the heifer died, she looked like a really nice heifer, I know how how you feel, I absolutely love each and every cow, steer, heifer, and bull we have and show.
Im so soft hearted about stuff like that.  I wish you would have had her posted though, we had a loved show heifer that had only one calf die a couple of years ago,the
vets has a hard time deciding what was wrong with her, she kept losing weight and just not getting better, we had to put her down and after they posted her they
discoverd that she had swallowed a nail, it tore her up inside. Again Im so sorry to hear about that beautiful heifer.
 

showstick09

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Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
220
Location
Texas
This morning after my heifer passed, my daddy called a vet from my town that was on call. I live in a small town in Texas, and I now believe vets here are stupid. My daddy called him about the autopsy. The vet told him it would almost be useless because there was only a 20 to maybe 30% chance in finding out what was wrong. It was as if he didn't even care. He said if he was us, he would just wouldn't worry about it. That being said, it really makes me feel better that you people on here care. She was the first cow I've ever lost that I actually cared about. Thanks again.
 

shorthorns r us

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Joined
Apr 9, 2007
Messages
900
DL is dead-on about getting her posted.  If three vets couldn't figure it out or weren't willing to try, it could be something really strange.  It may even be highly transmissible.  If that is the case, you owe it to the other exhibitors at SA to find out.  By knowing, you will be aware if it ever happens again and be able to guide the vets toward the right answer.  At the very least call the vet hospital.

TAMU Large Animal Clinic  979.845.3541
 

DL

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Joined
Jan 29, 2007
Messages
3,622
showstick - I am really sorry you are running into so much ignorance and lack of caring - it is always annoying to me when professionals behave this way. It makes a sad situation all the more sad. The longer after death the more difficult it is to find out the cause - big things like hardware will still be pretty obvious, but more subtle things will be more difficult. We necropsied a frozen wolf once (after it thawed) so I imagine if you can get the heifer to TAMU they can do it. I always want to know why something died - I want to make sure that there wasn't anything else I could have done - I want to learn -

one winter night I posted a bred heifer (post of a cecal torsion surgery) at midnight in a hole/compost pile by the light of the tractor.....she didn't die of anything related to the surgery - she died related to a wierd form of vagal indigestion associated with late pregnancy................

If they can't do it at least if there ever is a next time you will have a plan....DL
 

Jill

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Joined
Jan 20, 2007
Messages
3,551
Location
Gardner, KS
I am reading this a little late, but if anyone should ever have this happen again...  We had a calf 12 years ago that had the same symptoms as your calf, took her to K-State and they did an emergency treacheomotry(sp) her to allow her to breath, they couldn't really diagnose the problem, but she had some form of rare fungus that was basically eating her esophagus, they cleaned it thoroughly and kept her for a couple of day, she came out of it and her throat healed up, but had we not gone in she would have died, breathing problems are nothing to mess with.

Sorry for the loss of your heifer.
 
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