Post by Heidi on Sept 14, 2010 7:12:39 GMT -5
I started a thread the other day in the Family Cow section asking for tips for our first foster calf. This is in relation to that calf...
Last night I noticed that Chuck was wobbly on his legs a bit.
Oh what a roller coaster ride today has been....Its Tuesday night here in Australia. I went out last night and put a horse rug over Chuck, because he really didn't seem himself. So I went out to him this morning, and honestly, I thought I was going to have to get the neighbour over with a gun. He was unable to get up, breathing somewhat laboured and for all intents and purposes, he seemed to be paralysed.
We put him on the horse blanket and dragged him out of the calf shed, and I managed to get some milk into him, not much but some. I kept going back to him throughout the day and trying to get a little more into him. I thought maybe he'd gotten a paralysis tick on him, but couldn't find one.
Anyway, this afternoon, at about 3pm, he actually managed to get up and slowly, very slowly walk around the cattle yard. I got some more milk into him, and he even tried to nurse on the cow, but was just too weak to stimulate the letdown. (I have a way around that tomorrow by bringing her own calf in to suckle first then dragging her off and letting the foster calf on) He then wandered around for a bit longer, until I encouraged him back into the calf shed.
I just checked on him at 8:30pm and he took about 750ml of milk from the bottle. Not with gusto, but he did take it. He then stood up to wee and poo.
His poo is still mustard yellow and it doesn't smell particularly bad, but I'm wondering if he is actually scouring and I'm just too inexperienced to tell! The poo he's passed today is not watery, more like mucousy/gel like. Tonight I did notice that it was somewhat more watery. I had thought maybe it was a result of the change from Friesian colostrum/milk from his mum, to Jersey milk from the foster cow. He doesn't look dehydrated to me, his skin is not tenting, he has no fever, his ears are warm, and he is alert, compared to this morning when he was almost lifeless.
So, after all this ramble, (sorry I'm tired), I'm wondering if I do treat him for scours, or do I just let him be for a little while longer? He has improved greatly over today, but I know he's not out of the woods. I can get a scour injection for him easily enough tomorrow (from the dairy I got him off), but I was thinking that if he's on the improve, I could wipe out all the good AND bad bacteria in his gut needlessly.
I just read the TOK and am considering getting some subQ fluids into him tomorrow, which I think I could do easily enough, or should I not do this, considering that he is taking some milk and the weather is not hot or cold (spring here).
Unfortunately, with the huge amount I have recently spent on vet bills, getting the the vet in for a $5 calf is not an option.
Any advice regarding scour injection or subQ fluids or length of time I should see him improve by would be appreciated.
Regards,
Husky
Last night I noticed that Chuck was wobbly on his legs a bit.
Oh what a roller coaster ride today has been....Its Tuesday night here in Australia. I went out last night and put a horse rug over Chuck, because he really didn't seem himself. So I went out to him this morning, and honestly, I thought I was going to have to get the neighbour over with a gun. He was unable to get up, breathing somewhat laboured and for all intents and purposes, he seemed to be paralysed.
We put him on the horse blanket and dragged him out of the calf shed, and I managed to get some milk into him, not much but some. I kept going back to him throughout the day and trying to get a little more into him. I thought maybe he'd gotten a paralysis tick on him, but couldn't find one.
Anyway, this afternoon, at about 3pm, he actually managed to get up and slowly, very slowly walk around the cattle yard. I got some more milk into him, and he even tried to nurse on the cow, but was just too weak to stimulate the letdown. (I have a way around that tomorrow by bringing her own calf in to suckle first then dragging her off and letting the foster calf on) He then wandered around for a bit longer, until I encouraged him back into the calf shed.
I just checked on him at 8:30pm and he took about 750ml of milk from the bottle. Not with gusto, but he did take it. He then stood up to wee and poo.
His poo is still mustard yellow and it doesn't smell particularly bad, but I'm wondering if he is actually scouring and I'm just too inexperienced to tell! The poo he's passed today is not watery, more like mucousy/gel like. Tonight I did notice that it was somewhat more watery. I had thought maybe it was a result of the change from Friesian colostrum/milk from his mum, to Jersey milk from the foster cow. He doesn't look dehydrated to me, his skin is not tenting, he has no fever, his ears are warm, and he is alert, compared to this morning when he was almost lifeless.
So, after all this ramble, (sorry I'm tired), I'm wondering if I do treat him for scours, or do I just let him be for a little while longer? He has improved greatly over today, but I know he's not out of the woods. I can get a scour injection for him easily enough tomorrow (from the dairy I got him off), but I was thinking that if he's on the improve, I could wipe out all the good AND bad bacteria in his gut needlessly.
I just read the TOK and am considering getting some subQ fluids into him tomorrow, which I think I could do easily enough, or should I not do this, considering that he is taking some milk and the weather is not hot or cold (spring here).
Unfortunately, with the huge amount I have recently spent on vet bills, getting the the vet in for a $5 calf is not an option.
Any advice regarding scour injection or subQ fluids or length of time I should see him improve by would be appreciated.
Regards,
Husky