Hardware Disease

janij · #1 03/20/13, 02:46 PM

Hi,
I read on here a lot but don't post much. Too green still to feel I have good advice. But anyway.
I just got off the phone with my AI tech- he is better than my local large animal vet. I was telling him about one of my Jersey girls. She coughs, always has. Anyway, she is just not thrifty. And she is just looking worse and worse. He said she probably has Hardware disease, she ate something that is tearing up her insides. He will come Friday and put a magnet down her throat for me.
What would you do? He said it can sometimes be managed. But that they usually die. So now the what? Wait and see if the magnet helps? Shot her and bury her before she really is suffering? Take her to the sale barn?
I have only been farming 3 yrs, milking cows for 2 now. It is the ethics of this I am having a hard time with. This cow kicked me in the face the first week I had her. But she is wonderful now. She has been a big part of my life and has provided so much for my family. I don't know. This is what stinks about farming.
Any advice would be welcome.
Jani

commonsense · #2 03/20/13, 03:05 PM

I have a cow who the vet diagnosed with hardware. She was milking great, then dropped production dramatically pretty much overnight, didn't want to eat much, etc. He pinched her withers, which should have made her drop down, but because of the pain from the hardware, she didn't drop much. I gave her a magnet and she was on a short course of antibiotics. She improved quickly, in a matter of days, and regained much of her milk production. Is your cow running a temp?

mekasmom · #3 03/20/13, 03:34 PM

It's always a good idea to keep a few magnets on hand, so you could drop them quickly. Some people just drop magnets regularly in their more valuable animals to help prevent hardware disease. Unfortunately, a piece of wire goes toward the heart when it gets ingested. I pray your girl does ok.
You can buy some magnets from Jeffers for about $2 or so each.

janij · #4 03/20/13, 04:53 PM

This was not an overnight thing. She has been slowly declining over the last couple months. I feel like a horrible animal steward.
We are going to put a magnet down her Friday when the AI guy comes. And I guess just wait and see.
I guess I should buy a couple magnets.

tinknal · #5 03/20/13, 05:07 PM

Go ahead with the magnet but it doesn't sound like hardware to me. Call a real vet or at least give her course of antibiotics.

janij · #6 03/20/13, 05:19 PM

I was thinking of going and getting some antibiotics as well. I actually trust my AI guy over my vet. He is a cow man. He is more of a cow infertility specialist and has been working with cows his whole life. My vet on the other hand is just kinda lazy. Nice for your dogs and if you need a BANGS shot, but that is about it. But if I don't see any improvements after Paul looks at her and we treat her I will take her to the vet.
Thanks, it just stinks and makes you feel bad.

Chixarecute · #7 03/20/13, 05:34 PM

When we were farming, we put magnets in all the cows. Cheap insurance, as it were. Still, even with the magnets, I think we lost 3 to hardware disease over 8 years...100% loss of those highly suspected of having hardware. Had regular vet checks, too.

DH did all our hay cutting, in known fields, was extremely careful. Wire from old fences was wound up and hung on the post. We suspect that wire ties dropped from the town installed snow fence along the road ways (during the spring take down) may have been the culprit, but without a post mortem, who knows?

Sorry you are dealing with this.

G. Seddon · #8 03/20/13, 05:48 PM

It just doesn't sound like hardware to me. Find another vet!!!

mekasmom · #9 03/20/13, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chixarecute

When we were farming, we put magnets in all the cows. Cheap insurance, as it were.

A three dollar investment to save animals worth thousands each. It's not always foolproof, but it is a really wise investment. I know my family always dropped magnets into every one of them.

Wanda · #10 03/20/13, 08:46 PM

One of the first things that is usually noticed with hardware disease is pain. They will usually hunch up or kick or rub at the stomach or flank area. If it is just generally unthrifty over a period of time I would look elsewhere. My first check would be a fecal sample to check for a large burden of parasites. The other thing that could have some effect is poor nutritional value of drought stressed forage. It is almost like being a detective sometimes an we have to remember to look for all of the clues.

Chixarecute · #11 03/20/13, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janij

She coughs, always has. Anyway, she is just not thrifty. And she is just looking worse and worse.
Jani

Good advice from others. How is her temp, her snot (clear or green or yellow?), her manure. Does she drink OK? Does she stand hunched up? Does she stand around, without laying down or moving around much? Do the other animals push her away from the feed? Is only this one unthrifty, and the other two look great? Is she milking, and have you noticed a change in her production?

If you decide to try antibiotics, remember that the sale barn won't be an option until after those drugs clear her system.

arnie · #12 03/21/13, 08:15 AM

we lost a expencive angus bull but the big loss was in our calf crop .a round with antibiotics and magnet he,d perk up and settle a cow but soon start going down again and leave a cow open .from a great looking bull to a unthrifty dull in a matter of days . resulting in calves of unequal sizes and cows falling behind in production . hard ware is bad .I advise looking for a replacement and the sale barn to end her suffering

springvalley · #13 03/21/13, 02:34 PM

I don`t beieve it to be hardware either, I never give magnets, and I don`t think I have ever had a problem with it. Mt father on the other hand lost several cows from it. We had no idea why it was happening, so this is where the detective work comes in. We started looking at everything they ate, and was checking anything we did. We found out it was coming in the feed supplement from the feed store. We started running everything over the magnet on the grinder mixer and found it that way. The company denided it, and would never make a payment for the cows. But we never had a problem after we switched feed companies. > Thanks Marc

ycanchu2 · #14 03/21/13, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by springvalley

I don`t beieve it to be hardware either, I never give magnets, and I don`t think I have ever had a problem with it. Mt father on the other hand lost several cows from it. We had no idea why it was happening, so this is where the detective work comes in. We started looking at everything they ate, and was checking anything we did. We found out it was coming in the feed supplement from the feed store. We started running everything over the magnet on the grinder mixer and found it that way. The company denided it, and would never make a payment for the cows. But we never had a problem after we switched feed companies. > Thanks Marc

I can believe that. There is a feed company close by here that makes up all their feed rations mostly from grain byproducts like cottonseed meal etc., etc.
We used to buy their feed cause they were the cheapest. We used to creep feed our calves and after we weaned them....we always had it delivered in bulk and dumped in gravity wagons. I don't know how many rubber strap tie downs I found in each load.

janij · #15 03/23/13, 10:05 AM

It's not hardware. She has no fever. She has a tumor on her lungs and is slowly dieing. We did not give her any antibiotics. So I guess she will go to the sale barn next Fri. It is breaking my heart.

janij · #16 03/23/13, 10:23 AM

I forgot to thank all of you for your input. I think we will just buy some magnets and cheap insurance. Like I said, we have been raising cows for only 3 yrs. I had no idea that Hardware Disease even existed. I knew in my heart she was sick. It just is no fun to have to realize one of your animals is dieing before your eyes.

springvalley · #17 03/25/13, 01:36 PM

Up this way, if cattle have tumors they will get rejected from the butcher. If you sell her threw a sale barn and they find out she has a tumor, you may get charged for her. I would suggest you ask your vet. what to do with her, he should know. And a wise man told me this once, if you don`t want to lose animals, you don`t have them. That was told to me by my father, he was a wise man.> Thanks Marc