Steer straining to poop with some blood.

[wigg]

I have a 400 lb steer that looked to be straining to poop and it looked like a some blood coming out and a foul odor. It was 60 degrees a few days ago and now it is 15. He acts fine otherwise. He is on pasture and grass hay with two other calves and three cows. Their water was frozen most of the day and there is snow on the ground. He is Dexter. What is the possible cause?

[myersfarm]

Their water was frozen most of the day

that makes for some dry manure......also could have picked up some metal from some were

[DJ in WA]

My first thought is coccidiosis, a parasite that gets on the ground from their manure. They ingest it when eating on the ground, as with feeding hay, and develop symptoms weeks after exposure. Treatment when symptoms show is too late as they are in the last stages. Most get better without any treatment anyway. But symptoms show that you do have contamination around, so the symptoms may show in other cattle also. Treating them to prevent their illness may help. Older animals have often been infected and have more immunity.

Feeding up off the ground or on top of clean snow helps. Or move hay rings to clean areas where cattle haven't dumped manure.

Disease happens with or without diarrhea, with or without blood, possible straining, and possible foul odor. Is easy to diagnose if you take a handful of fresh manure in a bag to your vet's office and they can see the parasite under the microscope.

http://www.ugabeef.caes.uga.edu/pdf/MCoccidiosis.pdf

Cattle usually do not show clinical signs of the disease unless stressed by
weaning, weather, shipping or other diseases.

Clinically apparent coccidiosis in cattle is deceptive. Clinical signs, if present are
often not demonstrated until 3 to 8 weeks after initial infection. Observation of one
clinical case in a pen indicates oocyst cycling in other animals in the pen or feedlot, and
significantly, most of the damage to the intestinal tract has already occurred. If the
infection is mild, the most characteristic sign is foul smelling, dark, and watery feces.
Usually no blood is seen in these less severe infections. The animal may have a mild
fever, but in most cases its temperature is normal or possibly below normal. Severely
affected animals may develop a diarrhea that is thin and bloody. Some cattle will pass
formed feces that contain streaks or clots of blood and shreds of mucus. The diarrhea will
usually last 3 to 4 days, but may continue for a week or more. The area around the anus
and tail is often stained with blood and straining is common.

[myersfarm]

Learn every day thanks DL IN WA


I raise the dairy heifers when out one day and I had lost 5 calfs OVERNIGHT send off samples came back as coccidiosis...I read everything I could on it I guess I forgot most of it

I guess I forgot because I use CORID in my calfs milk everyday for 6 years now....BUT I though coccidiosis killed FAST OVERNIGHT now it seems I forgot it kills even later in life,,

Why I did not think of it because the calf was still alive..

I always use the merck manual and it say same thing as DJ IN WA posted

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in...m/bc/21202.htm

[agmantoo]

Twisted gut, twine bundled in gut, hardware disease, compacted hay.

You never asked but I would be sending a big dose of mineral oil through the animal. If the oil passes freely then get the vet ASAP.

[oregon woodsmok]

What is the texture of the poop? Animals with diarrhea can also strain, because the lining of their intestines is irritated.

If it is blood with constipation, it might be an impaction. Most likely is blood with loose poop and then I'd be thinking some sort of bacterial issue.

[wigg]

I appreciate all the suggestions. I was thinking the worst case scenario, but the vet has reassured me that it is coccidiosis. Now to get the steer to drink enough water for the Corid to do it's job before the water freezes. I hope the coccidia in cattle isn't as hard on them as it is on goats. With goats, they never seem to grow very well after an infection. Thank you!