How long till she wants to eat?

allenslabs · #1 01/01/12, 07:25 PM

Ok, Elenore is back to laying but is laying like a normal cow, not flopped flat. She looks alert but then still has no desire to eat or drink anything. I also couldn't get her to stand. When the vet was out he had to use the hot shot to get her up as she had no desire with just hollering or smacking her hip.

I took the thing out you would tube a calf with and put some gatoraid in it along with some homemade electrolyte mix as, as I found out after driving 25 mins to get there, that Tractor Supply and all that in my hick town is closed today because it is a new year and so couldn't buy any of the store stuff. I hate that farm stores and such think farming stops for friggin holidays!! It really doesn't! Animals still breath, poop and get sick every single day of the year....there are no friggin holidays when you own livestock!!! UGH! Sorry...that just really made me mad.
Anyway, I took that thing out there and used it to get the liquids towards the back of her throat so she would swallow. I also took some of those alfalfa cubes you can buy and brought them in and put some hot water over them to try to make a mash out of them to get some source of food in her. Oh, and I also bought some priobiotic capsules at CVS and gave her some of those as...with stupid tractor supply closed, I couldn't buy any probios. I intend on having the vet out again in the morning but am trying to keep her going.
She is still peeing and did poop a LITTLE bit. I milked what I could out of the side that was showing while she was laying down which there wasn't much in there.

I would appreciate any input!

MARYDVM · #2 01/01/12, 10:02 PM

The lack of appetite is a symptom of milk fever, and the mineral imbalance in her body. The rumen stops contracting. Put your ear against her left side just behind the ribcage. If you don't hear rumbling/splashing sounds then the rumen is inactive and you shouldn't try forcing anything down her. With milk fever they may not swallow correctly, and you could risk inhalation pneumonia.

allenslabs · #3 01/01/12, 10:49 PM

So if that happens how does the rumen reactivate itself?

MARYDVM · #4 01/02/12, 12:42 AM

The rumen muscles start contracting again as soon as the correct mineral balance in the blood is achieved. That's why a cow usually urinates and defecates immediately after getting a bottle.

mozarkian · #5 01/02/12, 06:10 PM

Probiotics may be in order also, helps get the good bacteria back in balance in her rumen.

allenslabs · #6 01/02/12, 07:38 PM

Well, this afternoon I gave her a dose of probiotics and vitamin b complex. I hope it works on her. We hauled in some cows to the stockyards tonight and my daughter babysat Elenore and she said that she did eat a little hay and drank warm water. Best I could tell it was about a gallon or so. To me, considering, that is something.