Cows, calves and veterinary

Pain

I took these photos a few days ago. This is 108, a two year old Jersey. At the time I didn't know what was wrong with her - but it was obvious that she was in a great deal of pain.

Presenting symptoms: Milk drop.
A few days after her milk had dropped the condition had melted off her. I checked her head and mouth, for dehydration. Her eyes looked normal at that stage, and when I watched her in the paddock she was grazing, cudding, keeping up with the herd. The next day her eyes half-closed in the way they are in the photo (but not 'sunken' as is typical of dehydration). I also noticed a slight scour.
A few more days passed in which she got neither better nor worse, and since I had no likely diagnosis from my own observations, I got a vet to have a look at her.



In the image above, have a look along her side.
The bulge along her ribs is more obvious in the image below. She has a cracked rib. It's possible that all of her symptoms - milk drop, scour, harsh lung noise, unusual stance and extended neck - are due to pain. It's going to take a while longer to be certain that there is no other, underlying cause for her condition.
This new photo was taken the day after she started a course of anti-inflammatory (flunixin) and amoxycillin (in case of lung infection - it's possible that the broken rib has pierced a lung). She is already much more relaxed.
With the pain under control and avoiding situations where she could be pushed about (yarding with the herd) she should spend more time grazing and regain the lost condition.
Time will tell.


It's not all that unusual for cows to sustain broken ribs, but it is unusual for any outward symptoms to be seen. As a rule, cattle are good at hiding pain.
I have a suspicion that the nature of this particular break is causing the problems - the broken ends of the bone must be moving enough to cause the inflammation that has resulted in the haematoma over the damaged area.


edit, 8 Feb
a week later:

posted by nellta holdings @ 12:01 AM