This is a guide to help you recognize when it’s time to call your veterinarian. Always use your best judgment. When in doubt, we call our veterinarian. Confession: I have an irrational belief that if he comes out, the calf won’t die. We have too much invested to risk it…
The longer you are around livestock, the better you’ll become at recognizing common problems. Yet, every year, we have some sort of new weird ailment, calving issue or other things we didn’t even know existed. You’d think after this long, I’d have seen it all. Nope!
Animal Husbandry, an old term that is defined as the science of breeding and caring for farm animals.
Studying the “normal behavior” of livestock is paramount to be able to recognize when they don’t feel well.
Much like a mom or dad can look at their child and tell when something is off, you can do the same with your show stock.
You should also have a working relationship with a trusted veterinarian. Look for someone who specializes in livestock.
So what are things to look for?
Behavior Changes
So what are some things to look for? Are they normally frisky and run to the feed, but today they headed to the feed bunk slowly? Is he lying around more than usual? Is he off feed? Did she stretch when she got up?
Many times cattle that feel well will stretch when they get up…it’s quite common. So if your animal looks lethargic, moves more slowly than normal, or doesn’t stretch when they get up…these are all warning signs.
Use common sense, if they don’t stretch once…don’t automatically call the veterinarian. However, all of these observations add up to behavior changes. They will help to determine when it’s time to call the vet.
Foot Rot
When I go into the pasture, I pay attention to how cattle are standing. Generally, cattle will keep their front feet under themselves in a predictable way. If they have a front foot kicked out in front of them in an awkward manner, they likely have some kind of issue.
Sometimes it’s an injury to a shoulder, sometimes it’s foot rot. If they are limping? Look between their toes, front and back of the hoof. If they have inflammation in the tissue, they are probably getting foot rot. If the foot is swollen and/or they are limping…it maybe foot rot. You’ll need to treat it.
Breathing Hard
Is your calf breathing harder than everyone around him or her? Pay attention to the time of day and ambient temperature. If it’s particularly hot, they will tend to breathe harder to cool themselves. However, if they are breathing hard in the morning…especially if it’s abnormal for your animal, you should pay special attention.
Take His Temperature
If you own livestock, you should also own a thermometer. When you call your veterinarian, he or she will likely ask you if your animal is running a temperature.
If the animal’s behavior indicates you should take a temperature, you’ll need to do this rectally. Don’t tell me that it should be obvious! I used to work for Bayer and one of the funniest stories I heard was that a customer called to complain because the Advantage flea product (that you are supposed to put on their neck) wasn’t working. When the tech services vet asked how it was applied, the customer said rectally!
Get a digital thermometer at the drug store. Keep in mind, if you temp them in the afternoon on a hot day, their temperature may be elevated even if they aren’t sick. Your vet should give you an acceptable temperature range when it’s hot outside.
In cool or cold conditions, unless they’ve been running quite a bit, they really shouldn’t have an elevated temperature.
Ears, Eyes and Nose
Some people can just glance and see that something or someone is sick. My dad has a radar for it in people…and oddly enough, he’ll point it out. Which is weird…to know the man is to love him, even if you don’t understand his quirks. Anyway, look at their ears. Is she hanging (drooping) one or both ears? Are his eyes glassy? Does he have very yellow to greenish snot? Are there specks of blood in the snot? These are all indication is possibly time to call the vet.
Cuts and Scrapes
You are going to have to use your best judgment here. Aside from the obvious of making sure your pen is sturdy and safe, sometimes you can’t anticipate an injury. If your animal gets a scrape and rubs all of the hair off in a spot, you can probably just deal with it yourself.
However, they may need sutures if they are bleeding significantly or have a large or deep cut. If they get a deep cut on their leg, it’s more likely to come in contact with dirt and bacteria. It’s probably a good plan to get it sewn up if you catch it early enough. Check out tips to avoid injuries in this post: Stock Show Safety Mistakes.
Parasites and Ring Worm
Livestock will get parasites. They are at risk for fungal infections. It’s incredibly common and while it needs to be managed, don’t freak out about it. I was a little surprised by the number of people who posted pictures of ringworm and spots where cattle had rubbed because of lice on the FB group Everything Show Cattle last spring.
When I thought about it though, I’m not sure why I was surprised. Both are incredibly common and not something people just intuitively recognize if they’ve never seen it.
Get with your vet to see what the most commonly seen parasites in your area are and get recommendations for on label or vet recommended products.
The more regulated our food chain becomes, the more we need to educate ourselves of all options to take care of stock in a way that meets FDA guidelines. Most kids across the country have to go through ethics and quality assurance programs of some sort.
I get that they are not riveting…I mean I’d sure rather watch a little Fast and Furious or Avengers. (I’ve told you before, I’m not a typical gal…I’m not much for chick flicks.)
Back to the point…you are learning these practices because it’s important for our industry to do our best to follow approved protocols. Your vet is the best resource for your individual situation.
When It’s Time To Call The Vet
I know that determining when it’s time to call the vet can be stressful. You are unsure if you are too early or too late and might be concerned that it will cost a bunch of money. Here’s the thing, you likely have a large investment. You want to protect it and you want to do the best thing for your animal.
If you have a relationship with a vet, he or she knows you have a 4-H or FFA project. They will likely do their best to keep costs to a minimum. But…don’t wait until Sunday night at 9:00 on something that you could have dealt with on Thursday. Now it’s an emergency and you may be charged a much higher emergency fee.
Don’t forget, vets are people too. They have families and commitments just like the rest of us. Pay attention to your animal every day, morning and night when you feed. Knowing their behavior will keep a situation that could have been simple to fix from becoming an emergency.
