Bad luck any Ideas?

BeeFree · #1 11/24/04, 10:51 PM

We had a cow to have trouble calving Monday. Checked the cow earlier in the day and all was well, didn't make it back as soon as we wanted as we got to doing other stuff. When checked again, she had the calf out and it was in bad shape. She was down in her back [cow]. DH got the calf to the house and we finally got milk down it and got it warmed. Got it to walking some. You could tell its back was hurt some too. It was a huge calf. DH finally managed to get the cow to the barn by using a lift on her.

By that time the calf had given up and it died this evening. May have had more wrong with it than met the eye. The cow is still able to drink and eat, but can not get up. Any ideas?

DH is wanting to make something to hold her up so her back can heal. We had one that done something like this a few yrs back and she finally got up after about a month of hand feeding. Then we had one similiar that we took to the vet and he gave her a shot of something and she just swelled up and died.

We know her injury is from having too big of a calf. What has others done in this situation?

Also those of you that start out new born calves on bottles. How do you get them started to drinking?

evermoor · #2 11/24/04, 11:44 PM

Have you ruled out milk fever for the cow? Often this happens at and around calving, I guess if she had that she'd probably be dead by now. As for starting calved out on a bottle, they general just suck like it was momma. This is easier to do if they never had momma. Make sure milk is warm not too hot or cold. Some times you have to squeeze the mouth to get a little started then they go to town. Often a nipple will be too big and milk comes to fast and gets into the lungs or a new nipple will be to slow and tire a calf out and frustrate you. If this calf was cold weak dumb or had trauma like head nose swollen from difficult deliver We use a tube feeder. It resemble a plastic bag with plastic tube that goes into the esoagus(SP?) . This take some skill since you can also go into the lung and drown the little fella.

rambler · #3 11/25/04, 02:45 AM

I had 2 vets look at 2 different cows like that. They both said the same thing - nerve injory. They have some shots to reduce the swelling, but one type you can't sell it or the milk for a while, and the other type costs more and/or was less effective - been a while, can't remember.

Both said if they aren't up in 48 hours, best thing you can do is shoot it. It will linger around, but the rear end will atrophy & it will finally go.

Third one I got to heal up in 2 days on my own - well I mean she got up on her own again.

If you have a sling & can get it standing (in the sling) and keep it moving around some every day, you might get it worked out like the one, but I'm real suprprised it lived a month like that & could still walk after that - they just go numb in the back without any exersize.

--->Paul

BeeFree · #4 11/28/04, 04:36 PM

Well we lost the cow today. She was moving her back legs some, yesterday, but she just kept swelling. She just would not drink enough water. I would guess she really messed herself up inside.

She sure had been a good cow. Had always had easy births and good calves. Just this time turned bad, and we wasn't there to help.

frenchie · #5 11/28/04, 08:16 PM

Bee Free...........

Don,t beat yourself too bad.......its unfortunate your bad luck with this cow....but it happens to everyone at some point and time.

Haggis · #6 11/29/04, 10:29 AM

I truly do feel for you and the lose of your cow.

Sometime we're gonna have to talk: bad luck, bad management, bad decisions, and karma.

I guess with cattle it's like the old carnival huckster told me when I was a kid, "Ya pays yer money. Ya takes yer chances."

BeeFree · #7 11/29/04, 09:07 PM

Thanks Frenchie and Haggis for your replies.

This wasn't the first cow that we have lost, but each one just gets to ya.

We lost one a few years back. She was fine and the next morning, it looked like she had died in her sleep. The vet done an autopsy and she had an anurisim [sp?] in her lung,that had caused her death. She had been a healthy cow,or so we thought.

Cattle is like gambling. You are always taking chances with them.

We may have to find another black angus. We bought this one not long ago. He is registered. He may throw too big of a calf. Our old black angus bull was really good. He got huge, but his calves were easy on the cows.

cloverfarm · #8 11/30/04, 08:13 AM

Registries have information on calving ease for bulls. You might talk to the breeder if you buy another bull, or tell the inseminator if you use AI that you want a calving-ease bull. It varies among cow families and is good to check into.

We used a clean-up bull from our own herd a few years ago and lost several heifers in a row to calving difficulties. It's very, very hard to see that happen.

And, sometimes ... stuff happens. Often to the best cows. Nothign EVER happens to one-eyed three-titters with bad tempers.

Was sorry to see you lost the cow.

Ann