Need help for sick cow

[Pooh_Bear]

I went up there again yesterday and the cow is looking better.
Neighbor said it had been eating all day.
Maybe it is gonna make it after all.

Pooh Bear

[Soundguy]

That's good news.

soundguy

[Goldilox]

I need help for a sick cow! We think she is foundered....she's down and can't get up however she is eating and drinking very well and having normal bowel movements....she just can't get up....we've also been giving her magnesium to help....we take food and water to her and have to help her sit up in order to eat and drink....she's been down for over a week and I can't stand to see her like this anymore! Is there anyone that can help??

[sellercreek]

Originally Posted by Goldilox

I need help for a sick cow! We think she is foundered....she's down and can't get up however she is eating and drinking very well and having normal bowel movements....she just can't get up....we've also been giving her magnesium to help....we take food and water to her and have to help her sit up in order to eat and drink....she's been down for over a week and I can't stand to see her like this anymore! Is there anyone that can help??

A vet would be your best resource. They can do blood work to determine what specific problem exists and treat accordingly.

Has she recently had a calf?

[Iron Horse]

Originally Posted by Pooh_Bear

My neighbor has a heifer(?) up in the lot that weighs less than I do.
Last spring it weighed around 500 pounds. Now it is skin and bones.
It has had the runs for a over a couple of months.
Gave it sulphur pills, vitamin C shots, wormer,
and gave it feed with Ruminen in it. It barely eats anymore.
We have done everything we know to do and nothing has worked.
We don't know what is wrong with it.
So we don't know what treatment to give it.
There aren't any large animal vets here in the valley.
To have a vet come from a neighboring city across the mountains
would cost more than the animal is worth and it still mite die.
Folks around here usually rely on each other to solve problems like this.
But we haven't been able to figure this one out.

Anyone got any ideas about this?
It's only symptoms are it has the runs and has lost a lot of weight.

Sure would appreciate some help with this one.

Thanks.

Pooh Bear

Has it been eating Setaria grass ? It will give symptoms as you describe , especially in Horses .

[RichZ]

LIke Sellercreek asked, did she just calve? If so, she could have a pinched nerve. It's fairly common, but you're gonna need a vet to check her. If you can't get a vet, make sure that you move her at least twicw a day, or she'll get pressure sores from laying on one spot.

[sellercreek]

Cattle with pinched nerves do need to be moved periodically. Ideally, if you have a FEL you can use a cow lift and raise her a couple of times a day. This will allow blood to circulate more efficiently and should speed up the healing process.

Cow Lift - Stable/Barn Accessories

There is also a medication called banamine. It is an anti-inflammatory and can be very helpful in reducing stiffness.

That being said, a cow that has been down for 10 days to 2 weeks is not likely to get up regardless of the treatment.

I had one stay down for six weeks and would have stayed down until she reached old age, I suppose. She would eat, drink, and do everything except stand up and walk. I ran into the vet in town one day when she had been down for over 5 weeks. He asked me if she had gotten up and I said no. He then asked when I put her down and was shocked when I told him I had not. Long story short, I got a neighbor to finish the job. I didn't have the heart to do it!

Where there is hope!!!!!!!!!!

[Soundguy]

did she get turned out on a green pasture from a dry one?

soundguy

[texasjohn]

Welcome to TBN... sorry your first post had to be of such a difficulty.

As others have said or implied...my advice would be in the following order...

call vet and talk to him.... come out for a visit...only if you really value the animal and are willing to spend likely $200 or more.

Even with vet call, I give it only a 5% chance that the cow will ever be up and around again... likely even then never as good as new.

My experience, over 30 plus years and several such situations is that the sooner you put the animal down, the better for her and you both. Such is the reality of raising livestock... sometimes things happen and you must put them down...

Wish I had better advice...best wishes... please post again on TBN...let us know how things go... and about projects you have in progress.

[DanD78]

Poo Bear I would cut the Gluten out till it gets better. not sure if you are feeding wet or dry but it will start to mold if left wet too long. Dry gluten is better if kept dry and wet is best fed right out of the plant and not allowed to mold.

Dan