Help!!!!! Calf won't eat!!

[katlyn myers]

My husband and I bought a bull calf on Friday and he won't eat. He is a little over 2 weeks old, and the day we got him he took his bottle just fine. The next day and since then he has refused, and won't even suck my fingers. We have been tube feeding him, and our vet has even had us give him shots to make him want to eat. He has no fever, no cough, and no watery eyes. He isn't scared of us either cause he love being petted. He drinks water and grazes a little, and won't drink milk from a bucket either. Should we just tube him till he is weaned. He is still very active.

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYH fro NE Texas. Sorry the issue with your calf brought you to us. I'll tag a few folks who may be able to help. Meantime, please make yourself at home and browse around. There's lots of good stuff in the various threads.

@farmerjan @greybeard @WildRoseBeef @jhm47 @cjc I'm sure there a few more out there with cattle, but hopefully you'll get some answers or suggestions soon. Please consider adding at least your general location to your profile as it could be a pretty important factor in answering any question you ask. Hope your guy comes around.

 

[katlyn myers]

Thank you I updated where I live.

 

[greybeard]

It may the type milk you are feeding. Most calves do not like the soy based milk replacer, but it's not unusual that a newly purchased calf will go 'off feed'.

How's it's pooh looking?

 

[katlyn myers]

It's poop looks fine. He has no diarrhea. A cow farmer down the road told us he looks a couple weeks older than what we were told, and he said to go 2 days without tubing him. He said that should make him hungry enough to take the bottle, but it didn't work. They also said as active as he is he must be eating the hay or calf starter we have out.

 

[jhm47]

Does he drink water? He must, or he wouldn't survive long. You might cut back on his water availability and see if that helps.

 

[katlyn myers]

Yes he drinks water. I will limit his availability to it. He is getting weaker and I had a vet come out. They said he is very dehydrated and he is starting to burn through his fat reserves. It's not looking good for him.

 

[cjc]

How is the calf doing? A bottle calf that wont eat is always a bad sign in my opinion. Doesn't mean it cant be turned around but they usually need immediate attention. I have had one refuse a bottle for half a day when they came to our farm, but never a full day. Sometimes a fever comes after illness is already fully taken over their system. Regardless of what you are feeding the calf, what type of replacer, a hungry calf will drink.

 

[katlyn myers]

He didn't make it. The vet wasn't even able to find what was wrong with him.

 

[greybeard]

Sorry to hear it.