Bloat & Calves

[kfpben]

Just lost a nice, happily weaned Angus calf to effing bloat.

Every year I have this issue but never seem to be able to sort it.

Calves weaned as long as they can eat 2kg creep per day. Once weaned they are on 1.5kg 16% nut AM & PM plus ad lib barley straw. Fresh water.

Does my nut in.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Definitely bloat not blackleg?

They blow pretty quickly however they die. I used to blame lots of unexplained deaths on bloat but I see far far fewer since we started vaccinating for blackleg.

Are they on very lush, very high clover swards?

 

[kfpben]

Definitely bloat not blackleg?

They blow pretty quickly however they die. I used to blame lots of unexplained deaths on bloat but I see far far fewer since we started vaccinating for blackleg.

Are they on very lush, very high clover swards?

Inside at the moment, on nuts and straw. Definitely bloat as she was kicking at her belly and making a godawful noise when I got there. I stuck a hose down her throat and a long needle in her side but she still died within 5 mins.

 

[Farmer Fin]

Inside at the moment, on nuts and straw. Definitely bloat as she was kicking at her belly and making a godawful noise when I got there. I stuck a hose down her throat and a long needle in her side but she still died within 5 mins.

Was she still standing when you started? If you got gas out with the needle they are normally fine. It could easily be a clostridial abomasitis associated mild acidosis.

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

Inside at the moment, on nuts and straw. Definitely bloat as she was kicking at her belly and making a godawful noise when I got there. I stuck a hose down her throat and a long needle in her side but she still died within 5 mins.

Did you manage to get any gas out ? Could be froth - dosing with oil can help.
It pays to have a scalpel and a trocka cannula handy for when things get desperate.

 

[kfpben]

Was she still standing when you started? If you got gas out with the needle they are normally fine. It could easily be a clostridial abomasitis associated mild acidosis.

Yes still standing. In distress though

 

[Farmer Fin]

Yes still standing. In distress though

They always are. But if they are still up and you get the gas out they are normally ok, it would be pretty rare to lose them afterwards. Would still be concerned about clostridial. The other question, is there enough water. Seen bad outbreaks of bloat in creep fed calves having water supply issues.

 

[Celt83]

We had one the other day, had to get the vet out in the end and glad we did!

He's a very big simental steer calf for his age and he eats like a horse, normally first at the trough.

But the other morning he was lying down as I was pouring the cake into the troughs. I got him to his feet but I noticed he was kicking and stamping his feet.

Turns out it was colic not bloat. We never would have thought that I can't remember the injection the vet gave him but it shifted the blockage and (knock on wood) he seems fine now.

 

[bluebell]

ive had that with a couple a few years back, and lost one, not had it for the last couple of years, when i had the last one i spoke to the vet and done what he said, that was get the somach tube bag put some warm water and a bit of washing up liquid in, then give like you would give colstrum carefully down throat with tube into stomach and release, it worked for me?

 

[traineefarmer]

Sounds like gassy bloat. We have one every 3 years or so and always have a terrible hassle getting our vet to take it seriously.

Grains = gassy bloat
Grass = frothy bloat

The only long term answer is a stitched hole through the rumen, but we always seem to have to go through the motions of multiple deflations, oil, more deflations, buscopan, more deflations then finally they agree to operate.