Re-occuring bloat Jersey Hf

jirwin · #1 01/09/12, 06:50 PM

5 month old Jersey Heifer on winter cow lot-- free access to round bales and water. Calf keeps getting bloated. We then pen her up- to wathc her, but then when turned back out... bloat again. Will she out grow this? or is this some other issue. We have raised many cattle over years, but never this issue.. Ideas please. Thanks. Jamie

Karin L · #2 01/09/12, 06:59 PM

What kind of hay are you feeding her? If it's straight, high-quality alfalfa, you might want to think about getting some roughage in her diet to prevent this from occurring. The other thing is that when you pen her up, you are pretty much making her hungry again, and when she goes back out to eat she gorges on the hay.

willow_girl · #3 01/10/12, 07:39 AM

Could be hardware?

That's what the vet told me when I had a problem with a cow bloating 4 years ago. He put a magnet in her.

I started adding a little yogurt with live active cultures to the drench (vegetable oil with a squirt of dishsoap) that I was using.

One or the other must have worked .... she came around and has been fine since ...

Good luck with yours!!

Karin L · #4 01/10/12, 01:37 PM

Willow, I thought calves are too young to get hardware disease?

willow_girl · #5 01/10/12, 11:10 PM

I don't know! I'd think any animal old enough to be eating something besides milk (and thus stands the chance of injecting a foreign object) would be susceptible.

Generally bloat is thought of as a risk associated with transitioning to spring pastures ... doesn't sound like that's the problem here.

Karin L · #6 01/11/12, 12:48 PM

Well, whatever the case, hope jirwin comes back with some more explanations or something...

bruce2288 · #7 01/11/12, 02:57 PM

In this area we would call that chronic bloat. I have seen this in calves, the why I don't know. What I would bet if you keep this animal, some morning it will be laying dead. I would take this to the sale barn or butcher.

jirwin · #8 01/12/12, 11:43 AM

UPDATE:
-Calf has been better past 2 days. Gone back down hill over night.
-FYI-Calf has had equal access to hay & water (penned vs pasture lot)
-Talked to vet via phone- Vet coming this afternoon. Update tonight. thanks all!

jirwin · #9 01/12/12, 06:59 PM

Vet says: Nuerologic issue--unknown picked up somewhere-- prob at birth farm(not here)-- he gave Dextrose and dex via IV, sulfa pills p.o. and gave me round to give tomorrow. Within 30 minutes calf was coming around! thanks again all!

mekasmom · #10 01/12/12, 07:01 PM

I personally would put a magnet down her then if she continues to have problems, I would decide to not keep her for a milk cow.

jirwin · #11 01/14/12, 11:09 AM

Vet when here said not hardware issue-- or infection-- as no fever-- calf has regular BM's. Bloat stopped; calf had second wind yesterday; was moo-ing and ate/ drank water. Kept in warm pen overnight,....... dead this am...

Karin L · #12 01/14/12, 11:20 AM

Sorry for your loss!

tinknal · #13 01/14/12, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jirwin

Vet when here said not hardware issue-- or infection-- as no fever-- calf has regular BM's. Bloat stopped; calf had second wind yesterday; was moo-ing and ate/ drank water. Kept in warm pen overnight,....... dead this am...

I'm thinking that there was something fundamentally wrong with the innards of this calf and nothing was going to help. You did your best.