showstick09
Well-known member
There is something bad wrong with my Red Angus heifer. I have had three vets look at her and they don't know exactly what is wrong, and the medicene they keep giving her isn't working much. I will try and make things short on explaining. On our way to the San Antonio Livestock Show, which is 350+ miles away from where I live, we stopped in Crocket which is maybe 100 miles into the trip. We got out of the truck to go into a gas station and to check on all the heifers and realized mine was coughing very deep and hoarsly. She sounded like a pig. We didn't think much of it at the time and figured she must of ate some shavings. Well, for four days straight she was still coughing that hoarse caugh. We didn't think she was sick because she was still eating and drinking like normal. The day that I showed, which was Friday, I noticed her breathing with her mouth open and tounge hanging out. I gave her water thinking she was hot with all her hair. It was over 80 degress that day. When I was walking her to the show barn, she started breathing with her mouth open and tounge hanging out again, and she was acting like she couldn't breathe. She was breathing very rapidly and coughing like crazy. She did this the whole time I was in the show ring, but I still got second in my class. By the time I went back in for division drive, I new she was exausted. As soon as it was over, I took her to the vet that was on the show grounds. Her temperature was 105.4. After hearing her cough and smelling her breath, he listened to her with a stethascope and said everything he heard was leading back to her throat. He ultrasounded her lungs to check for liquid but didn't see any. He said her bad breath meant she had some kind of infection in the throat area. He said maybe hardwire disease, I think he called it. He also called the way she breathed, like a labor breathing. By the way, she is 6 months bred. There are also a couple of other things he said what could be wrong, but I can't remember what they are called. At this time, I was very upset, because I love this heifer and the vet was saying I could loose her and the baby if she doesn't get better. He gave her a shot that started with a B. I know it was good because it was $110. He gave it to her through the neck in her vein. Saturday, she wasn't any better and was still acting like she couldn't breathe and was coughing. I took her to the vet in my town. Her temperature was now over 106. Two vets looked at her, but couldn't pin point exactly what was wrong. The just gave her more shots and sent me home with two to give her the following days. They barely even looked at her, which made me mad. I know theres somebody out there that must know something, or may have delt with this before. This heifer is very important to me. I don't know what I'd do if I lost her of her baby. Sorry this is so long, I just needed to vent about it. Thanks.