And, maybe it will help someone else out? I have no idea what made me think of "Cow CPR"...
So, I am out checking the calves we are feeding when I notice one staggering and way blown up like a balloon..He is nice black calf that weighs about 800 pounds..A severe Bloat. I walk him back to the watering pen and he is struggling. The air in His stomach is taking up all of the room in his diaphragm and he can't breath. I haven't much time to save him.
I shut a gate with a poor chain latch setup and go to set the gates to the alley. The rest of the calves bump the gate open while I am setting gates and come into the pen....
I go back and start sorting them out and by this time, the calf is really struggling. I realize he is about done and I really don't want him in an alley in this condition. He could go down and the confining of the alley will just stress him more. Suddenly, he starts staggering backwards with his head up....Dang, he goes down with the wrong side up. I need access to the rumen to let the air out but it is underneath him.
I rush in and roll him over. I do this by grabbing his hind legs and using any leverage I can muster. The air in his stomach and his struggling makes this even harder. Finally I get him rolled over. I am tired but have no time to rest.
I grab my Leatherman's and pick a spot on his side to puncture. and let the air out. The pressure against his Diaphragm is preventing his lungs from working. I stab him and the blade enters the rumen. Immediately the air starts coming out. I look at the eyes and they are glazed over. It is the Death Look. I worry it is too late. I let the air out. Still nothing. I am mad because it is only a matter of seconds that make the difference between life and death.
Desperately, I try. I get on him and then start jumping on the rib cage, trying to get some response...After a few jumps, there is kind of a kick and a gasp, then nothing. I am sitting there with some hope but afraid to be hopeful.
I start jumping again and after a bit, another kick and gulp...I jump on the ribs again, and this time with the gasp, there is a blink, though the eyes are still glazed over with the "Death look". I put my foot on the chest and he starts kicking, further entangling his feet into the Blackberry bushes he is laying against. He kind of starts to breath and then stops. I put my foot on his ribs and he starts kicking more...Finally he is struggling, but breathing. I am tired, but realize he is large and struggling, so I get out of the way.
I walk to set the gate to turn him into a pen where another heifer is. She had a broken leg, but is on the mend. It is better to put him in there than back out. I come back and he is startled. He gets up and stumbles into a barbed wire fence. He does not have his wits about him yet, but he is breathing well now. I let him set there until he decides to get up. He walks to the gate and won't drive back to the pen.
It is always a little hairy with calves that don't quite have all their senses about them. I have seen them suddenly go into a defense mode where they run you over with no warning....
I go get the heifer to try to give him a calf to follow. I want him to not feel alone and threatened. I get her there and he pairs up with her. Yet, at the gate to the pen he stops and just looks at me. I realize he doesn't have enough sense to respect me. I need to get him in the pen as this is the best place for him....A three foot long 3 inch diameter limb lies beside me. I toss it at his head and it startles him out of a dazed state. He follows the heifer and I shut the gate.....
I go open the main gate so the other calves can get to water. I put some salt out and come back and check on him. At this point, he is just a normal calf, with no gratitude...No real idea that I just saved his life. In his mind, he is not sure what I did, but just relates me to a bad experience..Yet I feel pretty pumped. He was basically dead and I brought him back......Always a good feeling,
So, I am out checking the calves we are feeding when I notice one staggering and way blown up like a balloon..He is nice black calf that weighs about 800 pounds..A severe Bloat. I walk him back to the watering pen and he is struggling. The air in His stomach is taking up all of the room in his diaphragm and he can't breath. I haven't much time to save him.
I shut a gate with a poor chain latch setup and go to set the gates to the alley. The rest of the calves bump the gate open while I am setting gates and come into the pen....
I go back and start sorting them out and by this time, the calf is really struggling. I realize he is about done and I really don't want him in an alley in this condition. He could go down and the confining of the alley will just stress him more. Suddenly, he starts staggering backwards with his head up....Dang, he goes down with the wrong side up. I need access to the rumen to let the air out but it is underneath him.
I rush in and roll him over. I do this by grabbing his hind legs and using any leverage I can muster. The air in his stomach and his struggling makes this even harder. Finally I get him rolled over. I am tired but have no time to rest.
I grab my Leatherman's and pick a spot on his side to puncture. and let the air out. The pressure against his Diaphragm is preventing his lungs from working. I stab him and the blade enters the rumen. Immediately the air starts coming out. I look at the eyes and they are glazed over. It is the Death Look. I worry it is too late. I let the air out. Still nothing. I am mad because it is only a matter of seconds that make the difference between life and death.
Desperately, I try. I get on him and then start jumping on the rib cage, trying to get some response...After a few jumps, there is kind of a kick and a gasp, then nothing. I am sitting there with some hope but afraid to be hopeful.
I start jumping again and after a bit, another kick and gulp...I jump on the ribs again, and this time with the gasp, there is a blink, though the eyes are still glazed over with the "Death look". I put my foot on the chest and he starts kicking, further entangling his feet into the Blackberry bushes he is laying against. He kind of starts to breath and then stops. I put my foot on his ribs and he starts kicking more...Finally he is struggling, but breathing. I am tired, but realize he is large and struggling, so I get out of the way.
I walk to set the gate to turn him into a pen where another heifer is. She had a broken leg, but is on the mend. It is better to put him in there than back out. I come back and he is startled. He gets up and stumbles into a barbed wire fence. He does not have his wits about him yet, but he is breathing well now. I let him set there until he decides to get up. He walks to the gate and won't drive back to the pen.
It is always a little hairy with calves that don't quite have all their senses about them. I have seen them suddenly go into a defense mode where they run you over with no warning....
I go get the heifer to try to give him a calf to follow. I want him to not feel alone and threatened. I get her there and he pairs up with her. Yet, at the gate to the pen he stops and just looks at me. I realize he doesn't have enough sense to respect me. I need to get him in the pen as this is the best place for him....A three foot long 3 inch diameter limb lies beside me. I toss it at his head and it startles him out of a dazed state. He follows the heifer and I shut the gate.....
I go open the main gate so the other calves can get to water. I put some salt out and come back and check on him. At this point, he is just a normal calf, with no gratitude...No real idea that I just saved his life. In his mind, he is not sure what I did, but just relates me to a bad experience..Yet I feel pretty pumped. He was basically dead and I brought him back......Always a good feeling,
