Pnemonia

Spudley

Member
Location
Pembrokeshire
When were they last wormed? And with what? Did they have huskvac? Because it certainly sounds like lungworm. It can be very difficult to diagnose in live calves because they can be ill and die before larvae turn up in the dung. i seriously would worm them ASAP. Get advice from your vet about what is best to use, good luck.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
So far this morning, another dead one and half a dozen who I expect to die later today/tomorrow
meant to sad that, not like.
is this crypto, or pmonia in stirks ? both the following apply,
those that don't look like making it, get them gone, even if they do recover, they won't be any good, even as adults.
save your energy/money, for those that look ok, but keep them away from other stock, and do the disinfecting job with infecting in mind.
On vaccinating calves, if you follow your vets advice, they will want to cover all bases, and that can be rather expensive ! Shouldn't really need to, if your rearing is good, strong well done calves, will fight off a lot of illnesses.
there is an old saying in farming, first loss, is best loss, it is good advice for many things.
save your energy, for those that have a future, and cut your losses on those that don't.
but above all, think positive, it's a bummer, but we all have had them, just sort, and move on.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Have there been post mortems or get one along to the a final health lab?
that is fine, as long as you find a 'solid' result, vets do tend to be a bit vague, and wishy washy, over the results, so often, you are no better off, it's the 'might be this, or .....' that tends to be expensive.
We had a problem with fresh calves, from cows that were on kale, vets couldn't work out why, our calves were so listless, so, pm's, bloods etc. A chance remark, my memory remembered, Iodine, poured some diluted down the dry cows backs, problem sorted, before all the 'investigations' were complete, none of which really pointed out iodine deficiency. Another expensive lesson re- learnt, used to squirt some teat dip on cows backs, during milking.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Have there been post mortems or get one along to the a final health lab?
that is fine, as long as you find a 'solid' result, vets do tend to be a bit vague, and wishy washy, over the results, so often, you are no better off, it's the 'might be this, or .....' that tends to be expensive.
We had a problem with fresh calves, from cows that were on kale, vets couldn't work out why, our calves were so listless, so, pm's, bloods etc. A chance remark, my memory remembered, Iodine, poured some diluted down the dry cows backs, problem sorted, before all the 'investigations' were complete, none of which really pointed out iodine deficiency.
 

Jdunn55

Member
Thanks all, spoken to vet and going to just worm them all, didn't realise lung worm won't show up in a worm egg count, which tbh makes them pointless in my eyes... also going to treat again with draxxin and meloxidyl and got the vet coming to do a post mortem as hoping that will show lungworm and some bloods for pneumonia just in case (atleast then we will know whether we need to vaccinate or not!)
 

Wee Willy

Member
Location
Tyrone
Thanks all, spoken to vet and going to just worm them all, didn't realise lung worm won't show up in a worm egg count, which tbh makes them pointless in my eyes... also going to treat again with draxxin and meloxidyl and got the vet coming to do a post mortem as hoping that will show lungworm and some bloods for pneumonia just in case (atleast then we will know whether we need to vaccinate or not!)
Please use a weak wormer eg. Levacide or it's equivalent. Don't use an ivermectin. Killing all lung worms quickly(ivermectin) will put even more strain on the lungs and possibly kill your calves.
Good luck.
 

Jdunn55

Member
Please use a weak wormer eg. Levacide or it's equivalent. Don't use an ivermectin. Killing all lung worms quickly(ivermectin) will put even more strain on the lungs and possibly kill your calves.
Good luck.
Going to try and get hold of levacide as that's the one dad said to use as well

Just had another friesian heifer die

Vet opened the one from yesterday and unfortunately couldn't find anything
Going to send the one that's just died off for post mortem
Had enough of this now
 

Jdunn55

Member
Please use a weak wormer eg. Levacide or it's equivalent. Don't use an ivermectin. Killing all lung worms quickly(ivermectin) will put even more strain on the lungs and possibly kill your calves.
Good luck.
Got a levacide equivalent on the way but it will also do fluke, will that be alright or too hard?
That's the only levacide I can find at present
 

epfarms

Member
Location
somerset
Had they recently been moved into this paddock and was there a lot of grass there? If so, could be fog fever? They’re abit young but easily possible. It’s probably too late to be lungworm
 
Please use a weak wormer eg. Levacide or it's equivalent. Don't use an ivermectin. Killing all lung worms quickly(ivermectin) will put even more strain on the lungs and possibly kill your calves.
Good luck.

I watched a expensive lesson on a big
farm I worked on 20 years ago.
Fresh Calved heifers started coughing and losing milk/off colour. Wormed them all with ivomec. Killed all the worms that sat in their lungs decaying causing pneumonia and drowning.
Horrible sight. Lost lots and ones treated and recovered never right.
 
Better afternoon?
Early night and a decent meal, and hopfully it will seem a bit better.
Weve had an absolute tawt of a time with calving this year, lost enough cows that I ring them early in the morning to leave a message for collection as I couldn't face speaking to then again!
Also had 300 odd calves in pens when crypto hit, not sure where from but it was a cuss.
Just don't allow it in the house.
Worse things happen as sea.
 

Jdunn55

Member
Should start betting on how many will be dead by morning, my moneys on 3 (including another heifer) 😔

We've wormed everything, treated everything with metacam and everything had either draxxin (all but the same as zactran) or alamycin depending on how they looked/how difficult they were for me to pin in a corner
Lost another this afternoon and now my big best heifers have started going downhill including my favourite and best cows daughter

In all serious thanks again, I hate losing livestock, most things I can take on the chin (I may winge and complain but it doesn't really get to me properly) but for some reason the line gets drawn at livestock. Losing 1 or two is bad enough but losing 6 out of 33 with more to go is bloody depressing, and that's without thinking about the financial implications :(

God I cannot wait for this shitshow of a year to be over :(
 

Sheepykid

Member
Should start betting on how many will be dead by morning, my moneys on 3 (including another heifer) 😔

We've wormed everything, treated everything with metacam and everything had either draxxin (all but the same as zactran) or alamycin depending on how they looked/how difficult they were for me to pin in a corner
Lost another this afternoon and now my big best heifers have started going downhill including my favourite and best cows daughter

In all serious thanks again, I hate losing livestock, most things I can take on the chin (I may winge and complain but it doesn't really get to me properly) but for some reason the line gets drawn at livestock. Losing 1 or two is bad enough but losing 6 out of 33 with more to go is bloody depressing, and that's without thinking about the financial implications :(

God I cannot wait for this shitshow of a year to be over :(
All this will pass. Like all things it’s stressful now but time will make you forget. Maybe your in the fortunate position your elders aren’t too critical of any misfortune you have but even if your not take no notice. sh!t happens.
Regarding the symptoms though how did it start did it follow the usual pattern of coughing in one or two. Or was it straight into the whole batch?
 

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