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Sick calf question

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Howdy1

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I have a two week old calf on a first calf heifer that is staggering around like a drunk sailor. We have had crappy wet, snowy, 20-30 degree, and windy weather since last Thursday. He has been out in it with all the other pairs but is the only one acting sick.

Brought him in this morning and put him and mother in the shed. She looked like she had been sucked and his nose was all matted down like he had suckled. I was going to give him a dose of homemade electrolites but saw him sucking so I didn't. His belly feels full so I think she has enough milk. Gave him a shot of Noromycin 300 and left him inside. I am also going to give him a shot of Banamine when I go outside this evening.

I am leaning towards just stressed out. Cow has been on mineral all winter pre- and post- calving. On excellent green hay and haybet barley hay. Same feed she has been on all winter. Don't think it is a nutritional problem.

Any suggestions?? :???:

Thanks
Howdy
 
the only time I see this is if they are dehydrated, or if you get them up when they are sleeping and they stumble for a bit, then wake up. Sorry, that is all I got?
 
I'd offer him more milk just in case he isn't getting quite enough. Good thing you're staying on top of it, and good luck :) .
 
How is his behind? Is it dry, or wet?
Did you take his temperature? That will tell you a lot.
He sounds weak to me. Maybe her milk isn't all that good.
I'd try bottle feeding him and see if he acts hungry.

But taking his temperature would be my first action.
Then I would know if I was dealing with an infection
of some kind.

Good luck!

I'd watch that barley hay; it can be to rich for lactating cows and
predispose the calves to scours. I don't know how much of it you
are feeding, of course. But it does bear watching.
 
The above responses are pretty good in my mind. Maybe you already know, but a good way to check to see if they are dehydrated is to give the skin above the eye a good pinch. If it doesn't snap back right away then dehydration is your problem.... or rather a symptom that will put you on the right track.
 
Thanks for the ideas. He doesn't have a fever and his nose is wet. He looks perky laying down with his head up, ears forward. You just see it when he gets up.

He is not scouring and his behind is dry. I am think that if the mothers milk was bad if would have possibly shown up before now. Never heard of testing for dehydration by pinching above the eye but you can bet I will try it next time I go out. I might just give him my electrolyte solution just for good measure, sure won't hurt. It has always worked wonders for me in the past.

We have been feeding the barley hay for several years and never had a problem. They get both long grass hay (no alfalfa) and long stem barley hay every day. Haybet barley is awesome feed and they will eat it over any other hay you will give them (i have heard they prefer it over the best alfalfa.)
 
Oh they do love that haybet barley hay. I'm glad you haven't had a problem feeding it to lactating cows. You must have the right mixure of
grass and barley hay. Excellent!

I would give him your electrolyte solution too. It can't hurt and
it just might help.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
 
It could be white muscle disease , calves get real rubbery acting A shot of selinium might be all it needs to fix it & it cant hurt .
 
Faster Horses asked for updates. The calf is still acting drunk. He is full of vigor and will run but makes it about 20 feet and his imbalance takes over and he falls over sideways or nose plants. Would be funny watching if it wasn't my calf. Talked to the vet yesterday and he said the calf could have been kicked/stepped on and is suffering some brain swelling (concussion) or he could have a bacterial infection of brain and/or spinal cord. Recommendation of antibiotics and banamine(every day) and keep a watch on him. Oh yea, it could also be an inner ear infection. No scours and keeps sucking his mother and seems full.

Who knows.... just another headache to keep an eye on.

Sure could use some sun...hell we need LOTS of sun! :help:
 
Howdy1 said:
Faster Horses asked for updates. The calf is still acting drunk. He is full of vigor and will run but makes it about 20 feet and his imbalance takes over and he falls over sideways or nose plants. Would be funny watching if it wasn't my calf. Talked to the vet yesterday and he said the calf could have been kicked/stepped on and is suffering some brain swelling (concussion) or he could have a bacterial infection of brain and/or spinal cord. Recommendation of antibiotics and banamine(every day) and keep a watch on him. Oh yea, it could also be an inner ear infection. No scours and keeps sucking his mother and seems full.

Who knows.... just another headache to keep an eye on.

Sure could use some sun...hell we need LOTS of sun! :help:
Click to expand...

It sounds like you're doing all you can. We win some... and we lose some.

We had a cow that had probably at least 4 calves in her lifetime that had a severe mobility problem. They had poor control of their hind legs. We did not realize it was the same cow until she was over 10 years old and had back to back calves like that. That probably tells you how great my record system is!

These calves were perfectly normal in every way and could move out with the herd except that about every 100 feet, they would lose control of their hind end and almost go down until they regained balance to continue on just fine for another 100 feet or so. They also seemed to get worse as they got older. One of them got to be a big 3 year old before got him butchered.

I never got an official diagnosis but believe it was a genetic defect in the mother, that did not show up each year. Once we realized it was a problem with the cow, she got weighed up at the first chance.
 
Howdy1 said:
Faster Horses asked for updates. The calf is still acting drunk. He is full of vigor and will run but makes it about 20 feet and his imbalance takes over and he falls over sideways or nose plants. Would be funny watching if it wasn't my calf. Talked to the vet yesterday and he said the calf could have been kicked/stepped on and is suffering some brain swelling (concussion) or he could have a bacterial infection of brain and/or spinal cord. Recommendation of antibiotics and banamine(every day) and keep a watch on him. Oh yea, it could also be an inner ear infection. No scours and keeps sucking his mother and seems full.

Who knows.... just another headache to keep an eye on.

Sure could use some sun...hell we need LOTS of sun! :help:
Click to expand...



i think it could be a heart problem.the colt we had ---had lots of vigor,,would run and play then stagger,fall and face plant.took 3 vets to decide that he had a'hole' in his heart condition.he should get better with spring and summer weather but u should watch him cold weather as he cannot get enough oxygen.i wrote a poem about this,and will post it on another thread.
 
A Fainting Pony

stand'n at a kitchen window----a bake'n some rolls
watch'n the mares---and their newborn foals
when one in particular---caught my eye
he hit the ground---like he was gonna die

he would play and buck ---then do a hundred yard dash
then fall over like dead---and do his own crash
for up to five minutes---still as a saint
he lay on the ground---asleep and was faint

soon back to life---up wobbly and weak
he'd soon have his bearings---and be back at his peak
i called a vet---cry'n a song
come look at my colt---and see what is wrong

the vet didn't know---so i called two or three
to get their opinions---of what they could see
when after some thought---they came to a conclusion
of the colt that i had---and what was causing the allusion

he was born with the 'term'---he had a hole in his heart
couldn't get enough oxygen---the gas that made him start
he would soon run out ---and faint to the ground
a few minutes of recovery---and he was back to being sound

i know this story---sounds a bit phony
but i remember the day---of the fainting pony
out on the ranch---the memory now history
as i recall the time---of another ranch mystery


written by richard
2010


here's the memory.also seen a calf at the salebarn once that had a worm in is brain.they go more berzerk before falling.
 
not fully.
He got along purty well thru the summer,but come winter he would faint
around the feeders and get stepped on. :(
took him to a sale and sold him as is.almost got him to faint in the ring.
he got staggery and drunk but didn't go clear down.never got real big.

i was running a petting zoo and pony rides in the 80's and 90's.he sold with the fainting goats. :lol:
 
Might be acidosis.
We sometimes have calves that are affected. They walk around like they are drunk.
I mix 1 TBSP baking soda with a litre of water and tube them.
Works every time!
 
It might a Thiamine defeciency - they will walk around and seems like they are star gazing. If you cannot get thiamine give it some vitamin B.
 
an update...calf never came around after a week of keeping it alive I decided to send it to the green meadows forever. Never seen anything like it and hopefully never will again.

Thanks for all the tips and suggestion and I tried about all of them at some time nothing ever helped. When he would lay there all quiet his eyes were bright and you wouldn't know anything was wrong. He would try to move and nothing would work for him. Oh well I guess I will worry about the live ones now.

Later
Howdy
 

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