1yo calf with runny nose

[Qchickiemama]

He's had a snotty nose for about a week; I've been waiting to see if it'll clear up.

Got Tylan today and tried an injection while he was eating--yikes! Kinda dangerous.

Can I administer Tylan in his feed? Will he not eat his grain if it tastes like medicine? Other suggestions?

 

[Qchickiemama]

Whew. I didn't realize this whole site seems nearly dead. I'm figuring it out on my own. I guess the 68 people who viewed my post didn't know either.

 

[Mini Horses]

Not all of us raise cattle....and it's time of year when new animals are being birthed, gardens going in, fields being planted and tilled, and many have jobs.
Sorry no reply but, no one wants to give poor advice. A snotty nose isn't extreme for most animals...could even be from pollen. If you had taken temp, said coughing, not eating, etc, etc. It would also give others something to consider. Only been 48 hrs. Did you call your vet?

Have you seen a change in his condition?

 

[farmerjan]

Today is only Friday, I just now saw the post under new threads. We have been in the hayfield for the last several days as the weather has been perfect and I have also fit in a couple of times at my job as milk tester. And as @Mini Horses stated, I have a garden and we are about done calving out our spring group of cows and trying to get fences repaired from all the trees down this winter, and get cows moved out to summer pasture. There are not alot of cattle people on this site except for a few with family cows for milk and an occasional beef for the freezer.

Tylan would not be my 1st choice for a snotty nose. And no, most cattle will not eat feed if it tastes too much like medicine. Tylan can be used in water if it is on the particular label to do so. They use it in poultry water occasionally.

Has the calf had any shots or vaccines? Has it been exposed to any other newly acquired animals? How has your weather been? Extreme temperature changes? Where are you located (general area like state or something)? Is he running a temperature? Eating normally? Coughing or any breathing distress?

One thing, to give advice or make any suggestions, on something on such a general description is not wise.

Also, one thing to consider... If you have a relationship with a vet, because after the 10th of June there will be no antibiotics available without a vet prescription and if you do not have a relationship with a vet ( some routine vet work done) they will not prescribe without seeing the animal for each problem. This has been coming for several years and been set in place in stages. Just a heads up for your information.

 

[farmerjan]

Honestly, my choice of drugs is still Penicillin..... because we use very little drugs...so it is usually effective but they have to be treated for several days in a row...
We use Draxxin for pink eye, especially if they are out at pasture and we have to dart them rather than try to get the whole group moved into a catch pen....one shot deal usually does it but I don't think it is necessarily the best for respiratory... LA200 or 300 for pinkeye if they are where it is easy to get them in...also for footrot.....and oxytet in the feed ration if there is alot of snotty noses or coughing on calves we buy to make up groups of cattle to sell as feeders.....but you have to catch that early... Micotil for most respiratory things... Baytril on occasion also... But we work with the vet on his recommendations.
When you buy cattle like we do, you are taking alot more risk of bringing in problems.... the "bugs" on your farm may be different than the "bugs" on our farm so those cattle might not have any real immunity to what our cattle are exposed to. Our home raised calves are very sturdy and have good immunity to stuff here... and we do basic vaccines for the cows and calves... using only killed virus vaccines... the ones we most often have problems with are bought animals that we bring home...
I would think that oxytet or penicillin would be better than tylan for snotty nose... but if it is eating and acting otherwise fine, let it run it's course. If you have to give shots the animal HAS to be Contained... and shots should mostly all be given under the skin (subcutaneous) or in the muscle, both preferred in the neck so that there is not much trim of the meat from the antibiotic injection spot.

 

[Qchickiemama]

Not all of us raise cattle....and it's time of year when new animals are being birthed, gardens going in, fields being planted and tilled, and many have jobs.
Sorry no reply but, no one wants to give poor advice. A snotty nose isn't extreme for most animals...could even be from pollen. If you had taken temp, said coughing, not eating, etc, etc. It would also give others something to consider. Only been 48 hrs. Did you call your vet?

Have you seen a change in his condition?

I see. Yes, spring is a super busy season for outdoor/animal people! Makes great sense. And yes, I'm glad no one offered poor advice.

I don't have a large animal vet. Probably would call our prior horse vet if something horrible came up. We've been raising 2 beefs at a time for 6 years and only once encountered pneumonia. Can use corid for scours.

He actually seems to be improving despite only taking one dose orally. Thanks for commenting.

 

[Qchickiemama]

Honestly, my choice of drugs is still Penicillin..... because we use very little drugs...so it is usually effective but they have to be treated for several days in a row...
We use Draxxin for pink eye, especially if they are out at pasture and we have to dart them rather than try to get the whole group moved into a catch pen....one shot deal usually does it but I don't think it is necessarily the best for respiratory... LA200 or 300 for pinkeye if they are where it is easy to get them in...also for footrot.....and oxytet in the feed ration if there is alot of snotty noses or coughing on calves we buy to make up groups of cattle to sell as feeders.....but you have to catch that early... Micotil for most respiratory things... Baytril on occasion also... But we work with the vet on his recommendations.
When you buy cattle like we do, you are taking alot more risk of bringing in problems.... the "bugs" on your farm may be different than the "bugs" on our farm so those cattle might not have any real immunity to what our cattle are exposed to. Our home raised calves are very sturdy and have good immunity to stuff here... and we do basic vaccines for the cows and calves... using only killed virus vaccines... the ones we most often have problems with are bought animals that we bring home...
I would think that oxytet or penicillin would be better than tylan for snotty nose... but if it is eating and acting otherwise fine, let it run it's course. If you have to give shots the animal HAS to be Contained... and shots should mostly all be given under the skin (subcutaneous) or in the muscle, both preferred in the neck so that there is not much trim of the meat from the antibiotic injection spot.

The store was out of penicillin, prob because people are stocking up right now. I hate using drugs on our beautiful beefs, but when u need them, I'm glad for them.

I've learned now that I cannot give a 1yo steer shots. Whew. Crazy for trying! I may have used up 2 months of adrenaline attempting to stick him without getting hurt. I've done the 2wk old guys before.

 

[Qchickiemama]

Today is only Friday, I just now saw the post under new threads. We have been in the hayfield for the last several days as the weather has been perfect and I have also fit in a couple of times at my job as milk tester. And as @Mini Horses stated, I have a garden and we are about done calving out our spring group of cows and trying to get fences repaired from all the trees down this winter, and get cows moved out to summer pasture. There are not alot of cattle people on this site except for a few with family cows for milk and an occasional beef for the freezer.

Tylan would not be my 1st choice for a snotty nose. And no, most cattle will not eat feed if it tastes too much like medicine. Tylan can be used in water if it is on the particular label to do so. They use it in poultry water occasionally.

Has the calf had any shots or vaccines? Has it been exposed to any other newly acquired animals? How has your weather been? Extreme temperature changes? Where are you located (general area like state or something)? Is he running a temperature? Eating normally? Coughing or any breathing distress?

One thing, to give advice or make any suggestions, on something on such a general description is not wise.

Also, one thing to consider... If you have a relationship with a vet, because after the 10th of June there will be no antibiotics available without a vet prescription and if you do not have a relationship with a vet ( some routine vet work done) they will not prescribe without seeing the animal for each problem. This has been coming for several years and been set in place in stages. Just a heads up for your information.

We're in central NC having a very cool and damp spring. No new animals. He's just my first steer that I've seen to allow mucous to run down his nose and not clean it up. Saw clumps of it in trough. No coughing--yay. Eating normally.

What prep are you taking with respect to new vet/Rx laws?

 

[farmerjan]

Because of the size and scope of our operation, we have a good vet/client relationship. We do not have to use a vet all that often, but we do have him do all our pregnancy checks on the beef cows... We run about 100-130 head of beef cows and calve out spring and fall groups... he does ultrasound and it is very accurate... so we can determine each one's approx due date and such. I also have him bangs vaccinate any heifers we are keeping as replacements; that is as much for the tattoo in the ear as the actual vaccination since the disease (brucellosis) is not a threat like it was. It gives us a way to identify animals that may have gotten loose and in with others... and once it was the identification that we needed when someone said we could not prove they were our cattle.... WRONG ANSWER....
However, it is a one shot, one time and they are protected for life. I was more involved with dairy and I do not want to drink milk from a cow that has not been vaccinated for it. There are dairies that no longer even vaccinate for it since it has been pretty much eradicated.... BUT there is still bangs in bison and cattle that border places like Yellowstone and other national parks... it just seems like a sensible thing for me to do.

I do have a back stock of some of the typical over the counter drugs that will not be available in a couple weeks... but will not have any trouble getting most everything from the vet. This is going to make it difficult for the small "backyard farmer" that only raises a few or just for beef or whatever... but it will also stop indiscriminate use of drugs for something that they may not be indicated for. The vet is saying it will be a pain for them with the added paperwork also.... but that is something we cannot fight now.

Nothing gets a shot for any reason here that is not "caught" in a head catch in the chute. Not worth getting seriously hurt.