Ursula in crisis

Ursula calved on Monday at 6:15 —Healthy bull calf

Metabolic crash in the night & domino effect— emergency vet visit

• Down cow — from hypocalcemia (“milk fever”) — cow pulls all the calcium out of her blood to make milk, leaving her with not enough for her muscles/nerves to work so she becomes paralyzed— this is fatal if not treated with IV calcium immediately.

• Gut also paralyzed —> bloat: Paralysis affects gut too (it’s has smooth muscle tissue as well) leading to down down nearly dead (barely breathing, low heart rate, rumen bloat) This is despite a diet designed to prevent milk fever, and preventative supplemental calcium at calving) We treated the bloat immediately.

• Aspirated contents of rumen digesta during bloating — foam comes out of their mouth and they start to suffocate from bloat, she inhaled some of her digestive juices/rumen contents —> pneumonia

• Emergency vet treated hypocalcemia with IV calcium, dextrose, pain meds, treated the bloat too

Second metabolic crash Tuesday night, second emergency vet visit that day. Now in ketosis, which suppresses appetite.