Am I missing anything??

allenslabs · #1 02/16/12, 12:16 PM

Ok. I should have learned by now to never get excited but....sick calf on my hands.
Got them last friday (6 days ago) and they were between 4 and 7 days old. One is larger than the other and of course that is the one that isn't doing good. He has been happy and hoppy but this morning was laying down and has no desire to get up no matter how much coaxing.
So, I gave him 1 1/2cc penicillin, some vit b complex and then tubed him a bottle of electrolyte mix. He is laying in a pen under a heat lamp.
He has some snot on his nose and has the loosys so I gave him some corid as well.
The other one seems to be doing good but I noticed a little snot on his nose too and he has an appetite but not a huge one so I gave him some penicillin too and was getting ready to go out and see if he'd eat some electrolytes too.
Anything else I should be doing>? Thanks!

topside1 · #2 02/16/12, 12:34 PM

Where did you get them from? Incubation period for some viruses are around 5-7 days...Fever? Topside

allenslabs · #3 02/16/12, 12:49 PM

I got them from a dairy here about an hour away. Seemed to feel a little warm but I don't have a thermometer for the calves and I wasn't sure where to put the human one we have as it is one you hold on the forehead.

myersfarm · #4 02/16/12, 12:56 PM

forehead one should work in the EAR OF CALF

allenslabs · #5 02/16/12, 12:58 PM

Ok I will try that. I had to look closer....I thought there was an R at the beginning LOL! I need more sleep. LOL!

allenslabs · #6 02/16/12, 01:12 PM

Ok for future reference, the forehead one I have won't work on a calf ear. LOL! But their ears don't feel warm. They actually feel cool if anything. The bigger one has snot in his nose and I'm noticing the smaller one does too. But the smaller one has a desire to get up and the bigger one doesn't. There is a lot of runny poo out there but these are all being fed jersey milk and even the 2 month old calf has runny poo all the time from that milk even though he acts and looks perfectly normal. I did give all the calves corid though cause one of thems poo had a smell to it.

myersfarm · #7 02/16/12, 01:27 PM

stick it way down in the EAR IT SHOULD WORK ...no just on the skin of the ear

myersfarm · #8 02/16/12, 01:30 PM

I would also not feed the full quart of water to clean the milkbar.....but a very small amount and take that much milk out of mix.....over feeding will cause runny poo...I might just give elecrolites the next feeding also and not milk...

momagoat61 · #9 02/16/12, 02:23 PM

You need to also up the penicellin, we give no less then 6 to 8cc to that age calf, I would also give a substain III Bolous if you can get them for the runny poo.

allenslabs · #10 02/16/12, 06:01 PM

Ok he is up and wanting to suck my finger but is weak at doing so. He was standing when I got there and went to poo and it shot about 2 feet or so and so still....really runny. Should I give electrolytes again this evening? He had milk last night and then electrolytes this morning.
I will up the pen I was just doing what the bottle said. I gave it this morning also. When should I give it again?
Last night I didn't put much water in at all. I put in 6qts of milk for three calves. But it is straight jersey milk. Do I need to cut it with water or something? Thanks all for your help!

myersfarm · #11 02/16/12, 06:25 PM

A sick calf like that only has 2 days to get well or they usually get to dehidrated and die

when I have a sick calf I give milk at 9 electrolites at 3 and milk again at at 9....but if the second day they are still runny I give electrolite for all 3 feedings..

...I do not use Pen it never worked for me so maybe somebody else can help with that.... might go with 5 qts milk 1 of water..

..or if your home all the time give smaller feedings like 2 1/2 qts 4 times a day till they settle down

be carefull that with the sick calf the others drink it all and then they will be sick...I usually go to a bottle with the sick calf that way I know EXACTLY HOW MUCH HE IS DRINKING..and give the amount in the milkbar to the number of calfs left on it

myersfarm · #12 02/16/12, 06:26 PM

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A GAVAGE YOU WILL NEED ONE RAISING CALFS...when they get weak you can add electrolites to them

keep a close eye on them

allenslabs · #13 02/16/12, 06:31 PM

The sick one is in the same barn as the others but he's in a pen by himself.
So if you don't do pen...what do you use? I do have some sulmet tablets or maybe smz tablets maybe. Anyway...those white scour tablets. I can give those but I've given corid already.

allenslabs · #14 02/16/12, 06:33 PM

If a gavage is a tube feeder I have one and have tubed him with electrolytes once today. I hate tubing. Watched a video on youtube to refresh myself. LOL! But I did it right this time.

myersfarm · #15 02/16/12, 06:39 PM

sulmet tablets work sometimes for me ...i would give some of that NOW

Corid is for scours with blood ..if you see blood in the scours use corid if you do not do not use it

...I use Baytril you will have to get from a vet and draxxin from a vet

yes tube feeder

allenslabs · #16 02/17/12, 12:04 PM

I guess what I have is SMZ tablets which has a little different ingredients than sulmet tablets. I gave them each two as I was thinking that is what I did before. The one that was down for the count yesterday is looking good today. He's up, the snot is no longer on his nose and he HUNGRY. So that's a good thing. The other one's snot has gone too but he has started in with the LIQUID poos. Like, when it hits the ground it foams like urine. So he got those SMZ tablets too. Raising calves is sure interesting that's for sure.