I've just had a heifer nearly die with Red Lantana poisoning 12 days ago now, and the vet and myself and husband thought if she was in calf she had surely lost it she was in such bad condition. She was skin and bone (happened within two days). Anyway with LOTS of TLC she's looking like a heifer again and joined the herd after 7 days locked in a pen with handfeed.
On Saturday she suddenly starting really bagging up, so we realised she must still be in calf. Her dam calved on the Saturday and then on Sunday she calved, a premature calf.
She couldn't stand and had a coat like velvet with eyes open and hooves weighed 10kg. We brought her home but couldn't milk the heifer or get colostrum (although did get milk from the dairy) until Monday morning.
Yesterday she could get herself up and totter around the garden (with a little dog coat on, for warmth).
Night one I did 2 hourly feeds and last night at 12am gave her 250ml of colostrum, and she didn't make a peep until 5am... but this morning she's a bit runny, does anyone have experience with raising a premmy and should I worry about the runny poo or is it just the richness of the colostrum?
I do have broad spectrum antibiotics on hand from the vet but don't want to start injecting her if I don't need to.
She's full of beans and soon as the sun's out I'll take her out again, as she tries to stand up in the lounge room on the rug which is on polished boards, not the best traction.
I've had her inside wrapped in rugs in front of the fire both nights and most of the day.
Here's a picture of her, the big calf was born the day before so there's 24 hours between them.
Any experiences at all with premmies would be helpful.
Good luck Vicki, fingers crossed for the tiny mite. We once had a 12 kg full term calf and I thought that was minute!
Our first ever Dexter calf was 6 weeks prem, by Saltaire Guiness from Casuarina Black Rose. He also had that premmie 'seal skin' appearance, but the mum fed him OK.
I have poddied plenty of full term dairy calves but even so had an occasional bout of scours. Instant treatment is the key when they're tiny. No waiting to see if it passes.
Margaret
Put yoghurt in her bottle today and that seems to have ceased the scours, although she has had a tiny bit of blood.
Spent all day in the garden with her and she's wobbly but trotting around and getting up and down, and by late this afternoon was drinking standing.
Now comes how to keep her from trying to run around the house. :;):
In some ways it's best that she's not on her mother, it gives her time to recover fully from the lantana, what a scourge that plant is!!
12kg full term, gee whiz, I measured her today and she's 15" tall. I thought I'd try to document all the bits as well as I can, for that someone one day that gets the same thing happening.
:D
Vicki
When I was a teenager we had twins from a freisian cow that were very premature and tiny, they were hereford X. My mum made them a bale pen by the kitchen radiator! They were quite the visitor attraction, she intended keeping them in the kitchen until they were due to be born but swiftly changed her mind when they met her in the hallway after she had been shopping one day!!! :D They did eventually grade and were a good shape and only slightly smaller than average.
seeing as the calf didn't have colostrum for 24hrs i would still inject with the antibiotics, prevention better than cure. She is bound to be prone to picking up germs. Speaking from experience if a calf doesn't have colostrum within the first couple of hours anything could happen. She is not out of the woods yet. Fingers crossed, keep us updated.
We have a composting frame we bought at Bunnings for about $24 it is wire panels about a metre square and it is ideal for keeping an animal restrained. I bought it for a Border Collie pup to sleep in so that it didn't mess anywhere in the house, but it has been used recently for a sick lamb in front of the fire. Well worth the money I spent
Marg
I was going to cancel going to Lismore this week but if Bunning in there have a frame I'll go.
She was up 'swimming' across the lounge room floor at 2am and 5.30am and when put back on her rug (which sits a top a double air mattress with no air) she would not sit down and bellowed until I got her bottle. :laugh:
Hi strawberriesclint,
I did get colostrum into her within the 24 hours and she scoured, then yesterday she was constipated. Vet suggested half colostrum half water a couple of times which I gave her to no avail so we took her into the Vet. Well that got the bowels going 'all over me'! He gave her a long acting antibiotic as they thought it worthwhile and we'll see how she goes in the poo dept today.
Hi Stephanie,
I can picture your mother meeting in the hallway, gee whiz they can be quick!
I'm hoping she'll grow normally, she's a beautiful little heifer and with lots of Woodmagic and Cobthorn Danny Boy as the Grandsire, she's got a lot going for her.
I'm trying to keep some good records in the eventuality of someone down the track needing them.
Thanks for all the support, another day so hoping it just continues nicely.
Here's some more pics of her from yesterday and the day before.
Next to a novel
Walking the fence:
Next to a 600ml soft drink bottle, I'm using as her bottle:
Beryl had one just like yours but many years ago, I think I am right in saying it was the first Woodmagic Peewit. The coat and size were very similar by her description and the cow had left it in some fern right up on a steep field. Beryl carried it down, warmed her up and bottle reared her. She became a firm favourite and a very good cow.
Maybe your little miracle is destined to be something special as well! :D
This thread is a real soap opera type story. Lovely pictures telling the whole facinating story. I am sure everyone on this board will wish you all the very best with her an hope you keep us all informed on your future progress. Excellent job.
Well it's living a soap opera at the moment too... our lives are so chaotic as we are selling our small (7.5 acre) farm and buying 125 acres, which is where the red lantana is... so Phil is over everyday pulling lantana and fencing and I'm home with Fatima and trying to keep our business going... talk about a juggle.
The Vet rang yesterday to see how she was and I told him that normally calves scour but I'm watching her because she doesn't go a lot and it's not scour... I think the milk direct from the dairy instead of powdered has been more beneficial.
She's been drooling and poking her tongue in and out and I realised she's teething, and can feel her teeth starting to break through, poor little mite having to go through this out of the womb.
Today's overcast so she won't like it much not having sun!
Fatima is two weeks old today and she's going well.
The only hiccup was constipation, yes you read it 'not' scours but the opposite.
I found she still doesn't want to lap or take water. So I ended up mixing water in milk and that shifted her, poor little thing. She was huffing and puffing yesterday and was lethargic so I thought she may have pneumonia, but on listening to her chest she wasn't at all rattley. Then at her 11pm feed she just kept going and going and going, and today seems to have got things happening a bit better and she's back to her bright self.
It's not something we associate with calves, it's more watching for scours so it's worth noting that it does happen and water was the answer. Full term calves are having a little water with their mothers so I guess it's just something due to being early.
Oh she has two teeth, one showing quite a bit, will have to get Phil to get a pic of them while I hold her. :laugh: And she has fur, and it's getting thicker, so doesn't need her dog coat anymore. Plus it's warming up here.
She tried for days to master washing her bum and now it's a breeze. :laugh:
A rainy day looked like meaning she wouldn't get out, but I utilised our very small verandah, by putting some rhodes hay on it and blocking the stairs, it made a good warm dry spot and I'll most likely put her here for her first few nights sleeping outside.
Getting up and down now, she is in control and does it like a cow, instead of a half fall.
