calf~ weepy eyes~ droopy ears

[Cheryl aka JM]

Not sure if there is a problem or if I'm obsessing a bit. One of the bull/steer calves is just not as active as the other 3 calves. He's still eating, but not with as much gusto as the other three. His eyes seem to tear a lot~ no goop or swelling that I can see~ just clear tears pretty much all the time so his face under his eyes are always wet. His ears are very rarely raised~ droopy most of the time. He does not play at chasing the turkeys as the other do and is not pushy for his bottles like the others are. He is eating~ but not with the same enthusiasm. He was banded 16 days ago~ was not given a tetanus shot at the time (I did not know it was recommended and the man selling them banded him for me). The testicles are looking shriveled and dried up but do not appear to be breaking away yet. This is the calf that has been the healthiest for the most part~ and I'm not really sure there is a problem or if I'm just over sensitive in watching for health issues right now.

Worry~
Or wait and see if any other symptoms develop.

[Dodgegal79]

Either start of pinkeye or something in his eyes, weeds, burrs???

[ozark_jewels]

Anytime a calf is "droopy" and less than voracious for his bottle, at this time of year I suspect the start of pnuemonia. I use Nuflor for pnuemonia with great success.

[Madsaw]

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

Anytime a calf is "droopy" and less than voracious for his bottle, at this time of year I suspect the start of pnuemonia. I use Nuflor for pnuemonia with great success.

+1

Bob

[Cheryl aka JM]

I don't have any Nuflor and when I looked it up it appears to be a prescription drug so I'll have to wait till Monday and try to talk my vet into selling me some.

BUT~ I do have a bottle of "Pen-aqueous" that my neighbor gave me (he gave me several items from his animal medicine box when he decided not to keep his goats any longer). Being a frugal person I put it in the fridge in case I ever needed it. It's still good (not expired) and refrigerated. I just looked it up and it says it is also good for pneumonia~ at 1ml per 100lbs.

So~ should I wait and watch for more symptoms ~same symptoms now as this morning except I did see him cough......just once......since then. Or should I go ahead and treat with the "pen-aqueous" as soon as it comes to room temp?

[Dodgegal79]

If he hs pnemonia you can hear it in his breathing, place you ear to his chest. If there is no noise I would think its not that.

[topside1]

Cheryl, don't act on what I say, it's all just free advice. Pen-G is nearly worthless against todays strains of pnuemonia. Giving 10x the labeled doses is still not usually going to knock out the problem. This advice comes from my VET, not that she's right but she is one smart cookie. Pen-G used to kick butt many, many year ago. My, (still free advice is to buy Nuflor or Baytril and stop the sickness before it spreads. As you know they live together, breath together, and cough together....Keep in touch...Topside

[Cheryl aka JM]

He's still eating. Better at this evenings feeding than this morning. I'll keep an eye on him and take his temp tomarrow~ maybe go to the feed store and try to get some ointment to put in his eye in case thats what it is. If he goes off feed I'll call the vet~ otherwise at this point it looks like my best bet is too wait and see if he is actually sick or not..........

I'm just so nervous. All the reading I've been doing~ I think I may just be jumping at shadows and worrying over nothing..........but I can't stop thinking won't it suck if I'm wrong and I don't act soon enough..........Good Lord~ I don't think I worried or obsessed this much with my first HUMAN child! I wonder if I was smarter then or now?

[Madsaw]

I agree with Topside. But, since you need to go to your vetfor the meds. A shot of Pen will not hurt anything. It make help just a little bit. But Get to your vet and get a good strong drug for it. I have had no experince with Baytril. So, my choices would be either Nuflur( cheaper) or Draxxin(expensive)
Dodgegal,
You do not have to hear them breathing hard to have a respartory diease going on. The rattle you hear is the lungs feeling up with fluid and phlem. You want to catch it before that stage.
Bob

[ozark_jewels]

Pnuemonia does not always have a rattly chest sound. If you rely on that, you can lose animals before you know whats going on. "Walking" pnuemonia will sometimes have no symptoms at all except a "droopy" calf. Same for adult cows, horses and goats. Sometimes not a cough or a sniffle and pnuemonia can kill them.

[topside1]

I just had two cases of walking pnuemonia. Both calves slow eating, slightly depressed, cough when sucking, slept more than the other calves, no extra sucking on ropes or gate bars, mainly just loss of appetite, releasing from nipple over and over again. Cherly I think you get the picture, well after receiving a shot each and twelve hours of rest these calves are now full of joy. The above symptoms went on for days, I tried everything I know and then settled with the shots...Keep in touch,,,,Topside

[Cheryl aka JM]

Called the vet right after morning feedings. I'm on my way out now to take everyones temp~ Two more calfs are looking "droopy" now and the one I was worried about before is now coughing. Vet is going to give me some shots of Dulox (that spelling is probably not right but thats what it sounded like on the phone) for all 4 calves since I now believe one is really sick and two more are working on it. He's also going to let me buy a bottle of banamine (SP again?) for fever to keep on hand for both the calves and my goats. Thanks for the advice guys~ when I posted Saturday I wasn't even sure he was sick~ thanks to y'all I've been watching for specific symptoms and hopefully everyone is going to be okay. I'll update later.

[Cheryl aka JM]

well~ apparently I am an idiot who can not tell the difference between a sick calf and a healthy one. My words~ not the vets. He was actually very nice to me.

I took temps on the way to the vet this morning~
Calf I thought MIGHT be sick~ 106.1F
Calf I thought looked a little droopy this morning~ 106.4F
Second calf I thought looked a little droopy~ 104.1F
Calf I thought was doing fantastic~ 102.4F

AND they all have LICE. While I was there I mentioned that I noticed this morning a couple bald spots~ so the vet asked about flaky skin.....why yes.......aren't calves SUPPOSED to have flaky skin? Apparently not.........

So~ all four got "Draxxin" and "Banamine" shots. They also got a shot of Ivermectin for the lice. And as soon as the Penicillin warms to room temp they will get 9ml of that each too (vet said it wouldn't hurt and could help~ so give it too). We have more Banimine for tomarrow as well. After three shots this morning NO ONE wants to let me touch them right now~ I imagine giving them all that penicillin is going to be a fight in an hour or two! Apparently not dumb calves~ first shot they were good sports~ second shot they were not sure about letting me grab them~ third shot they were sure they didn't want me grabbing them..........I'll use thier bottles to lure them to me for the fourth shot later........

I thought I bought good calves, then I realized I'd been fooled. I thought they were on the mend last week~ now I know they were just incubating something new. IF these steer calves survive long enough to become beef I will proudly serve them as PICKLED in antibiotics. The heifer calves.......I asked SPECIFICALLY if they were free martins and the man said they were not...........I'm afraid to find if THATS true or not now (Vet said they were a bit small for him to check and to bring them to him in a couple more weeks).

[gone-a-milkin]

Oh Cheryl, just keep at it. You are doing fine. Everyone is STILL standing up...

Nothing like a crash course in bovine injections to make you hungry for a hamburger, LOL.

[Cheryl aka JM]

Thanks~
As expected~ NO ONE was happy to see me and my 2 syringes each full of penicillin. Everyone IS still standing though~ and getting pretty serious in their objections to the injections!

[topside1]

Cheryl, sounds like you are doing an excellent job....One thing though if the calves refuse the bottle or act sort of interested, then don't bother feeding them. Missing a meal will not harm them at all...Topside

[Cheryl aka JM]

thats good to know~ I have been worried that they would go off feeding~ but after only 2 1/2 weeks here they are looking considerably......fleshier.......they look skinny but not half starved anymore.......and they are starting to pick at the calf starter pellets and the grass in the pen. So I was wondering if it was all right to let them miss a meal.

I've been feeding them 3 times a day since the scours~ 3 pints morning~ 2 pints afternoon~ 3 pints evening to make sure they stayed hydrated all day. When should I move them back to two bottles a day of 4 pints a feeding do you think?

[gone-a-milkin]

How long have they been unscoured?

[Cheryl aka JM]

The longest for about 10 days~ the shortest for about 7 days

[gone-a-milkin]

I have never bottle fed 3x a day. Not ever. I know that plenty of people do, and I guess it is a good way to make sure that someone gets out there and checks on them esp. if they are sick.

In this case though, since they are kind of droopy, I would probably just keep the routine the same. At least until the antibiotic treatments are over. Why mess up their schedule right now? Esp. since they are already requiring extra attention. JMO.

Good luck. You have your hands full, that is for sure.