question about a down cow

Lonelyfarmgirl,

My most sincere condolences.
As a life long cattleman I know this doesn’t help much now as I have been there and done that many times, but you did the right thing and at the right time.
With my beef commercial herds my rule of thumb for downers was three days, absolute max was 10 days.

This probably won’t help either but you at least know the cause and can take preventative action to avoid this in the future unlike many other cattlemen who don’t know the cause of being forced into dispatching one of their animals.


The last time I was forced into this position I had to dispatch 10 200 - 300lb calves, one after the other.
Talk about a grown man doing something a grown man is not suppose to do!!! And it didn’t get any better as I went from pen to pen.

This was the only time in my entire life I broke my “ absolute max 10 day” rule and extended it to a full 30 days.
After utilizing five different vets, receiving 5 different diagnosis and treatment and posting 5 of the calves after dispatching, no definitive cause was ever established.
That was two years ago and to this day we still don’t have a scientific proven cause, just a very strong suspicion.

So you see, you at least have the comfort of knowing the cause.
Hope that helps
OT

Sorry about the outcome.

May I extend the dialogue since I just had a very sudden similar event? When I got to the farm last night I had a dead 500 lb. beef calf. Maybe we can get something more out of the conversation.

This calf had been on corn stalks and its mom, but I had started them on a little 15% protein feed. The amount offered to this calf and three others was small so that even if one calf ate it all, it would no be enough to cause a problem...so I thought. The calves cleaned the feed up in seconds and this one followed me around the night before begging for more. It did not get any.

The dead calf was bloated. I called my vet/mentor and he said he agreed with my feelings and we could still post him if I wanted. We did not.

I would welcome more talk about blockage if not foundering on the corn.

A loss is a loss and it feels bad. But I want to continue to learn more. As there similarities even though mine was very sudden.

Thanks.

Bret,

Re:
Good idea, but I don’t think your case is “similar “, in that the circumstances are not the same.
I now strongly believe Lonelyfarm girl’s cow dies from irreversible nerve damage which causes muscular control and deterioration.
IMO what happen was that the blood was cut off for to long a period of time to nerves and muscles and they died.

Now for your problem.
Re:
Check the mom, and your entire herd.
Is she the poorest cow in your herd?
On a scale of 1 - 10 how do you rate your herd? The mom?
Check mom’s bag and teats, is she producing milk?
What are your weather conditions?
Are you sure mom is getting enough to eat?
How old is mom? ( possible teeth problem?)
What has mom been feed of the last year?
Re:Should not be a problem what so ever! But just out of curiosity, what are the first 3 ingredients listed on the bag and does it carry any warning in the feeding instructions?
Re:
Sounds like the calf was starving.

Re:
Was he bloated before he died?
Bloat, aka pot belly is a sure sign of starvation.
On a scale of one to ten, how do you rate his general condition?
On a scale of one to ten, how do you rate your other calves general condition?

Re:
I wouldn’t either, unless you feel you have a herd problem brewing.
You just may have a SIDs case and it may never happen again.
Calves, as do children, sometimes die for no apparent reason.

If I were you I would give serious consideration about creep feeding your calves this time of year. Not only to help your calves but to also take some of the load off your mammas.
Hope this helps
OT

Bret,
Ooops! I forgot one.
Re:
foundering on the corn is not impossible but not likely. A 500 lb calf should be able to handle it with no problem, even if this is his first exposure to it.

If you would like to discuss blockage further, I’m in. Why don’t you start a new thread so it can be found easily by others by not being buried way down here.
OT

Good questions. I'll try to start a new thread.

Amanda,
I am sorry to hear of the cow dieing. Being in the southwest corner of the state I know what you all went through. I would guess your cow went down hill from getting to cold. Over this last weekend it was just nasty to say the least. When you found her still standing after the strom that was her way of trying to stay warm. In her weakend condition she could only stand so long. Thus by laying down it sapped more heat out of her. That is why you found her the way you did.
I know how you are feeling about loseing so many critters in a short period of time. Just a few yrs back we lost a total of 12 head in about 2 weeks. 3 was to pnuemonia and the other 9 was a mystery. What ever got the other 9 was easly treated with a sulfa drug. If they was really sick we also used antibiotics to ward off any gut infections. Then about 6-7 yrs ago we had a run in with teh great calf killer cryto. Lost 16 out of 17 in 2 weeks. Made you not even want to go to the barn any more.
Bob

wow, 16 out of 17 is really bad, and I complained about 4! thanks for all the condolences everyone. I sure appreciate it.

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Madsaw,

I suggest you do some research on “ acquired compromised immune system syndrome“.
Here is a good place to start.
Click here: http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C47006.html
Also you might want to research: “ Genetic predisposition for a compromised immune system “

I have always found it more helpful to read about humans first as there has been far more research done on humans then cattle.
For cattle just put “ cattle, “ in front of each title I gave you and google it.
Good luck
OT

OT,
It was tested and confirmed to be cryto. It takes a real bad OB or some really odd problem for me to call teh vet now days. I am 38 and put all my life into the farm. So for me its alot of common sense and experince. Some good and some bad. As long as you learn from it and can pass it along to help others that is how to turn bad to good.
Bob