Young Suckler Cow Down After A Hard Calving

Sorry to jump in on someone elses thread but we have a cow, calved unaided three weeks ago, was fine, went down flat in field now when lifted in net can stand on hind legs no problem but cant stand on her fronts, any ideas please?
 

bazza3034

Member
Location
co.tyrone
sometime you should stop if the feet are crossed if you have the pressure on yhe Jack and can't get your hand in without force always get the vet and take it out the side aleast the both have a chance to fight another day the vet is expensive but a dead cow would pay for a good few cesarean. Especially on a hiefer
 

Cowmansam

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Shropshire
Time and plenty lube helps too and can get a drug sinsi plex (not the right spelling im sure) which helps the cow open up 10ml leave half an hour it has made a huge difference when I had 40 cows in calf to a hard calving bull
 
Hi all - sorry for the late reposnse.

1stly - the cow from the origional thread calved again this year on April 1st with the biggest calf iv'e ever seen - she went down again and i thought here we go... Luckily she got up again 6 hours later after pain relief, antibiotics & some steroid & now she is flying again. Same story though, the calf couldnt stand for 4 days so had to be stomagh bagged. Then he couldnt suck the cow - day 23 and im still milking her twice a day to bottle feed the calf - he will suck her tits but doesnt seem to have the 'nack' - he will learn. The upside - i got £1200 for her last years heifer calf at 10 months old....

Now as to the guy who most recently commented about his downer cow, from experience - a few tips:

- Lift her with hip lifters every 2nd day. Every day is too sore on them IMO
- Keep her well milked out to avoid mastitus & to keep the milk to her
- Keep her on antibiotics & pain relief / anti-inflamitory
- Just this year i've started to use steroid in such cases 'Dexa Ject' - it appears to help mend nerve damage. Only give every 2nd day
- Personally i would keep at it until they appear to be a lost cause. 9 days is the longest one has been down about here.
- Best to have them in a field if there is enough shelter - better grip when they try to stand

The above is just my experiences! Good luck
 

Werzle

Member
Location
Midlands
Lifted one twice a day to let the calf suck for well over a fortnight before she came right, hip lifters had her as sore as hell though. I wouldn't want to just leave one to get up by herself, they wouldn't leave a person to just get up and they would at least want constant rolling to stop the blood supply from being cut off with the cows weight sat on her legs. Every downers different but if they stay sat up and eating I think they will come right with regular lifting and pain relief.
 

RushesToo

Member
Location
Fingringhoe
Hi all - sorry for the late reposnse.

1stly - the cow from the origional thread calved again this year on April 1st with the biggest calf iv'e ever seen - she went down again and i thought here we go... Luckily she got up again 6 hours later after pain relief, antibiotics & some steroid & now she is flying again. Same story though, the calf couldnt stand for 4 days so had to be stomagh bagged. Then he couldnt suck the cow - day 23 and im still milking her twice a day to bottle feed the calf - he will suck her tits but doesnt seem to have the 'nack' - he will learn. The upside - i got £1200 for her last years heifer calf at 10 months old....

Now as to the guy who most recently commented about his downer cow, from experience - a few tips:

- Lift her with hip lifters every 2nd day. Every day is too sore on them IMO
- Keep her well milked out to avoid mastitus & to keep the milk to her
- Keep her on antibiotics & pain relief / anti-inflamitory
- Just this year i've started to use steroid in such cases 'Dexa Ject' - it appears to help mend nerve damage. Only give every 2nd day
- Personally i would keep at it until they appear to be a lost cause. 9 days is the longest one has been down about here.
- Best to have them in a field if there is enough shelter - better grip when they try to stand

The above is just my experiences! Good luck
I think you have been very kind to the cow - but to be kind to youself, get the gene pool in your cows that you want.
If the calf was only £1,000 when it went - would that be better for you and the cow / calf and your herd? Only you can answer this.

You are still a good observer of what works when really really needed.
 

Suffolksucklers

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Suffolk
We had a downer this year and she finally got up after five weeks. All good advice, only thing I would add is our vet told us with anti-inflammatory/pain relief make sure they are eating and drinking regularly and try to only give a max of three courses or you will knacked the kidneys
 
I think you have been very kind to the cow - but to be kind to youself, get the gene pool in your cows that you want.
If the calf was only £1,000 when it went - would that be better for you and the cow / calf and your herd? Only you can answer this.

You are still a good observer of what works when really really needed.

Fair point. Iv had to pull this years calf off today as he just wont suck the cow properly - he is nearly a month old and actually getting worse at sucking the bottle. If i dont act up now next thing is he will die - so, pulling him of and getting him to drink from the bucket morning and night on powdered milk and ill rear him that way. I'll buy a calf to suck her.

She will get once more chance..........(cardinal sin)
 

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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