March 11th - Infection in the Bovine Brain

A first calf heifer went into labor but couldn't deliver the calf on her own.  Dad and I brought her into get pulled, we tried several times but her pelvis was too small and things weren't progressing well.  Dad called it quits and we loaded her up in the trailer to go to the vet.  They tried there a few times and had to resort to C-Section and received an antibiotic.  The calf didn't survive.  We brought her home and put her with the others.  After a day dad noticed she wasn't coming up to food with the others.  I hopped on a 4-wheeler and tried to bring her up to get more TLC.    Right as I approached and hollered at her instead of dropping her head and walking away, she raised her head, got a wild look in her eye and took a step toward me.  I backed the 4-wheeler up a bit to try coming at a distance.  She continued leering, head raised, shoulders and neck twitching something odd.  She then charged the 4-wheeler and I, but I hollered and she turned and ran past.  Dad observed this and said to back off her.  We conferred a bit and he decided she may have a fever of some kind, possibly infection from the C-section.  He got his medication administering air gun out and an antibiotic drawn up into a projectile dart-syringe.  We loaded up into the pickup, and drove up by her.  Dad in the back of the truck raised up the gun and fired.  She hopped up, charged the pickup and ran off.  We decided to give her some space and the med time to work, and she settled off in the corner of the pen.  Dad went back in the Allis tractor to check on her a couple hours later, possibly get her up into the sick pen.  Sadly I met him on the road and he was dragging her carcass out to the dump.  She had passed already.  Obviously the infection must have progressed pretty far and gone to her head.   My mom commented sometimes with people, particularly some sweet little old ladies can get a UTI and someone who was once very kind can become uncharacteristically mean.  Guess it happens to bovine too if the infection goes to the brain.   Here's a video of the dosing procedures: 



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