cow only picking

cute geoge

I had a sick cow after calving not eating a few weeks back and vet could not diagnose what was wrong with her but treated her for collic i think .Anyway cow picked up a small bit and i never milked her but i now notice she has got very empty and only picks at ration ,grass and hay.She looks healthy enough but dung is dry and gluey ,is there any tonic i could give her to get her motoring!!!

GrasstoMilk

cute geoge wrote: »

I had a sick cow after calving not eating a few weeks back and vet could not diagnose what was wrong with her but treated her for collic i think .Anyway cow picked up a small bit and i never milked her but i now notice she has got very empty and only picks at ration ,grass and hay.She looks healthy enough but dung is dry and gluey ,is there any tonic i could give her to get her motoring!!!

Try a jar of coffee. Any cow that might be a bit off here I give her some coffee and it has sorted some out. But they have only been off form for a day at most,not weeks.
It lines the stomach I believe

Lady Haywire

Cut her a branch or two of ivy as well. Very nutrient packed for its size & cows are more apt to pick at it than hay or silage.

Mooooo

Get vet out to check for a displacement. Can happen after calving. Liquid paraffin can help too down the hatch

Muckit

Displaced abomasum perhaps

whelan2

When vet was here testing he got a call from a large dairy farmer of ten sick cows. 6displaced abomasums

Mooooo

Water after calving helps a lot I think once they drink it. Other than that silage chopped too fine etc. Using a bit of straw if diet feeding as well for roughage length

The man in red and black

+1 on the displaced abomasum until proven otherwise. Have your vet examine her. Make sure can access both sides of the animal to listen for gas. Sometimes in a narrow crush with a wall on one side I have to get animal up backwards or in behind a gate etc to listen to the side which was against the wall.

RedPeppers

cute geoge wrote: »

I had a sick cow after calving not eating a few weeks back and vet could not diagnose what was wrong with her but treated her for collic i think .Anyway cow picked up a small bit and i never milked her but i now notice she has got very empty and only picks at ration ,grass and hay.She looks healthy enough but dung is dry and gluey ,is there any tonic i could give her to get her motoring!!!

Is this a dairy or suckler cow? What sort of condition was she in before calving? Could be Ketosis. Couple of shots of dexameth would help her appetite if it’s ketosis

grassroot1

In short get the vet back

cute geoge

So the vet could not diagnose what was wrong with her ,so i don see the point in giving him another €100 odd .He treated her with a coctail of drugs so i suppose these have wore off now .he would have copped if it was a displaced stomach as he spent long enough examning her ,i think i will try the liquid parafin

Mooooo

Could ask the vet for a magnet to give the cow. Possible she ingested a bit of metal. Vet would occasionally give one here if not sure what was wrong.

greysides

Sometimes it takes more than one visit to pick up the indicators of a Displaced Abomasum as they may not be consistently present. Changes in the animal over time and the response to treatment may give new indications as to what's wrong. You also have the option of getting a second opinion.
Given the variety of things to go wrong in the dark mass that is a cows abdomen, it sometimes surprises me that with complex diagnostic equipment comprised of a glove, a thermometer and stethoscope, we can diagnose at all.

Westernrock

cute geoge wrote: »

So the vet could not diagnose what was wrong with her ,so i don see the point in giving him another €100 odd .He treated her with a coctail of drugs so i suppose these have wore off now .he would have copped if it was a displaced stomach as he spent long enough examning her ,i think i will try the liquid parafin

If you went to the doctor and didn’t get better would you just try some liquid parafin?!

Vet could pick up something now that wasn’t there before, often one problem can lead to a secondary condition. Displaced abomasum can come and go so would always be worth a second look

_Brian

Our vet would recommend sulpha powders for a few days for any animal that seemed sick or off food, but showed no symptoms otherwise.

Has the cow a temperature.
How is her hydration levels, skin tent test etc.
I would be wondering about an infection after calving, not all would have a dirty discharge.

Water John

Are there more than one vet in the practice. Ask, to send out a diff vet, for a second opinion.

Donegalforever

Water John wrote: »

Are there more than one vet in the practice. Ask, to send out a diff vet, for a second opinion.

I agree.
Sometimes a second Vet can diagnose correctly what the first Vet missed.

grassroot1

Well did the liquid paraffin cure the cow or did you get a vet back in?