Post by guernseygal on Aug 9, 2019 21:14:00 GMT -5
SHORT VERSION: Is 10cc of (2mg) dexamethasone TWICE per day for 3 days, then 10cc once a day for 2 days , then finally 5cc once a day for 2 days - Is this to much Dex for a small 5 week old dairy heifer???
Hello Everyone,
I’m new to the forum and wish I had joined under better circumstances. Im also new to owning cows, I purchased what I was told was a pure Guernsey heifer last week on July 29th.
I drove 3 hours to pick her up and was quite shocked when I got there and seen the condition she was in the poor girl was skin & bones. (<—first hint she wasn’t healthy)
The guy I purchased her from was in a hurry to head to work so I was rushed into making a decision on purchasing her or not. (<—hint two not to purchase) He said she was healthy and I have never seen a four week old dairy calf, I didn’t know what they should look like so I believed his word. I decided to take her and he carried her to my vehicle (<—Hint three she wasn’t healthy, should have listened to my initial shocked opinion of her)
He provided me with two shots of Excenel RTU as a preventative for shipping fever and said it standard procedure and gives this to everyone who purchase a calf from him.
He gave me instructions to feed her 3 litres of milk replacer, 3 times per day, he claimed this was how much he was feeling her.
As we drove home I noticed she had a dry cough and appeared pretty weak she laid down for most of the drive and didn’t poop or pee the whole way home (3 hours)
I got her home and feed her 3 litres of milk and she drank it okay, over the next few days she settled in very nicely and I gave her the Excenel the two days after she arrived. Her cough was mild but continued. I was monitoring her temperature and it was normal and her poop was normal too. She very quickly started to gain muscle and weight so I assumed the guy I got her from was lying about how much he was actually feeding her. She continued to get stronger and her personality started to show, she was even starting to bounce around and play with me.
But then last Sunday things went south very quickly! Sunday morning she drank her morning bottles a little slow but she did finish them. By Sunday afternoon she was panting with her mouth open and breathing very fast. It was a hot day so I assumed she was just over heated and I ran the hose over her legs in a effort to cool her down I also moved her to the shade. When I checked on her a few hours later her breathing has gotten much worse and she was laying down and grunting with every breath and wouldn’t drink so at that point I knew something was up, I checked her temp and it was normal. At this point my local vet had closed for the day. The next morning I call the vet to come see her and she was in very poor shape, not eating and not getting enough oxygen. Her gums and tongue were very pale. The vet suspects she has chronic pneumonia. The vet gave her Draxxin, Banamine, Salix, Dexamethasone and tube feed her 2L of milk.
Later that evening she still wouldn’t drink so I tubed her another 2L.
The following morning her breathing had improved slightly but she still wasn’t eating, the vet came back to check on her and said her gum colour was improving. We tubed her again with another 2L and the vet also gave her more Dex (1cc) and left three more 1cc shots for her for the following days. However she called me back today and said she was speaking with a fellow vet and said they could up the Dex dosage to 10cc twice a day for three days, then 10cc once a day for 2 days and finally 5cc once a day for two days. I looked up the dosage recommendations and this seems like ALOT?? I’m concerned about wearing out her adrenal glands, stomach ulcers and farther lung damage. Is this normal recommend dosages for a small 5 week old dairy calf?
She’s breathing much better today, she even decided to take a little walk and nibble on some grass. Definitely looking much more perky but still not drinking the bottle well and she also now constipated. I had to tube her once today in the morning, she did drink 2L from the bottle in the late afternoon (I added a little mineral oil to hopefully help with the constipation) and I’m about to head out again now to see if she will have some more before bed.
Her name is Peaches 🍑 she’s supposed to be my future milk cow. I love her to bits and I’m hoping she’s able to pull through this with the least amount of heath damage. 🙏
Any suggestions??
Hello Everyone,
I’m new to the forum and wish I had joined under better circumstances. Im also new to owning cows, I purchased what I was told was a pure Guernsey heifer last week on July 29th.
I drove 3 hours to pick her up and was quite shocked when I got there and seen the condition she was in the poor girl was skin & bones. (<—first hint she wasn’t healthy)
The guy I purchased her from was in a hurry to head to work so I was rushed into making a decision on purchasing her or not. (<—hint two not to purchase) He said she was healthy and I have never seen a four week old dairy calf, I didn’t know what they should look like so I believed his word. I decided to take her and he carried her to my vehicle (<—Hint three she wasn’t healthy, should have listened to my initial shocked opinion of her)
He provided me with two shots of Excenel RTU as a preventative for shipping fever and said it standard procedure and gives this to everyone who purchase a calf from him.
He gave me instructions to feed her 3 litres of milk replacer, 3 times per day, he claimed this was how much he was feeling her.
As we drove home I noticed she had a dry cough and appeared pretty weak she laid down for most of the drive and didn’t poop or pee the whole way home (3 hours)
I got her home and feed her 3 litres of milk and she drank it okay, over the next few days she settled in very nicely and I gave her the Excenel the two days after she arrived. Her cough was mild but continued. I was monitoring her temperature and it was normal and her poop was normal too. She very quickly started to gain muscle and weight so I assumed the guy I got her from was lying about how much he was actually feeding her. She continued to get stronger and her personality started to show, she was even starting to bounce around and play with me.
But then last Sunday things went south very quickly! Sunday morning she drank her morning bottles a little slow but she did finish them. By Sunday afternoon she was panting with her mouth open and breathing very fast. It was a hot day so I assumed she was just over heated and I ran the hose over her legs in a effort to cool her down I also moved her to the shade. When I checked on her a few hours later her breathing has gotten much worse and she was laying down and grunting with every breath and wouldn’t drink so at that point I knew something was up, I checked her temp and it was normal. At this point my local vet had closed for the day. The next morning I call the vet to come see her and she was in very poor shape, not eating and not getting enough oxygen. Her gums and tongue were very pale. The vet suspects she has chronic pneumonia. The vet gave her Draxxin, Banamine, Salix, Dexamethasone and tube feed her 2L of milk.
Later that evening she still wouldn’t drink so I tubed her another 2L.
The following morning her breathing had improved slightly but she still wasn’t eating, the vet came back to check on her and said her gum colour was improving. We tubed her again with another 2L and the vet also gave her more Dex (1cc) and left three more 1cc shots for her for the following days. However she called me back today and said she was speaking with a fellow vet and said they could up the Dex dosage to 10cc twice a day for three days, then 10cc once a day for 2 days and finally 5cc once a day for two days. I looked up the dosage recommendations and this seems like ALOT?? I’m concerned about wearing out her adrenal glands, stomach ulcers and farther lung damage. Is this normal recommend dosages for a small 5 week old dairy calf?
She’s breathing much better today, she even decided to take a little walk and nibble on some grass. Definitely looking much more perky but still not drinking the bottle well and she also now constipated. I had to tube her once today in the morning, she did drink 2L from the bottle in the late afternoon (I added a little mineral oil to hopefully help with the constipation) and I’m about to head out again now to see if she will have some more before bed.
Her name is Peaches 🍑 she’s supposed to be my future milk cow. I love her to bits and I’m hoping she’s able to pull through this with the least amount of heath damage. 🙏
Any suggestions??