totally devastated

[canadianmandy]

last weekend Clippy got milk fever I treated her and she was back on her feet monday. Well yesterday morning she would not get up. I figured she was hot but in my mind I new something was up so I checked on her and she did move. Well at about 9 last night I went to feed her calf b/c she has practically quit giving milk. and Clippy was laying on her side down hill. it took my whole family to move her body around and prop her up so her head would be up. She drank,. I dont know what is going on. I dont want to loose her. We wil be checking on her through the night to keep her head up.
I cant get any vet till tomorroq. I got My boss to IV her some calcium.

(I just bought her from my boss)

I need to know what you think about what my boss said this morning. . he said he thought she had a cancerous tumer (sp) at the base of her spinal cord.. and that is why she cant stand up.. and that is why I cant put weight on her. Is this true? is it possible.. if so is it fixable. I totally pulled the calf and I am going to dry Clippy up and bottle Raise Zoey (her calf).


the Iv was Calcium Gluconate 23% solution



thanks in advance
Mandie

[Ronney]

Mandie, it never rains but it pours doesn't it.

Speak to your vet first - he is your first line of help. However, I understand you had to pull the calf in which case she could well be suffering from calving paralysis. This is where the large nerves supplying the hind legs may becomes damaged if a large calf becomes wedged in the cow's pelvis during birth. If this is the case the problem can often be resolved but it takes a lot of input from you - turning the cow from side to side 3 or 4 times a day, feeding and watering her, and having some sort of cow sling (not hip clamps) and hoist to help her stand.

But first of all speak to the vet and see what they have to say.

Good luck,
Ronnie

[canadianmandy]

o no I meant pull as in take her off her moms milk. she calfed normally`.

[Tamar]

Hi all,

We are really feeling discouraged, and I wish I could tell you all how proud I am of Mandie. She pours her life into her care and rehab of animals.

She bought this cow, not because we so much wanted a cow, rather, she was so sad about the state of this cow. She was being milked with the rest of the heard at the dairy barn, until the week before Mandie bought her.

She kept telling us how skinny this cow was, it has one hoof that needs trimming that is way to long. We are still trying to find someone to do that, unless someone can teach us how to do it. We have been giving this cow all the love we can, put in her in an ungrazed pasture..and a week after having her she gave birth to a beautiful little calf, her name is Zoey.

First Zoey had scours, she is over that thankfully, then Clippy came down with milk fever. She was treated and seemed to be doing wonderful, but somehow even though we were milking her twice a day...she stopped producing milk. Then yesterday she went down again. She has been treated with an IV for milk fever, but the orginal owner said he was worried for some time that the cow might have cancer. He has lost some to cancer. He told our daughter to put her down, that she most likely has cancer in her spine. We are waiting impatiently for morning to call a vet, to see what we can do for Clippy. Her appetite is wonderful, she drinks and eats...but sadly this evening we can hear her breathing has changed...sounding possibly wet. When Mandie said she pulled the calf...she means..away from her mother as she is not producing milk so we are bottling her fresh cows milk. She wasn't pulled at birth, it appeared to be a good quick healthy labor..she passed her placenta without any problems.

If anyone has experienced milk fever...has it come back on you? Can a cow get a cold from it? How can one make a call that it is cancer and just "shoot her" without a vet confirming this?

Our heart goes out to our daughter as she rescued this cow with the intent to give her a good healthy life...and she is feeling like she is somehow letting this cow down without being able to do much more for her than she has.

Thank you all for your encouragement with all her animals, it means the world to her to have you rallying behind her.

Blessings,
Tamar

[canadianmandy]

Im calling the vet in the morning. ty

[dcross]

She was in the milking string a week or two before calving? I've never heard of cancer being a big problem in dairy cattle, I know it happens, but I don't think it's common.

[Tamar]

Yes, the farmer didn't dry her up...she really wasn't dried up until two weeks before calving. One week with him, one week with us. Our daughter told him she needed to be taken out as she was the one who observed that though she was incredibly skinny...she was pregnant.


We are all praying that this isn't cancer!

Blessings,
Tamar

[Up North]

Yes, a cow with Milk Fever can re-lapse and require additional treatment for the same malady.

Have you taken her temperature?
Do her ears feel cold to the touch?

If cow will not lay in a normal position with it's head elevated above it's heart, put a cow show halter on her head, then tie the rope back to her rear foot such that it holds the cow's head back on it's shoulder(like a dog sleeping) but elevated such that she cannot lay out flat with her head at a lower level than her heart and lungs.
IF the cow's breathing sounds like her lungs are filling with fluid, you need to treat her for that situation immediately, as well as determining and treating the cause of her being down.
No need to worry about drying up cow. If she lives and recuperates her milk production will return.

Should the farmer have dried her up earlier and given her a rest? Yes. But you can't change that now. Think no further on the matter. Concern yourself with correcting her acute situation and keeping her alive.
The Cancer theory sounds suspect to me. Cancer is usually a slow degenerative process in cows. You are dealing with an acute metabolic Disorder.

[Tamar]

Hi, its 1 am in the morning...Clippy's temp is 102.6 and her ears feel very warm.
I have no clue what that means.

Blessings,
Tamar
She still has a great appetite, and drinks alot.

[Tamar]

Hi all,

Have you heard of metritis?
Is it possible that this is what is ailing her?

Blessings
Tamar

[Up North]

Ears that feel cold would be supporting evidence of milk fever.
Continue to monitor her temp every few hours, if her temperature exceeds 103 F put her on antibiotics immediately to break the fever.
LA-200 or BioMycin at a dosage of 4.5 ml per 100 pounds of cow body weight would be effective. Do not exceed 10 ml per injection site, so for example if a 1000 pound cow requires 45 ml you need to give that amount at 5 different locations on the cow. 4 shots of 10 ml, then last shot of 5 ml.
Metritis is a possible, but there are enough possible maladies that you would do best to have Vet out.

[Tamar]

Hi all

Well upon advice we went up to turn Clippy to her other side. She appears to have gone from bad to worse.
Her mouth is wide open, she is wheezing bad. We did manage to get her on her other side. She doesn't want to drink today.

The vet told us to give her Maxim-200 (oxytetracycline) He is also willing to do a blood test and test for Luekosis . He couldn't come today, and most all the other vets we called all said that they stopped doing large animals.

She has had her meds...is it possible it takes time to take effect? We are all praying here.

Blessings,
Tamar

I forgot to say...this afternoon around 4 she seemed to be wheezing less..then tonight her temp spiked up to 105.3

[Alice In TX/MO]

Cows that lie in one position for a long period of time don't do well. Their insides settle, and then when you move them, they twist a gut. It's just not a good situation. And if you don't have a vet willing to come out when you need him, I'm not sure your dear cow has much of a chance.

I'm so sorry.

Huggs,
Rose

[Jennifer L.]

No advice here, just hoping the antibiotics turn her around.

Jennifer

[jucal]

Sounds to me like metal in the gut. I can't remember what it is called. Did she ever have a magnet given to her to prevent this. We lost one that has all the same symptoms. We now give all our cows a magnet. Yes there are cow magnets that are used for this purpose. It stays in the stomach and collects any metal the cow may injest. It stays on the magnet and doesn't cause any damage to any other parts of the cow. I really don't think that there is anything that you can do for this after they have it. So sorry to tell you and hope that I am wrong.
Judy
www.oklahomarawmilk.homestead.com

[agmantoo]

Does this describe your animals symptoms?
Signs of Johne's disease include weight loss and diarrhea with a normal appetite. Several weeks after the onset of diarrhea, a soft swelling may occur under the jaw (bottle jaw). Bottle jaw or intermandibular edema is due to protein loss from the bloodstream into the digestive tract. Animals at this stage of the disease will not live very long, perhaps a few weeks at most.

[Tamar]

Hi all

Clippy passed away around 6:30 am. Mandie stayed with her all through the night. She lost the will to fight and went peacefully. Thank you to every one of you who offered the advice, love and support. Clippy will always be fondly remembered as the most loving cow we know. From a herd of 100's of cows that were only milked in a dairy barn, Clippy grew attached to Mandie and let her hand milk her in the pasture and would follow her around and gently rub her head up and down Mandie's back lovingly.

Blessings to all
Tamar

[a1cowmilker]

I am so sorry. I know what it is like to lose a beloved cow and it's very hard.

This is the very unpleasant side of homesteading. I pray that you find another cow really soon.

a1cowlover

[piglady]

I'm so sorry. I came home to check on the computer to see if she was better. Sorry to hear she is gone. She was lucky to be so loved and cared for all the way to the end.

[luvrulz]

Sorry to hear your cow didn't make it..... It's devastating to lose one that is so friendly and lvoing. Maybe if you bottle feed the calf you can bring that one up the same way... Don't let Mandie give up hope!