Yearling Issue

Wouldn't be surprised if he was mildly bloated as well, maybe not enough to notice but I've had younger cattle get cast before when they were bloated a bit and rolled over farther than they were used to.

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Today the sun burnt off the fog and the whole herd lay in the sunshine, enjoying the warmth. Here's Beanna:

Yes, it is possible for a cow to get up with paralized back legs. They stand up different than most animals but if they are healthy with no other problems they will be able to get up with their legs uphill.
Do you actually think every cow that lays down the wrong way on a hill can't get up?
I was raised up on a farm. We raised cattle. We also had land where there wasn't any level ground. Never lost a single cow by them not being able to get up because of a hill. My father bought the land back in 1942. Cattle ran on every year since that time, don't know about before. There has never been a single cow died from laying down with their legs uphill.
I am sure in 70 years and thousands of cows there would have been at least one that layed the wrong way.

Guess you lost that one.
Sorry for your loss.
Loosk like a good looking one.

That could be, they got their heads through the fence and got into a little extra alfalfa today. Not so much as I would expect bloat, but maybe.

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Yes, occasionally, a cow will get down and not be able to get up again. They have special attachments for tractors that the dairies use to get cows back up on their feet. Why would they make a tractor attachment if all cows can always get themselves back on their feet all the time?

And yes the cows can die if they are not helped back up.

Usually all you need to do is roll them enough so their brisket is down and their top line is up and they can take it from there.

Also, horses can occasionally get down and be unable to get back up. They need help or they can die.

Yes, we would use pulleys to get a cow on their feet, didn't have a tractor.
We never had a healthy cow get down, always another reason for not being able to get up.
Digestive system does not work right if they can't get up.
Like I have posted several times. A HEALTHY cow. Seems like some people miss that word. If they are weak from starvation, cripple, diseased, or have some problems they can have problems getting up on level ground.
We have never had a healthy cow ever die because they can't get up.
Ever hear of a downer? Seems like there are even laws conserning them.
Hope people are not keeping downers.

Otherwise known as being cast in Dorsal Recumbency, Merck even mentions it.

Yep, have had it happen here a few times. Lost a couple, but were usually around in time to save most. And otherwise healthy animals too.....

It really doesn't even have to be a hill, a rut can do it or a snow pack that they lie down on and melt into. Usually happens to FAT or heavy pregnant cows. Usually what happens is that they lie over on their side to lick themselves or just to sun themselves. If their feet get slightly (and I do mean slightly) above the level they can't get them back under them. A cow can't roll over so she is stuck. She doesn't have to be up against a wall or fence or anything like that either. If you aren't there fairly quickly (couple hours) they will often die.

http://kinne.net/dorsrec.htm

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She wasn't lost. She was just napping, enjoying the sunshine. She was up and running a few minutes later.

My vet refuses to come when someone who is not the owner reports a dead or dying animal laying in a field. He says he gets too many of those calls, and it is almost always just an animal taking a sun nap.

Having spent the first 30 years of my life on a ranch ( I guess the first 10 dount count )with over 400 momma cows, 40-50 replacement heifers kept back every year, a dozen steers kept back for the feed lot along with all the bulls, I have seen a bit more than some one with a cow or 2.

Depressions in the ground will kill a cow before a hill will. I lost a Jersey I raised in school to that.

I have see them get up front feet first just like a horse. I have seen them roll over and get up on the opposite side.

I dont have any idea about the yearling in question because I didnt see it first hand. I do know cattle, like all livestock seem to amuse themselves by inventing new ways to kill themselves. And sometimes the simplest bump in the road is all it takes.

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It is a miracle. With all of the cattle dying because they layed down you are very lucky to have one of the rare ones that can get back up.
Maybe you can sell some of the same bloodline to all of those raising their cattle only to see them die when they lay down on a incline.

Pancho, just because it never happened to you doesn't mean it CAN'T happen. I have heard of cows laying down the wrong way on a hill and not being able to get up, and if not found in time they can die. Suffocated by their own body weight, or they bloat. Especially a heavy bred cow, or one of those short legged, big bodied "cube" type cows. It doesn't seem like a yearling steer would have been heavy bodied enough to get stuck, though. I would just keep a closer eye on the steer and see how it goes. Odd happening.

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I would imagine a few of those cattle that died from lying down and not being able to get up died from other things. Much like the number of cattle killed by wolves and coyotes. Not many cattle die standing on their feet but not all that die laying down is caused by laying down on an incline.

He's a Holstein and he's a fat SOB for sure. I've been keeping a watch on him since it happened and he seems normal so far. He's seeming a little more... cautious than the other right now.

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I realize it doesn't pertain to InvalidID's situation but I agree, a normally healthy cow can cast themselves and not be able to get up. Not found in time there can be major problems including death. Only had it happen to me once and as far as contour of land, I'd probably have to leave the county to find a level spot.

fitz