Wooden tongue (long!)

Tana Mc · #1 12/27/10, 07:49 AM

I thought that I would share my experiences from latest project. Tuesday is sale barn day in our area and they have pretty much the best resturant around. My college aged daughter works there in the office and we often go over and have lunch with her.

Last Tuesday, hubby and met up there and stayed for the sale. We have some calves that will be ready to go in about 3 weeks so we wanted to see what the price was doing.
Bottle calves sell first followed by bred cows or cows with young calves. Things were rocking along and suddenly a Jersey cow with 2 calves comes the ring. She is the worst bovine specimin that I have seen in a looonnng time. Big udder and skinny to the point of starvation and the 2 little calves obviously were grafted on her.
There was stunned silence in the building. The auctioneer started his spill and no one would bid on her. Every old man in there leaned forward to look at me. My hubby said under his breath, " I know that you are going to get her....." While I was debating, a guy on the top row signalled the auctioneer and it was over and they ran her out of the ring. The cow and 2 calves sold for $180. I dashed into the office and had my daughter look it up on the computer. The owner had done a "buy back". Basically a no sale but paying the sale barn a commission for trying to sell them. I trotted up there-- with every old man in the barn grinning--- and bought her directly from him. I did not buy the calves. I dickered for the cow with Bozo and he thought that he had me over a barrell. He sold me the cow and then smirked at me while trying to sell me those pitiful little calves for $250 each. He thought that I HAD to have the calves to nurse the cow. No thanks, I have strong hands and 3 working milking machines.

This poor sweet old girl had been somebody's baby before she fell on hard times and ended up with Bozo. The guy loading out let me stand with her and feed those calves one last time. He had choice words to say about the seller. The calves weren't hers and she wouldn't let them nurse unless I stood there with my hand on her back. They acted as if they hadn't eaten at all that day. While standing there, I notcied that she was wallering her tongue around drooling alot...... Uh oh....

As soon as we got home, I de-wormed her and put her in a lot with prairie hay and gave her a flake of alfalfa. She tried her best to eat it but just couldn't seem to swallow. It was as if she had a really bad sore tongue.... she had begun to let it hang out. The cold water in the tank seemed to hurt so I brought her a bucket of warm water. All she could get down was a few sips. She was alert and bellowed everytime she saw me. Drooling profusely. I had my son halter her while I drew up 25 cc of LA200. Then I hit the internet. I called my vet and talked to his tech and she suggested wooden tongue. Sure enough, my girl looked just like the cows in the pics on the internet with wooden tongue. Actinobacillium ( don't hold me to that spelling) infection of the tongue. It is not deadly but the animals are so swollen and sore that they can't eat and basically starve to death right in front of you.

First treatment is LA200 if caught early enough. If not, IV of a drug called sodium Iodide is the next treatment. Since she was in such bad shape, and Christmas was coming, I decided on Thursday to haul her in for the IV treatment. Meanwhile, the swelling under jaws is not going down and tongue is still sore and she can't eat or drink. I can see her crashing and burning right before my eyes. While in town for the vet, I also zip to the feed store and buy a bag of Purina rabbit pellets. I also got a bottle of Prevail from the vet. It is an anti-infalmitory drug that made a huge difference in the swelling. She was able to work around and get those small rabbit pellets down.

I went to bed thinking that she was going to pull out of this. The next morning, I was begining to think we better get her out of the barn before she died......The trailer ride into town must have put her over the edge and she now had pneumonia. Labored breathing and snot everywhere. I gave her antibiotics and another shot of Prevail. In about 3 hours, I again thought she was going to make it.
During all of this, I still had to milk the poor thing. The right rear quarter was pretty much dead, her teats were the worst chapped I had ever seen and the left front quarter was developing mastitis. So, of course, I am treating all of this,too.

Through all of this--- shots, milking, udder balm and treatments--- I have not had to restain her. All I have to do is speak to her or put my hand on her and she will do anything I want her to. She is as gentle as a kitten and adores us thru it all.
It has been quite a roller coaster ride this Christmas. She has been with us 5 days now. I haven't been to the barn this morning but last night, the swelling in her tongue was gone, she drank 4 gallons of warm water, cleaned up all of her feed and had eaten nearly half a bale of hay. On top of that, she is making enough milk to feed our bottle calf now.

I call her "Holly". She is the perfect sized old fashioned "house cow" Jersey. I have some really nice sexed semen from a Jersey bull that I plan to bred her with. I like to keep a nurse cow or two around. Her udder is healing up, the mastitis is on the run and I have even got a little milk out of the quarter that I thought was dead.
Buying her was a terribly foolish thing to do but..... I've done stupider things before and probably will again! LOL!!

On another note, the sale barn manager and barn owner as well as the vet all looked at this cow before she went in the ring. They were very upset but felt that they had to let her go thru the ring. If they didn't, they knew she was doomed if she stayed with Bozo. We live in rural Kansas-- there is no animal welfare or authorities equiped to handle this kind of things. This guy is a "trader" and treated like a leper by the community.

Every Spring, I raise several Angus/Holstein calves on the milk from our 2 shorthorns and the goats. Looks like I may have to buy a couple more this year....

robinthegeek · #2 12/27/10, 08:47 AM

This just touched my heart! I hope she continues to improve. Holly sounds like a sweetie.

nehimama · #3 12/27/10, 09:14 AM

What a story! I hope she continues to improve for you. She's in heaven now, and she knows it. bless you.

ArmyDoc · #4 12/27/10, 10:35 AM

You're a good person, and it sounds like your hubby knows what a prize he has. Glad things are turning around and I hope she does well for you.

myersfarm · #5 12/27/10, 10:47 AM

Thanks

godsgapeach · #6 12/27/10, 10:56 AM

Merry Christmas to you and Holly!

Jcran · #7 12/27/10, 11:16 AM

What a good person you are...I hope all goes well for you; this is like the story "Black beauty" where there's a happy ending for the animal. Bless you and give Holly a big hug from California for us!

Timberline · #8 12/27/10, 11:40 AM

Bless you for taking her on. Please keep us updated and add pics if you can.

I have a Jersey (or Guernsey) mixed breed heifer that I bought out of pity. She was 3 months old when I got her and starved, parasite loads, mineral deficient, etc. She lived in isolation until my vet had tested her for BVD and other things. We weren't sure she would survive. But she did. Today she is doing great, healthy and happy. She is expecting her first calf this summer and is currently being trained to my stanchion.

As far as business goes, taking on a calf like this was probably not wise. I have a lot of time and money in her in vet bills and such. Sometimes (for me anyway) I have to look past the dollar signs and see a suffering animal in desperate need. Seeing her recover and thrive has done more for my heart than the money spent on her ever would have.

Tana Mc · #9 12/27/10, 12:35 PM

OK Chalk Creek -- you asked for it! LOL!! My family is sick of "Holly Updates".

I have been milking her by hand or letting the heifer calf nurse her to give her relief. I have not been stripping her because I was afraid of her poor body trying to produce more milk if I took it all...... I am not trying to dry her off just walk a fine line between some production and ketosis.

Anyway, this morning I washed her up and put the machine on her 2 good working quarters. I hand milked the mastitis quarter and the "dead" quarter. I got enough milk out of both of them to please the cats. I poured up the milk in the machine and had 9 lbs! Those two quarters still had milk but I decided not to strip her out. Not a record holder by any means but pretty darn good for a cow that was half dead a week ago.
Since this is a new farm and barn for us, I still don't have anything set up for milking the goats or the cows. I have no way to contain or restrain her. I dumped some feed in her big pan and just dragged the machine over close to her and bumbled around using the goat milkers. Toward the end when I was really checking out the "dead quarter" she swatted me with her tail.....

I've been dealing with cows most of my life and this is honestly the first case of wooden tongue that I've ever seen. I have turned her out in the goat pasture to enjoy the sunshine and get a little excersize. Also gives me a chance to clean out the stall. She is recovering with a vengeance and pooping everywhere!

Thank you all for you kind words. I am humbled and slightly embarassed by such praise. All I know is that as soon as I saw her, there was no way that I could let her go anywhere else.......

Tom in TN · #10 12/27/10, 01:22 PM

Tana,

First, and foremost, thank you for your compassionate character to take on such a difficult task. Thanks also for your posts - they are an inspiration to all who read them.

I can't imagine in my wildest thoughts why anyone would abuse an animal. I hope that guy has a change of heart about his treatement of animals. Short of a change of heart, I hope his situation changes so that he is no longer able to have animals under his control.

Thanks again for your posts.

Tom in TN

Shrarvrs88 · #11 12/27/10, 01:41 PM

What a touching story. That little cow is so lucky you happened to be there that day. Thank you for posting this, and PLEASE post pics.

Danaus29 · #12 12/27/10, 01:43 PM

I never heard of wooden tongue before so I had to read this to see what was going on. I will pray for Holly to continue to repsond to treatment and fully recover. She found a good home. It may have been a blow to the pocketbook but you did what was right.

Tana Mc · #13 12/27/10, 04:12 PM

When I took her to the vet, I was pretty leary because she was doing all this drooling and her tongue is hanging out....... many, many years ago I dealt with a heifer that had rabies so there was no way that I was sticking my hand in there to feel around. I couldn't see any sores on her tongue or her mouth. The vet gloved up and found the sore and then let me feel it ( also gloved up). It was across the entire back of her tongue right before where the tongue was attached. Big sore about the size of the palm of my hand but far enough back so we couldn't see it.

I am going to give this guy the benefit of the doubt and think that this girl was sick and went off feed while milking heavily. She went down hill fast and he couldn't figure out what it was and decided to just get rid of her before it was a total loss. He is not known for being a herdsman. All the meds and the vet trip has cost me less than $100. I got her for less than $500......

I have a seasonal job raising bottle lambs for a sheep dairy. They will start arriving next week. If she can help supplement my frozen milk until the goats and the Shorthorn freshens the first of March, I will be very happy with her.

I found the camera and I'm going over to the barn to take pictures..... unfortunately, I don't know how to post them....

Tana

Karen in Alabam · #14 12/27/10, 06:52 PM

I am glad to read your last post on giving that guy the benefit of the doubt on her situation.

I have been thinking about your post all day. I also never heard of wooden tongue, but then I knew pretty much nothing until the end of August when we started getting into the cows.

When we got Yo she was very thin and everyone was concerned about her on this forum, and she is doing fine now. We recently purchased Maggie, who when she was purchased by her previous owners in May was very thin as well. They put 150lbs on her.

I am very thankful that as a newbie I didn't have to deal with the problems you are dealing with because I would be pretty clueless.

Up until August when I heard about Animal abuse, I would just think of Dogs and Cats, but now I see really how widespread abuse really is.

I don't understand why people get animals and think they don't have to feed them (I have seen that with dogs and cats where I live).

I would be ashamed to try and sell and animal or own one that looked so pathetic, because it is a reflection on you as the owner.

I went to an action once, the day that Yo came to me, the guy we were getting her from was supposed to be there and I wanted to see her before he dropped her off, but couldn't find her.

Our neighbor was selling two of his cows that shared our pasture that day as well. I felt sick being there. I saw one cow come in that was just a bag of bones, I saw one that when the door opened she fell and couldn't get up for the longest time.

I don't think I could go back, I really didn't like that place.

Timberline · #15 12/27/10, 06:54 PM

Tana, do you have a photobucket account? It's free. Once you load your pics there, you post a link to it here using the little image icon (yellow square) at the top of the message box.

Tana Mc · #16 12/27/10, 07:25 PM

Ok-- took me nearly 6 tries and I probably can't do it again---- but here is a much improved Holly!

cathleenc · #17 12/27/10, 07:32 PM

Bless you. May Holly thrive and give back to you and yours for years to come.

Cows are the giving-est creatures I've ever known. I cannot fathom mistreating one.

Liberty's Ledge · #18 12/27/10, 10:44 PM

This story reminds me of a local guy that doesn't deserve to have animals and I would just as soon see him strung up. I have a heifer coming from a friend of mine that originated from his hell hole. She is in great shape now but it has been a long six month journey. He only has 2 cows left and they are starving. He is always begging for hay from local farmers, pleading poverty yet he looks like he is pretty well fed himself. Always has money for his booze.

I have been thinkin about just going over undercover of darkness and walking off with his other 2 starving critters. I think a bucket of grain and they would follow me to the end of the earth. He probably wouldn't know they were missing for a couple of days. Who's with me?

Liberty's Ledge · #19 12/27/10, 10:47 PM

Forgot to mention that animal welfare folks have already been called and with no evidence they will do nothing.

tnokie · #20 12/27/10, 11:00 PM

Best Christmas story I have read this year! Thanks for being there and stepping up. I don't know if I would have the guts to do it but hope that I will if I ever have to. I seen some of those poor animals run through the sale and you have to wonder how those people can have the gaul to even bring it to a piblic sale!Bless you and Holly.