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cthurman21
Member
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 4
Location: Arkansas
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 Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 4:19 pm Post subject: Question about a calf... |
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We took a calf to the sale barn about 2 weeks or so ago. He came back to us because the vet said he had swelling. A hernia or something is what they called it and said it could be treated with penicillin.
He was a bottle baby because his mother died while giving birth to him (he was a 200lb calf that we had to pull). Well he had never had grain before but when they sent him back from the sale barn they said after 4 months he was still 200lbs. Which means hes not gaining weight from the bottle (which he is no longer on) nor from the grass he has been eating from the pasture. Well when he came back we showed him what grain is and he now eats it once a day (about a coffee can full) and today we gave him his first shot of penicillin and we put it in the muscle where his back leg is. My grandmother said it was his hip or something like that (not 100% sure). Anyway, he started walking funny after a bit and losing alot of fluid from the area where the hernia is. I walked out to the pasture and walked him around and his walk started getting back to normal and we fed him his grain for the day.
Anyway, I would like to know what your experiences with this type of situation is. Are we doing the right thing? He's he going to be okay? How can we get him to gain the weight that he should be gaining? Is the loss of fluid okay?
I want to thank you ahead of time for your input. I'm fairly new to all of this and since my grandfather died I've tried to step in and help more than before so I'm learning all kinds of things. lol. ((I'm a 22 year old female by the way so I'm completely clueless for the most part - hahahahaha))
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randiliana
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Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Posts: 409
Location: Saskatchewan, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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OK, it sounds like he has a navel infection. Was the liquid that came out of his navel smelly or yellowy(pussey)? Unless I am way off base, and the swelling is somewhere else.
If he really was as big as you say at birth (200 lbs is absolutely huge) and hasn't grown since then, chances are he never will be a good doing calf.
If what he has is actually a navel infection you need to hit him with something a lot stronger than penicillin, and even then, you may not have any luck. I would get ahold of a vet (maybe a different one than the one at the sale barn?) and see what they reccomend.
If it is a hernia, medications will not make it go away. Depending on the size you can leave it alone, or you may have to have it surgically repaired. The way to tell if it is a hernia or a navel infection, is to get your hands on it. A hernial will be soft and squishy, and will push back up into the abdomen. A navel infection will likely be hard and will probably have a scab on it.
If this calf is 4 months old, and has not gained any weight since birth your best option may be to put him down.
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Hanta Yo
Rancher
Joined: 11 Feb 2005
Posts: 3323
Location: South Central Montana
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 6:05 pm Post subject: Re: Question about a calf... |
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| cthurman21 wrote: |
We took a calf to the sale barn about 2 weeks or so ago. He came back to us because the vet said he had swelling. A hernia or something is what they called it and said it could be treated with penicillin.
He was a bottle baby because his mother died while giving birth to him (he was a 200lb calf that we had to pull). Well he had never had grain before but when they sent him back from the sale barn they said after 4 months he was still 200lbs. Which means hes not gaining weight from the bottle (which he is no longer on) nor from the grass he has been eating from the pasture. Well when he came back we showed him what grain is and he now eats it once a day (about a coffee can full) and today we gave him his first shot of penicillin and we put it in the muscle where his back leg is. My grandmother said it was his hip or something like that (not 100% sure). Anyway, he started walking funny after a bit and losing alot of fluid from the area where the hernia is. I walked out to the pasture and walked him around and his walk started getting back to normal and we fed him his grain for the day.
Anyway, I would like to know what your experiences with this type of situation is. Are we doing the right thing? He's he going to be okay? How can we get him to gain the weight that he should be gaining? Is the loss of fluid okay?
I want to thank you ahead of time for your input. I'm fairly new to all of this and since my grandfather died I've tried to step in and help more than before so I'm learning all kinds of things. lol. ((I'm a 22 year old female by the way so I'm completely clueless for the most part - hahahahaha)) |
Welcome aboard, glad to have you here. First thing, don't ever give a shot in the muscle if you can help it. Get penicillin you can give subcutaneously (sub-Q, SQ) and you need to give it in the neck.
Hernias cannot be treated by penicillin, it needs surgery. Hernias are a spot on your calf where the body wall is very thin and and organs start protruding through.
If the fluid was thick and yellowish and very stinky (pus), your calf had an abcess, which broke. Give him a shot of penicillin every day for a week. OR get some long-acting penicillin and 2 separate shots should do the trick. If it is an abcess, it would be best to try to squeeze out all the pus from the abcess, rinse with diluted Iodine or Nolvasan using a syringe and a nasal tip.
First, though we need to figure out what it really is. 
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cthurman21
Member
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 4
Location: Arkansas
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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| I'd take a picture of it but I only have a camera phone. lol. The swelling seems to have gone down.. So the penecillin needs to be given in the neck? Yiks.. How much damage did I do to him by giving it to him in the muscle?
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MsSage
Rancher
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 1242
Location: NW Panhandle Texas
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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Are you giving him Polyflex? Or straight penicillin? How much are you giving him? Once a day or twice a day? How long have you been giving it to him?
You didnt do any damage to him by giving it in the muscle, yes he will be stiff for a day it hurts getting it in the muscle.
Are you sure he hasnt gained any weight? After a trip to the sale barn then back home and the infection he might have lost some due to stress.
Does he have free acces to grass and water? Why not put a bucket and give him free acces of feed?
You need to find a vet and have them look at it.
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cthurman21
Member
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 4
Location: Arkansas
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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Are you giving him Polyflex? Or straight penicillin? How much are you giving him? Once a day or twice a day? How long have you been giving it to him?
You didnt do any damage to him by giving it in the muscle, yes he will be stiff for a day it hurts getting it in the muscle.
Are you sure he hasnt gained any weight? After a trip to the sale barn then back home and the infection he might have lost some due to stress.
Does he have free acces to grass and water? Why not put a bucket and give him free acces of feed?
You need to find a vet and have them look at it.
I'm not sure what type of penicillin it is. I just know we told the Coop we needed penicillin and we bought what they gave us. 20ccs is what the bottle says and juss once a day.. Today was the first day we gave it to him. We think he gained weight after birth but lost the weight before going to the sale barn (probably when he got sick with whatevers wrong with him). Yeah he's got about 13 acres he's on and theres only 4 other cows on the grass. He's got plenty of grass and he gets one coffee can of grain a day all to himself. And because we have no way to seperate him from the others we cant give him access to grain all day.
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the_jersey_lilly_2000
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Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Posts: 7408
Location: South East Texas
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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If you put him on free choice grain all day, he'll likely bloat and die pretty darn quick.
Sounds like a navel infection to me. Call a vet and see what they say, then go from there with treatment.
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cthurman21
Member
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 4
Location: Arkansas
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Hanta Yo
Rancher
Joined: 11 Feb 2005
Posts: 3323
Location: South Central Montana
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MsSage
Rancher
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 1242
Location: NW Panhandle Texas
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| Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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Since I work with Dairy cows they get free access to grain all the time.
You need to call the vet, they can tell you if he needs surgery and what meds to put him on.
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Denny
Rancher
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Posts: 2822
Location: Mn usa
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| Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 6:10 am Post subject: |
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| MsSage wrote: |
Since I work with Dairy cows they get free access to grain all the time.
You need to call the vet, they can tell you if he needs surgery and what meds to put him on. |
That's not quite the same.The calf could have free choice grain as long as it was built up to it slowly.Most dairy cattle are being pushed for max production not max profit.
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