Lazy Calf

[Happy]

Got a three week old calf that just spends all his time lying down in the same corner of the shed.
Nothing else appears amiss with him. No temperature, scour, swollen navel etc. Get him up and he goes and suckles the cow ok but then spends the rest of the day lying in his same corner.

Today he wasn’t able to get up himself when I went to rumble him up a bit. Bright enough and once helped up on his feet of he went to find his mum.
Any ideas in what could be up with him? Cows due to go out this week and hoping the extra exercise will see him right but should there be anything else worth doing before turning them out?

 

[Sir loin]

Selenium Deficiency ? White muscle disease can affect the heart muscles or does it have a heart defect if heart pounding when you get it up may have a hole in the heart so it doesnt work properly making it tired.

 

[Blaithin]

I’d definitely selenium him. Vit A&D is another one commonly used here.

Could also try treating him for acidosis with a bit of baking soda in water.

If he’s declined to the point of not being able to get up on his own I don’t think I’d be counting on moving him out to fix things. Somethings up.

 

[Happy]

Thanks, will phone vet in the morning and enquire about selenium.
Will mention possibility of heart defect. Big calf that we had to calve and soon as he he came out he was kicking his hind legs like crazy, Never ever seen one do that before.

 

[Blaithin]

Could try and give him a madigan squeeze too. Maybe reboot his system?

 

[steveR]

I’d definitely selenium him. Vit A&D is another one commonly used here.

Could also try treating him for acidosis with a bit of baking soda in water.

If he’s declined to the point of not being able to get up on his own I don’t think I’d be counting on moving him out to fix things. Somethings up.

Had an issue last year with caves lacking vim... Selenium jab for the cows, and also a couple of calves...

 

[Blaithin]

Had an issue last year with caves lacking vim... Selenium jab for the cows, and also a couple of calves...

Selenium is pretty much a have to around here. Very deficient. All minerals for the cattle have it but most producers will still give all calves a shot at birth. Even had a mature cow a couple years ago present with what looked like full body arthritis (weird) to the point she was practically immobile. Gave her selenium and she was 100% within a week. Same mineral protocol as the rest of the herd, but she was the only one to present symptoms.

 

[Sir loin]

The calf we had with a heart defect we knew straight away chest having to work hard to keep going vet said it will live possibly a fortnight until it starts to grow then it will drop dead sure enough we found it dead a week later.
Re Selenium we Cosecure our cows takes all the risk away as we to are very deficient in all 3 minerals copper selenium and cobalt.