My cow is down (used to be "Red Cell for anemic cow") updated 1/15

[dragonmorgan]

I've got a down anemic cow and I am going to try giving her Red Cell. The jug I got only gives directions for giving it to horses so I am unsure of the dosage I should use and how often to give it. She is a small cow for her age (I think, since I am not super knowledgeable with cow weights and growth). Anyway she is around 2 yrs old and I think she weights around 200 lbs and DH thinks it is more like 160 or so. He probably knows more than me about it though.

 

[redtailgal]

I would go by the same dosage for the horses.

Good luck with her, I hope it turns out well.

 

[dragonmorgan]

Thanks me too. Once we get the anemia under control we will then have to deal with the issue of gettin her up so we still have a long road ahead.

 

[Shelly May]

Why is she anemic? what was the cause?

 

[dragonmorgan]

The only thing we can figure is parasites. I had suspected that she might have worms and then this past sunday she went down. I wasn't sure what it was but with the help of some people in some other forums we figured she must be anemic from the parasites. She seems fine (eating and drinking good, bright eyed and alert, etc) except for the fact that she is too weak to get up and her gums are very white.

 

[Bossroo]

We need more information than you provided. So, you say this bovine is about 2 years old and weighs about 200 or 160 lbs. What breed is she, is she a mini, lowline, or normal size ? If this bovine if of normal size breed, at 2 years of age she should weigh several times that amount. Or does she look like a starved skeleton ???

 

[dragonmorgan]

ok She is a 2 yr old (at least, this is her second winter so I am sayin shes 2) hereford heifer. She isn't a starved skeleton so she probably weighs more than I posted I am just not sure how much. I have always been bad at guessing weights but she is, in my uneducated opinion, small for her age. I can get a picture of her tomorrow if it would help. She is pretty skinny though which is why we figured on worms being the underlying issue to the problems.

Anyway we noticed last sunday afternoon that she had been laying in the same spot all morning and hadn't moved. She didn't look like she had fallen and she was laying in her normal spot in the yard. When we tried to get her up we couldn't. We have been giving 10% sweet feed but yesterday we started her on a bag of 12% and she's eating hay. Before she went down it was just the occasional sweet feed and then some hay and grass. We have given her b12 shots, one dose of red cell (but I will be going to the feed store tomorrow if they are open to get some iron injection to give her instead), wormed her with Ivermectin but when we are able we are going to worm her again with Cydectin since I was told it works better. I have tried giving her molasses water which she refused. Her gums are very white but her eyelids seem ok, not pale or anything, but I am not really sure what all to look for with that so I could be mistaken. I have tried to call the vet and was told that I was doing all I could and to keep it up and hope that she got up, I know of no other large animal vets around here to get to see her.

She seems fine other than not being able to get up. She tries to pull her legs back when I stretch and massage them, seems alert, has a good appetite, vocal as usual, tries to stand, fights us when we try and give her shots or make her drink anything, and didn't have any sores in her mouth that I could see. DH has managed to lift her backside up and we have gotten her feet under her. She tries to stand and can support some of her weight but not all and not for long. I haven't taken her temperature yet because DH refuses to let me use the family thermometer so it is on the supply list for tomorrow also. I am not sure if I missed anything but if I did or you think of anything else I might could check let me know.

 

[Cricket]

This is probably a long shot, but . . . as long as she is down, look at the bottoms of her hooves and between her toes and make sure she doesn't have foot rot or anything odd. If they get it on both feet they don't appear to limp, but the pain can cause them to refuse to get up. Good luck!

 

[Shelly May]

can you get a poop sample for your vet, and have them check the egg count for the parasites, Menigeral Worm is Rare in
cattle, but has happened, They loose all ability to walk, If sheep/goats ect get it. They have to be wormed with safeguard
every day for 5 days straight if they get that worm, or they will die. So take a sample to vet and see if you can find out what
kind of worm the cow has and how bad!

 

[redtailgal]

You said cow........so she has calved before?

Is she in with a bull now? Has she been in with a bull in the past year? (meaning is there ANY chance that she is bred?)

How much ivermectin and cydectin did you give her? (I dont mean this ugly, but if you estimated an adult hereford that does NOT look like a skeleton at 200 pounds, I'd bet that you have SERIOUSLY underdosed her on both the wormers AND the Vit B injectible)

Now go look at her (take a pair of pliers with you) and tell me the following:

If you pinch her tail (be forceful but dont break it) does she react? (check the tip, the middle and up high) If there is no reaction, pinch over her hips, and down the back of her legs.

Is her anal area swollen or discolored?

Any drainage from her vaginal area?

Are her hind feet/ankles/knees swollen? If so, is the joint hot? is the joint tight feeling or "squishy"?

Are her ears being held at 3 oclock and 9 oclock? are they lower or higher?

PUSH on her hip joints, push hard (be careful, she may kick, if she does, that's good) Do you hear a popping or grinding sound? Does she react with annoyance or pain?

Regardless of the answer to those questions, I'd speak to the vet and see about giving her a couple doses of banamine.....but you need to get a decent weight on her, even if its just an estimate. Take a pic of her, put something in the pic that we can see beside her for a size reference (a wheel barrow, yourself, a standing shovel, etc).