# Our poor sweet Jersey



## Cuddles11 (Feb 2, 2014)

Hello Herders!

We purchased a Jersey almost a month ago and have had one difficulty after another.  She came with her calf, who was along for the ride until we were adept milkers.  When we returned the calf, our cow, Jezebelle, mourned for three days and nights, calling and calling.  At that time, we were completely unable to milk her because she constantly kicked and we were quite afraid of being knocked unconscious.  I finally created a makeshift stanchion and brought her in where we again attempted to milk her.  By this time she was very engorged and I calmly explained to her that milking would alleviate the discomfort.  To no avail, she resisted and we gave up one more night.  The next day I read that slapping the offending leg would lead to an understanding that the cow was not in charge of this arrangement.  To my glee, this worked!  The leg finally stopped moving forward and up and we were able to milk out all four quarters.  The back of my hand was bruised, but the job was completed.  Whew!  We were able to milk about a cup out the following day, but it looked and tasted wrong.  With no experience, I could not tell what was going on; it was just plain wrong.

The next day I noticed Jezebelle was not eating any of her feed.  Any of it.  And her water intake was significantly diminished.  It was Friday.  I thought she was mad because we had milked her out so I dismissed it.  Saturday and Sunday showed no sign of improvement, and Sunday afternoon I went out to find a very emaciated cow.  Just  that fast her pelvic bones were protruding to the point where she resembled Mickey Mouse's friend, Clarabelle Cow.  Monday morning I called our vet who was able to come by at 2:00.  He looked at her in the field, where she had been lying peacefully, and she reluctantly stood up for us.  The wind was blowing mightily, so he told me to usher her into the barn.  Inside, he confirmed what he thought he heard in the field:  her breathing was constricted because of scar tissue due to lungworms.  Lungworms?  Next we moved to the stanchion since she was not sure about this fella who kept feeling her in odd places, and as I secured her halter, the vet turned to me and said, "Cathy, how long has she coughed like that?"  Coughed?  Hmmmm, I thought that was a reaction when I pulled her lead.  "Two days", I replied.  He examined the other end of the cow and asked how long she had had diarrhea.  What?  He went in for a stool sample (proving then and there I would not sign up to be a large animal vet) and as soon as he found a bit of stool and removed it, Jezebelle decided to gift him with whatever stool was remaining.  He sighed and said, "I should know better than to stand behind a cow."

So, yes, you guessed it, the lungworms had infiltrated her digestive system.  She was basically dry, very dehydrated, coughing, and not eating.  And the aroma she produced for the vet was far from floral.  Way far.  Polar opposite.  Worse than a skunk.  After five injections and a good caulking (sorry, those guns just cannot be explained in any other way), he told me she should show improvement in about 48 hours.  Thankfully he was correct; in less than an hour she was diving into her hay, but the absence of appetite still plagued her, especially her water intake.  

Today we are six days post-lungworm and she is remarkably better, although she has absolutely zero milk output.  Does anyone have any experience with lungworms in dairy cattle?  And after six days of being dry under any circumstances, is there any chance she will produce milk again?  Our vet told us we would not be able to drink the milk until a month after the medications were given, but I am having a hard time believing we will see milk again until she calves.  And, by the way, he also said she is currently not pregnant.  We were under the impression she was.  Which means we may have a cow who may not give milk for a year.  

Today Jezebelle is happy, but still not interested at all in her feed, which is 16% protein dairy feed.  Is her lack of eating the feed what is keeping her from producing milk?  Or her lack of drinking water?  By the way, her water intake has increased, although it is still not up to par.  Or is it her lack of milk that is producing a lack of milk (a positive feedback loop)?  

Thanks in advance; I appreciate any experience anyone might have.

Cathy

p.s.  If you do not see many posts from me, realize I am in the middle of nowhere with realllllllyyyy terrible Internet.  When I visit your site it is usually from the parking lot of Home Depot in our closest town 30 minutes away.  But know that I still love you.  <3


----------



## elevan (Feb 2, 2014)

First off - welcome to BYH @Cuddles11 

I'm not a cattle expert (far from it) but water intake is an important component to producing milk.  If her water intake was greatly diminished for several days then her body would not have had enough water to produce milk.

As to the lungworms playing a factor in the lack of milk production, I just don't know.  Typically a sick animal will drop in production, so it could have played a factor.

I wish you the best of luck with your new cow.  Hopefully someone with much more cattle experience than I will answer soon.


----------



## AshleyFishy (Feb 2, 2014)

When you say the milk doesn't look or taste right it makes me think mastitis. Is it salty or sour and when you strain it are there clumps or strings? Also on that note when the cow starts drying herself off the milk will get condensed tasting and thick. Is there any blood or pinkness to it?


----------

