Post by BlueFeathers on May 3, 2010 1:40:40 GMT -5
Our Cow Mocha seems to have had grass tetany this week. For any who didn't read it in the 911 section, she had some conflicting signs & symptoms (at least to us) & we weren't sure if it was tetany, ketosis, DA, mild poisoning or hardware disease. In short, we gave Rena's drench twice a day, treated for tetany with a magnesium drench and gave her a Vit B shot (8mL SQ).She wasn't getting any worse, but wasn't improving much either.
So we got some activated charcoal in Mocha Saturday morning, as she was behaving rather strangely after milking. As my DH took her out of the stanchion & walked her around the yard she got this funny neck twitch & loss of control, drooling, then her tongue was hanging out & she was kinda chewing on it, but couldn't get it to go back in her mouth, eyes were bug-eye big. So we short tied her to the trailer to give her the activated charcoal paste. We maybe got half the tube in her before she looked like she was just going to drop, got all shaky, almost couldn't walk when my DH untied her from the trailer. It was like she was having a seizure. She drank about 5 gal of water & went back to her stanchion to eat hay (instead of all the fresh grass???)After a while she seemed better, so My DH grabbed her halter to take her to pasture. She did it all over again.
Then after he lets her go, she was normal out in the field. But at milking time when my DH went to get her she did her weird seizure thing. When he got her in the stanchion & brushed her, she was normal again. Until after milking when he reached for her halter to lead her out to pasture. Another seizure thing! Then fine out at pasture.
This is now the routine. It's giving my poor DH a complex that Mocha is suddenly deathly afraid of him. He loves the cows. We're using treats for him to give just before he reaches for her halter, but it's still happening. The "seizures" are shorter in duration, but still terribly un-nerving.
All we can think is that it stems from when he gave her the Vit B shot on Friday morning. We had short tied her to the trailer because we didn't want her to poop in the stanchion. But she didn't react poorly at the time. We also gave her the activated charcoal while short tied to the trailer. The stanchion & on pasture seem to be her "safe places." She's only had the one shot recently & none of our other treatments have been difficult to administer. A couple months ago we tailbled her (in the stanchion though) without incident.
FWIW, Her milk production is still low, 2.5 gal instead of 4.25-4.5 per day.
Any ideas on what to do? Any similar experiences? We just want our normal cow back...with just her occasionally irritating traits ;-)
Thanks,
Aloria
So we got some activated charcoal in Mocha Saturday morning, as she was behaving rather strangely after milking. As my DH took her out of the stanchion & walked her around the yard she got this funny neck twitch & loss of control, drooling, then her tongue was hanging out & she was kinda chewing on it, but couldn't get it to go back in her mouth, eyes were bug-eye big. So we short tied her to the trailer to give her the activated charcoal paste. We maybe got half the tube in her before she looked like she was just going to drop, got all shaky, almost couldn't walk when my DH untied her from the trailer. It was like she was having a seizure. She drank about 5 gal of water & went back to her stanchion to eat hay (instead of all the fresh grass???)After a while she seemed better, so My DH grabbed her halter to take her to pasture. She did it all over again.
Then after he lets her go, she was normal out in the field. But at milking time when my DH went to get her she did her weird seizure thing. When he got her in the stanchion & brushed her, she was normal again. Until after milking when he reached for her halter to lead her out to pasture. Another seizure thing! Then fine out at pasture.
This is now the routine. It's giving my poor DH a complex that Mocha is suddenly deathly afraid of him. He loves the cows. We're using treats for him to give just before he reaches for her halter, but it's still happening. The "seizures" are shorter in duration, but still terribly un-nerving.
All we can think is that it stems from when he gave her the Vit B shot on Friday morning. We had short tied her to the trailer because we didn't want her to poop in the stanchion. But she didn't react poorly at the time. We also gave her the activated charcoal while short tied to the trailer. The stanchion & on pasture seem to be her "safe places." She's only had the one shot recently & none of our other treatments have been difficult to administer. A couple months ago we tailbled her (in the stanchion though) without incident.
FWIW, Her milk production is still low, 2.5 gal instead of 4.25-4.5 per day.
Any ideas on what to do? Any similar experiences? We just want our normal cow back...with just her occasionally irritating traits ;-)
Thanks,
Aloria