# Help sick calf!!



## dairylover (Mar 14, 2014)

This morning I went out to find my calf with swollen joint and he cant walk, he has bloody poop and he is bloated any ideas?


----------



## Fairfarmhand (Dec 4, 2013)

Could be naval ill. INfected navel. CAll the vet, you may be able to get a shot for him. Don't put it off. How old is the calf? What breed? General health status?


----------



## dairylover (Mar 14, 2014)

Hes less than a week old, and hes a jersey. He was really heathy until this morning. What can I give him for navel ill? Now that I look I can see his tummy is really swollen


----------



## Fairfarmhand (Dec 4, 2013)

You'll need antibitotics buit you really should call the vet to get the best scrip for the most common bacteria. You can administer the shot yourself. Our large animal vet will listen to me on the phone and give me his best diagnosis based upon what I'm telling him if I can't afford to bring the calf up there. Get the calf's temp. rectally, monitor his breathing, Breaths per minute. I might give him some penicillin for tonight, since it's after hours with the vet.. You may be able to get it at tractor supply. Calculate based upon his weight. 

Soak the navel in warm salt water, see if you can squeeze uout the infection. Pat dry and swab it down with iodine.

Don't wait. Once it gets to his joints that can be pretty bad.


----------



## Fairfarmhand (Dec 4, 2013)

how is the calf today?


----------



## rene (Mar 14, 2014)

I take the two little ones 2 days ago, raining bad., and then it got cold . now I have one that is sick, great. Im doin all i know to make this lil one come through. arrgg


----------



## Fairfarmhand (Dec 4, 2013)

What are the symptoms? Calves are quite suceptible to pneumonia. YOu can get meds from the vet that usually knocks it out pretty fast.


----------



## dairylover (Mar 14, 2014)

I will have to ask my sister how hes doin because im not there. She lives in tx and I live in iowa :-/ but ya I'll let ya know


----------



## rene (Mar 14, 2014)

I think pneumonia


----------



## Fairfarmhand (Dec 4, 2013)

I think it was Nuflor that our vet gave us for our calves with pneumonia. Keeping them warm was crucial too. I had a calf in the garage covered with an electric blanket for 24 hours.


----------



## rene (Mar 14, 2014)

Fairfarmhand said:


> I think it was Nuflor that our vet gave us for our calves with pneumonia. Keeping them warm was crucial too. I had a calf in the garage covered with an electric blanket for 24 hours.


I got him in a barn. Yea pneumonia, i can hear it in his lungs. Arrgg..


----------



## RanchWife (Jan 31, 2014)

We had a calf with navel I'll last year, we ended up giving it micotil, it is like a cure all for calves but is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to administer, if the tiniest amount gets in the human blood stream people die within hours. If it needs this, it's best to take it to the vet and have them do it.


www.calving2014.wordpress.com


----------



## rene (Mar 14, 2014)

RanchWife said:


> We had a calf with navel I'll last year, we ended up giving it micotil, it is like a cure all for calves but is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to administer, if the tiniest amount gets in the human blood stream people die within hours. If it needs this, it's best to take it to the vet and have them do it.
> 
> 
> www.calving2014.wordpress.com


I will definitly look into this. But i just lost him. :-(


----------



## RanchWife (Jan 31, 2014)

It is important to spray their umbilical cord with iodine (7%) right after they're born to prevent this.


www.calving2014.wordpress.com


----------



## rene (Mar 14, 2014)

RanchWife said:


> It is important to spray their umbilical cord with iodine (7%) right after they're born to prevent this.
> 
> 
> www.calving2014.wordpress.com


No one ever told me this.


----------



## DoubleR (Jan 15, 2014)

rene said:


> No one ever told me this.



It's pretty much standard operating procedure. Most books recommend this. Vets too.


----------



## Fairfarmhand (Dec 4, 2013)

We don't usually Iodine dip, but we don't calve in barns. Our herd calves on open, clean fall pastures which lessens the likelihood of navel ill. We've never had a case. 
I wrote a couple articles for the site about it because of this thread.

http://www.cattleforum.com/


----------



## rene (Mar 14, 2014)

Fairfarmhand said:


> We don't usually Iodine dip, but we don't calve in barns. Our herd calves on open, clean fall pastures which lessens the likelihood of navel ill. We've never had a case.
> I wrote a couple articles for the site about it because of this thread.
> 
> http://www.cattleforum.com/


Yea ive been readin . Very very useful. Thank u


----------



## Cowlover (Mar 19, 2015)

rene said:


> Yea ive been readin . Very very useful. Thank u


My local agricultural store only sells iodine dip for lambs, is it the same stuff and how essential is it to dip calf navels in iodine?


----------

