Bottle calf not drinking

[cjc]

What kind of thermometer? Or does it matter?

You can use the same style you would put under your tongue. $10 or so at the drug store. Stick it in his bum and check it. If I have a calf that is off it's the first thing I check. Not all illnesses involve a raised temperature but it can often be an indication either way. What breed of calf is it?

 

[farmerjan]

First off, couple of questions. How big of a bucket so how much milk??? I think that it is not wise to allow any baby like that an unlimited access to milk unless it's from a cow. They only get about a pint to a quart or so at a time from a cow and it is the perfect temp. This calf shouldn't be getting what he wants at this age. Better a little hungry than too full. The calf very well may have a touch of coccidiosis. It doesn't always show up as blood in the manure, and sometimes not until too late. But they do often go off feed and quit drinking or drink very little. Corid in the liquid; I prefer to take a syringe and put 2cc directly down his throat. 3 days in a row once a day. No don't dilute it, straight out of the bottle. Dilution is mostly for a water delivery and it is too "watered down" to do him any good if that is his problem. If not, it won't hurt him. I have that advise direct from our vet, and that is what I do if I even suspect coccidia. Cut his milk and feed electrolytes for at least 2 feedings. Do not overfeed. Keep him in a draft free place but do not overheat him.
Yes take a temp. But in lieu of that, are his ears warm or cold? If they are cold, he is sick. If warm then probably not so bad, if hot then he is running a temp. LA 300 every third day for 3 treatments max. We usually use Penicillin instead of LA for something like pnuemonia and/or high temps. Since we use very little antibiotics it usually works. Or there is Nuflor and Baytril from the vet.
Joint ill can sometimes show up as a little baby if the cow had a low grade infection in her system, but it is not common. Probably got hurt when he was born, stepped on or a tough birth. Antibiotics won't hurt him for that either.

I am honestly thinking he got too much milk and now is having trouble from that overdose so to speak. And that will cause any other thing that is in the environment to just jump in and kick his butt. If he was mine I would automatically treat him for coccidiosis and put him on electrolytes for 24-48 hours. If he has any raspy sounds or coughing, he may have gotten milk into his lungs and then can get pnuemonia on top of it.

 

[Meghan Agner]

He was drinking about 2 qts at a time and I was putting 4 in. He never gulped it down.
Today he seemed back to himself after the probiotic. I force fed him last night.
He drank a pint this morning of milk, a quart of electrolytes at lunch and a quart of milk for supper just now. Is this enough? He's still hungry

 

[farmerjan]

Yes, that's enough for today. Better to be a little hungry than not. If he is acting all right in the morning, try a full 2 qts tomorrow morning and look to see what his manure looks like. If he still seems okay and no scours and no blood then go back to feeding 2 qts each feeding of milk. He could have just had a stomach upset because he might have gulped a little too much at one time. And if the milk was in the bucket then he was getting cold milk and that will throw them off. Who knows, sometimes they just go off a bit for a day or two. But watch his manure and if it gets a bit loose, or if you see any blood then he needs to be treated. Since the holidays are over, I think you will do okay if you keep him on a fairly consistent schedule. Happy New Year.

 

[DaisythePig]

He will be 2 weeks tomorrow. He's been on a bucket bottle thing for almost the same amount of time and has done wonderful. I started giving him a full bucket since he wasn't drinking it all at once. Then he quit drinking l. He is probably drinking the equivalent of 2 qts a day, if that. I started giving him less and changing it out more frequently. His poops aren't horrible yet. Yellow, a little formed but mostly unformed. We gave him a shot of LA300 hoping it would help. No change. Help

He will be 2 weeks tomorrow. He's been on a bucket bottle thing for almost the same amount of time and has done wonderful. I started giving him a full bucket since he wasn't drinking it all at once. Then he quit drinking l. He is probably drinking the equivalent of 2 qts a day, if that. I started giving him less and changing it out more frequently. His poops aren't horrible yet. Yellow, a little formed but mostly unformed. We gave him a shot of LA300 hoping it would help. No change. Help

A while ago we had a calf that wouldn't drink.We had to get our fingers and open his mouth. Then put the bottle in his mouth. It took a few times and he got it down. Is the calf acting different? Weak at all?

 

[cjc]

In my opinion when you say is it enough it really depends what your feeding him and the size of the calf. Are you feeding him milk or milk replacer? If it's milk replacer it will tell you the recommended feeding and that twice a day would be enough. Even when you've fed a bottle calf enough they will act ravenous which is normal. When they come at me when the bottle is done I put grain in their mouth. All my bottle calves start eating grain at 1 week.