Orphan 3 day old calf

[kaseandlauren]

I'm never, ever saying that he's on the road to recovery ever again because it seems to encourage disaster, lol.

The vet is on his way back out again. Baby cow is having trouble standing, now has snot coming out of his nose, can't nurse well. He just wants to lie down with his head in my lap.

He had us run to the store right away and get some LA200 because the baby spiked a fever of 104. I've given it to him, so now it's just waiting until the vet gets here... Sigh.

Keep us in your thoughts.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

 

[wynedot55]

goodluck

 

[Kute Kitten]

Sounds like your going through a lot of trouble trying to save him. I would do the same! Wish you lots of luck!

 

[kaseandlauren]

Here's the baby, just in case anyone wanted to see him. Yes, that is a dog collar around his neck, lol.

His fever's down to 103.5 now, and seems to be pretty steadily coming down. The vet told us to dissolve an aspirin into about a teaspoon of water and give it to him by mouth, and that seems to have worked.

After checking him over, he said one of two things will happen:

1. He will get better in no more than 3 days and we will see a completely different calf.

2. He won't, and the only other option then, providing he's still alive, is to try a blood transfusion from a healthy cow so that he can get some of the antibodies he would have gotten from the collostrum.

It's going to be a long night

I know it's a lot when I'm not even sure he's going to be all right, but I feel like he was born alive, and he deserves a chance to live. Our neighbors are from the "old school" and were going to let him go with his mommy, but after listening to him cry for a couple of hours I had to jump the fence.

I've been calling him "the bovine" in an effort to not name/not get attached to him... Ha, fat chance. Now he's just Bo.

So here's to giving Bo the best possible chance.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Ahhh, he is a cutie.

I can't understand why people would let the calf suffer such an awful death. for you stepping in.

hoping and praying he makes it. If he doesn't it won't be because you didn't give it your best try.

 

[Kute Kitten]

Your working day and night I bet. He sounds like he needs you and likes you! Hope for you. :

 

[wynedot55]

he is a cute lil rascal.hope he pulls through for you.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

He looks to be a sweet little guy. Good luck with him.

 

[kaseandlauren]

Bo died at about 5am this morning.

He got to the point where he wouldn't even lift his head when I walked over, he would just cut his eyes up at me. When I sat down beside him, he'd heave-ho his head over onto my lap, but that was all he could manage. His eyes glassed over. I knew at that point he probably wasn't going to make it.

I stayed with him. He started skipping breaths and I scratched him behind his ears and under his chin while he went to sleep.

We're all so sad. Everyone who met him loved him instantly. We made sure he was buried next to his mommy.

The good news is we're convinced we need cows again. We have 8 acres and we made a lot of daydreaming plans while Bo was with us.

Any suggestions as to a good, friendly cow that would thrive in central Florida? I love the look of the Scottish Highlands but would they do okay in hot summers?