Post by Donlin Stud on Apr 20, 2017 4:41:24 GMT
We are coming out of the weeds now but oh what a horrible near three weeks it has been
Midori our full of personality moo became very sick indeed and today we still don’t know what she has / had for sure.
At first we thought she had acidosis as we had picked up some really top notch bales grown under irrigation. The Dexters were not use to such high quality stuff, and the ground was greening up due to recent autumn rains after a dry summer.
She was sick for about three days, being treated for a very upset stomach when her temp started to rise.
Called the vet but he was out of town but said to pick up penicillin from his wife.
Used horse ice boots on her hooves (one of the mini horses gets Founder) – wet towels down her back and such trying to stop the rising temp.
She appeared to be dazed here and there.
About 24 hours after the needle her temp stabilised but didn’t come down.
She was nibbling some, drinking some and would walk here and there very slowly.
She finally made her way to the back of one of our 40ft shipping containers. We thought this really strange as none of the cows would venture pass the doorway = too dark and confining
It was good she chose there though as we had some cold nights and strong southerlies, and the containers are positioned within a 7acre chain wire enclosure letting us close the gate to stop the others from cornering or taking her food and lick blocks we had with her.
At this stage we thought she may have the three day sickness
? It was going around the district. She rarely left the container preferring to stay sitting right at the back. She would stand for only a few minutes when we approached with a bucket of food but would sit pretty quickly too
We then noticed yellow blobs on her nose which we thought was from her constantly licking her runny nose. Temp started to come down with third needle.
Every third day she was getting a shot of penicillin. Her poop remained very watery.
Now Midori was only eating when handfed and drank when given it in a syringe to her mouth..
My beautiful well-padded deep mahogany-coloured girl was a mess.
I could count all her ribs. I didn’t know she had ribs (so to speak) Her spine was protruding above her backline. I could see the bone definition in her shoulders. Even above her eyes had sunken in along with her rear end. Her coat was dry and her hair brittle and rough to touch. The colour was a light blotchy red
Midori had been sick for 9 days when the Vet eventually came out and assume it to be Actinobacillosis – wooden tongue type illness but the tongue remains soft.
We couldn’t blood test to be sure as Midori was given penicillin.
And we couldn’t start her new line of targeted antibiotics until the next dose of penicillin was due.
This wouldn’t be until Saturday afternoon
On Easter Sunday she started to graze a little but she was still so weak that we kept up the hand feeding and molasses water mix.
At one stage she walked into the dam up to her belly and I had to ride the quad bike in so she couldnt go any further in case she fell over and we couldn’t get her head above water.
On Easter Monday afternoon after receiving her second dose of the targeted antibiotics, Midori finally called her calf when she spotted him. She had not called him nor him her since she became sick.
He hasn’t left her side since spending the last three days all day right by her side. Wonder why he never called or was seen searching for her?
Today is Thursday and she spends more time grazing now than sitting in the container.
She drinks on her own and has topups in her treat bowl are only twice a day now
Last night she ate with some vigour pushing bub out of the way a couple of times.
Yay her appetite is back.
Her eyes are bright and she even mooed at me last night when she saw me walking towards her (this is when you know Midori is back to her normal self
)I have never had such a sick animal before.
A couple of times I thought we were going to lose her. I even slept a couple of times in that container with her. Thank goodness we decided not to have calves this year so Midori was not pregnant.
Im not so sure the vet’s diagnosis was the correct one and while it would be nice to know exactly what the diagnosis was, I am just relieved Midori is slowly recovering from whatever it was – and even more relieved it may not have been contagious as everyone else remains as bright as a button.
a blood test wasnt the first call of action???
Still not a clue.