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 Nellie's "Bull Run" is over.

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T O P I C    R E V I E W
NellieBelle Posted - Oct 11 2020 : 07:48:14 AM
Early this morning I went out with a flashlight to check on Millie, as today is her due date. Millie was resting and Nellie and Darla (calf Hoss), were eating hay. When it was light, about 45 minutes later, I went out to start chores, and I looked down in the pasture and saw a cow with a newborn calf on the ground. I assumed it was Millie, but was surprised to find it was Nellie. I'm pleased to say that Sweet Nellie, after 5 bull calves, finally has ended her "bull run." She had a little heifer calf, we named her Hannah. It's 59 degrees this morning, the calf was shivering, so we moved her into the barn. Nellie followed politely. All is well it seems. Nellie had no signs of milk fever this time, which I attribute to the Animate supplement. I did give her one tube of calcium post-delivery. Now they are both resting inside in a stall. Nellie wasn't suppose to be due until Oct. 20th. Surprise!
25   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
maryjane Posted - Nov 04 2020 : 3:55:03 PM
Really appreciate the update Janet and love the good news. Let's hope she continues to find her way.
NellieBelle Posted - Nov 04 2020 : 08:19:55 AM
It's been a few days so thought I would update on Hannah. Yesterday I was a bit down because Hannah wouldn't take her bottle. I noticed she was behaving as if she didn't know how to grab the nipple. It wasn't till evening when I let Nellie back with her that I found Hannah nursing Nellie. I was ecstatic. So I'm just watching and hoping the bottle feedings are over. She is getting around pretty good. She still holds her head funny at times but has improved. Having 70 degree weather. Wahoo!
maryjane Posted - Oct 30 2020 : 11:34:49 AM
Such wonderful news!

Miss Daisy has a large lump on her neck that is the result of a broken bone in her neck. It happened when she was younger and my cow Maisy shoved her from the feeder. Maisy was aggressive and used to clear the entire feeder in between bites of food--very annoying. I brought her here from a cattle ranch when she was younger, maybe a year old. I wondered if she didn't have to fight for food when younger.

Anyway, Daisy's body encased it in a huge amount of scar tissue that I think protects her, otherwise it might have caused health issues. I like to think of her as a nice-girl-with-large-lump:)
NellieBelle Posted - Oct 30 2020 : 10:42:19 AM
After Hannah's noon feeding, I turned her outside. She ran and ran and ran, kicked up her heels. Didn't fall once. So I'm leaving her out this afternoon to enjoy her momma, the sunshine and fresh air. Meeting of the minds:
NellieBelle Posted - Oct 30 2020 : 07:35:54 AM
Good morning MaryJane! Hannah is doing quite well this morning. She wanted to play. Getting up on her own. Eating good. The weather is to warm up this weekend and on into next week, so I will be turning her out to be with Nellie. I think it will build strength. No, the vet hasn't gotten back to me about neck alignment. I've been working with her. When she holds her head a bit to the side, I can feel it's off, and it slips in and out easily. You can feel it like go into notch. Not sure if that's good or bad, but when I put it in she holds her head normally. So I don't know if it's a strength thing and she will come out of it or if we will have to seek further help in future. Time will tell. But today she is behaving like a "normal" calf, albeit the weak legs now and then.
maryjane Posted - Oct 30 2020 : 07:08:40 AM
How is Hannah this morning? Did the vet come back with any other remedies for her neck alignment?
maryjane Posted - Oct 29 2020 : 09:38:47 AM
That's great news all around!
NellieBelle Posted - Oct 29 2020 : 09:09:22 AM
Well the vet got back to me this morning on all the stool samples. I collected fresh samples yesterday and they all came back negative for parasites. So I will continue as usual and just watch Darla. She shows no signs of illness. Just big belly. Hannah ate good last evening and again this morning. Stools are normal once again and we will just watch and wait. One day at a time. Darla's calf Hoss is taking all of her milk, I will soon be weaning him completely away. I've started separating him small amounts of time. Nellie is giving 7-8 gallons each day so don't need Darla's milk so no hurry. Millie and her calf, Hank, doing fine. Maybe things will calm down now for a bit. Hopeful.
NellieBelle Posted - Oct 28 2020 : 11:57:26 AM
Just tried another bottle of milk. She didn't act hungry but she took half of the bottle. Yes MaryJane, she stretches every time she gets up. Stumbles around a bit then takes a few awkward steps before walking a bit more steady. Sometimes she holds her head crooked, other times not. She is a conumdrum. I don't believe I will offer another feeding until 5:00p.m. or later to see if she is hungrier by then. Now for some much needed housework.
maryjane Posted - Oct 28 2020 : 10:56:00 AM
That's going a great direction, Janet. Remember when Ian was "pulled" using brute force and pull chains to get him free of his mother, Lacy Lou? Even then, that didn't work, so she endured a C-section. Well, he started going downhill within a few days. He walked in circles, eventually losing his appetite. One key indicator? He wasn't stretching when he stood up. A healthy bovine will take a long, healthy stretch. Is Hannah doing that? He didn't. I got desperate after trying all kinds of things and had a chiropractor out who yanked on a leg, specifically a knee I think and made an adjustment in his back. Within minutes Ian was running around. And stretching. He so loved his new flexibility that he had us in stitches because his nose was constantly "nosing around" his back end for about a month. He was forever fine after that and turned into a prize bull.
NellieBelle Posted - Oct 28 2020 : 09:15:05 AM
Well the morning is about over. I've been down in the milk parlor all morning. The vet picked up the stool samples. I had him look at Hannah. Yesterday he had me go to the clinic and pick up some bolus and some other injectables that I came home and gave to Hannah. It helped, she ate better, but still unsteady on her feet. I showed him a bump below her rt. ear, it's as if something is out of place. He worked on her and he did notice a click when he tried pulling and aligning her head/neck. While the vet was here I turned her out with Nellie and she ran around, went the length of the pasture and back, fell a few times, but got up, then I coaxed her back inside. I have practically lived down in the parlor the last three weeks. (On the bright side, I am getting some cleaning done in the parlor). It does take a toll on one emotionally and physically. But, I'm still going. Now, if we can get Hannah figured out. She may need adjustments, surgery or culled, but I will wait and see what the vet finds as he was going to do some research and make some calls. We are now thinking she either landed hard, perhaps came out backwards, but we just don't know. She had scrapes on the backside of both ears when she was born, they are all but healed up, but it makes me think she may have came out backend first. If I could have only been there when she delivered it may have ended differently, and may not, I don't know. And now it's time for another feeding. And she's off!!
maryjane Posted - Oct 28 2020 : 08:03:26 AM
Hope you can figure something out. When my animals are ailing, so am I.
NellieBelle Posted - Oct 27 2020 : 10:59:18 AM
I've not had any of the cows tested of late, however the vets tested my dog and found no parasites in the stool samples. They told me German Shepherds are known for digestive issues. I visited with the vet just now and he doesn't believe it to be parasites, but he said it does no harm to test, so, I will be collecting samples today and he is going to pick them up in the morning. Then we can find out for sure. Thank you MaryJane. Not being a pessimist, just trying to help and I appreciate it.
maryjane Posted - Oct 27 2020 : 10:21:55 AM
I haven't found DE to work on my girls (or chickens or cats or dogs) based on fecal testing. I've resorted to some pour-ons in the past to get them free from an overload of various different kinds of parasites, especially my chickens, one in particular who almost died from a parasite picked up from earth worms. What?! Who knew. She's fine now but I had to dose her after taking a fecal sample and my nearly dead chicken to WSU. Prior to that, my chickens were administered DE daily. I still have a tub of it left. I'm pretty sure you can send a fecal sample from where you are to WSU. It sounds like parasites to me, maybe even your dog. Sorry to be such a pessimist. During the first week when I had Jasper here he threw up on my bedroom floor and the pile was writhing in live worms. He got a dose of vet-prescribed anti-parasite med and has ever since. Ashley and I have tried all kinds of concoctions to no avail once we send off fecal samples to check whatever things we've tried. It's just that parasites can be so terribly deadly, even in Hannah. You might test her first thing to see if that's what she's up against.
NellieBelle Posted - Oct 27 2020 : 09:15:51 AM
Thank you MaryJane, I don't believe he said anything out loud about parasites, but all of them get diatomaceous earth year round. Her overall condition is good, great appetite, just has abnormally large mid-section. He did have me move her over to other pasture away from the alfalfa in case she was loading up on it. Trying to get electrolytes down Hannah.
maryjane Posted - Oct 27 2020 : 08:24:44 AM
When it rains, it floods ...

Did your vet wonder about parasites?

Thank you for the update Janet. I'm constantly wondering how you're doing. Wish things were looking more up. So sorry.

NellieBelle Posted - Oct 27 2020 : 08:10:57 AM
Good morning! It's been a couple of days, so I thought I would fill you in on what's going on here. October must be my month for animal problems because, boy do I have them. Hannah is about the same. Not eating as well, now she has bloody, mucus stools, just started yesterday, and so of course she is weak. Darla, has what I thought was a displaced abomasum, so I called the vet, he was here last evening to look her over, and he doesn't believe that's her problem. Not bloat. She is huge, think of a blimp with legs. So we have just decided to watch her for now, see what develops. She has no fever, eats as always, so don't really want to "treat" her with anything until we know more. My youngest german shepherd started losing weight to the point you can see his ribs and bones. Took him to vet and all his blood tests came back normal. They put him on antibiotic and we are trying a different food. That's where things are at the moment and I can only hope things improve soon.
NellieBelle Posted - Oct 24 2020 : 5:10:41 PM
I didn't give her the ProBio today per your suggestion MaryJane. I don't think it matters at this point. She isn't doing any better. I gave her another injection of Thiamine. Her legs are weak and she isn't taking her bottle like she did. She staggers when she walks. It's sad to watch. I've run out of ideas and guess I need to prepare for the worst. Thanks for the suggestions and support everyone. I'll let you know how things go. Enjoy your evening all!
maryjane Posted - Oct 24 2020 : 10:56:34 AM
Just a thought. As a family, we've had trouble finding a one-size-fits-all probiotic. It seems like we all require something different. I've had probiotics that don't work for me at all. Quite the opposite. TMI alert: constipation, headaches, etc. If you've been giving them to her routinely, maybe take a break and give her a chance to let her own flora flourish without administering doses of maybe-not-such-a-good-fit probiotic.
NellieBelle Posted - Oct 24 2020 : 10:32:14 AM
Yes, I've been adding probiotics daily with one of her feedings, along with the B complex gel and the shots.
maryjane Posted - Oct 24 2020 : 09:42:38 AM
Do you have any probiotics on hand? Some of the B gels have probiotics added already.
NellieBelle Posted - Oct 24 2020 : 07:55:45 AM
Good morning MaryJane. I gave her two injections last evening. This morning she took her bottle better, moved around more, got up on her own, but is still doing the head pressing. I will give her another injection today, and as long as I keep seeing symptoms. I don't know if she will survive this, but I'm trying to give her every chance for success. It's time to feed her again so will see how she does this time. 26 degrees here this morning and frost made everything crunchy. Leaves are falling like rain.
maryjane Posted - Oct 24 2020 : 07:11:53 AM
Good decision. Yes, totally harmless, but life-saving when "star-gazing polio" strikes. Don't be afraid to administer it again until her rumin starts to product it on its own again. I've had trouble with the gel not being enough thiamine before, so yeah, an injection or two usually gets things back on track.
NellieBelle Posted - Oct 23 2020 : 6:07:48 PM
Yes, the update isn't as happy today I'm afraid. I noticed this morning with her 5:00a.m. feeding that she didn't want to take all of her bottle. I didn't think much of it, but when I went down at 9:30 for her second feeding she wouldn't take all of it either, and she just wasn't right. Staring out in space, couldn't get up and when I helped her up, she staggered and just wasn't doing well. I put a call into the vet but he had left for the day. I went ahead and gave a B1 (thiamine injection)IM. I've been giving oral B complex gel daily, but I don't think it is enough. She just seems to me she may have symptoms of Polioencephalomalacia. I may be wrong, but B1 is water soluble and I didn't feel I could wait any longer. She was doing some head pressing and wandering in circles. 30 minutes later she seemed better. She got up, walked around and seemed more with it. I will be going down again around 10:00 p.m and see if she has improved. So she is not out of the woods yet.
maryjane Posted - Oct 23 2020 : 06:19:37 AM
Happy to hear things are moving along Janet. I continue to think of you and the incredible amount of love and work you're pouring into Hannah. Any updates???

Darla, happy to hear about your visit to your someday home. Exciting. It's so beautiful. Snap a few pics for us, k?