Bad farmers

So a few weeks ago our cute little calf, Chocolate Milk died.  He had a bad case of parasites.  As soon as we found out that Chocolate Milk was gonna die we scheduled for all of our cows to go in and get de-worm shots the next week.

The day we took our cows in to get their de-worm stuff and shots it was actually relatively easy to put all of them on the trailer and take them to the vet.  We got them their shots from the vet and we were loading all the cows up in the trailer.  Black Pearl was the last one to get on the trailer and when she was getting on the trailer she slipped and fell and she refused to get back up.  At first we thought maybe she was just mad and so she was throwing a fit and didn't want to get up.  We didn't think much of it at the time.  When we got home and trying to unload all the cows Black Pearl was still in the sitting position and she did not want to get up or get out of the trailer.  After a lot of pushing and dragging her we finally were able to get her off the trailer.  But at that point we were starting to think that she had the same thing that Chooclate Milk had, but still not 100% sure.  For the next week or so, Black Pearl stayed in the same spot where we left her even though she tried to move or get up she couldn't.  At that point we were convinced that she would have the same fate as Chooclate Milk.  We tried to care for Black Pearl and tried to give her the best chance to get better and she was doing fine for almost a whole week but then the next morning I went out to feed her she did not want to eat.  She refused to eat and drink.  At that moment I knew she wouldn't make it.  The morning before Chocolate Milk died he did not want to eat...

That afternoon I tried to get some friends/neighbors to come over to help me sit her back up because she was laying down on her side, but she kept flopping back down.  At that moment, I knew she wouldn't last too much longer but I was hoping she would at least make it through the night.  Well she died quicker than I thought.  She died that evening and I was actually there to witness her take her last breath.  It was hard to watch her die.  As much as I don't attach to animals we've had her for the past like 4 years.  She might have been a diva at times but nonetheless she was a really good mother to her calves.  So I didn't think I would feel sad but I did.  So the next day we hired an excavator guy to come out and dig a hole and bury Black Pearl for us.  This time the hole is much bigger so we decided it wouldn't be wise to dig it by hand ourselves so we sucked it up and paid for someone else to do it.

Now looking back, we know why both Chocolate Milk and Black Pearl started being a little "distant" from the rest of the herd the last little while.  It's not because they didn't want to be around the rest of the herd, but because the parasites invaded their bodies and using up all the protein and fat reserve in their bodies that they were slowly dying and they didn't have the strength to keep up with the herd.

Moral of the story is, if you live in a humid place make sure you de-worm your cows at least 2 times a year!  Don't skim on de-worming them!!!  And if it's winter time, also make sure you put out some protein for them too.  Had we known that our cows wouldn't have died.  But the good news is, from what we can tell, the rest of the cows are doing fine and they don't display the same "symptoms" as Chocolate Milk and Black Pearl did. 

R.I.P. Black Pearl

R.I.P. Chocolate Milk

Since my last post, things took a turn this morning...for the worse... Chocolate Milk didn't look too good.  Our friend checked on him for us early this morning and said Chocolate Milk didn't look too good.  So I went to check on him a little bit later after I took the kids to school and he didn't look good.  His head was floppy he didn't want to sit up at all, and he didn't want anything no water, didn't want any grass or hay, and he refused to open his mouth so I could give him milk.  So I waited another hour or so to check on him again and when I opened the door to the shed he let out a moo and it seemed to me that he used the last little bit of air that was left in him to let out that moo.  I picked his head up to see if I could try giving him some more food at the last attempt to save him.  His head flopped right back down.  He wouldn't take the milk.  I tried putting a piece of grass in his mouth in hopes he would start chewing on it but he just laid there lifelessly and did not want to eat at all.  At that point I knew that was it, that was pretty much the end of his life right there.  I petted him for a little bit then left him alone and came back a few hours later, he was gone.  Just like that he was gone.  We did pray for Chocolate Milk.  We did pray for a miracle...I guess the miracle was not what we expected.  We expected he would miraculously get better.  Though not what we wanted the miracle is that he was gone so quickly, he didn't dread this out and he no longer suffers.

Goodbye, Chocolate Milk :(

I never get attached to animals, but when I discovered that Chocolate Milk was dead I was really sad.  He's the cutest calf we have thus far and EVERYONE just loves him!  He really was a sweet calf.

I spent just about the whole afternoon digging a hole to bury Chocolate Milk.  Hubby was at work, but thankfully for friends who came to help!  We dug a 2 X 4 feet and 4 feet deep hole so it was a lot of work.  2x4x4 might not sound like a lot but when you have to dig it, it is a lot of work!

Nasty parasites

Last Friday morning on our way out to run errands, we noticed our cute little calf, Chocolate Milk was lying down in the pasture as if he was dead.  At first we thought he was dead but as we looked closer we saw him move a little bit so we just kind of thought maybe he was just tired so he was taking a nap or something.  Hours later we came home, and he was still lying down in the same position and same spot.  At that point we figured something was probably wrong.  We went and checked on him but he couldn't even stand up and walk for more than a few minutes at a time.  So we decided we should take him to the vet to get checked out.

He looked like he was dead when we took him to the vet.

Looking back we now think Chocolate Milk probably had the parasite problem for

 awhile and that's why he's been so little

We got to the vet and after fecal test and blood test, the vet confirmed Chocolate Milk has a very bad case of parasites.  Chocolate Milk was pretty low on his blood cell count, and the parasite count was super high as well.  Prognosis was not very good at all, the vet gave him a 20% chance of making it... Chocolate Milk's body was so deprived from nutrients and blood, there's no telling even after the doctor gave him a de-worm shot, B12 vitamin shot, and a shot that is supposed to help his bone marrow to produce more blood cell, that he will make it.  The vet told us to keep him under cover if possible so he is out of the crazy, ever-changing winter weather in Texas so he doesn't develop pneumonia, and also continue to make sure he has clean water, and plenty of food and protein to eat, so we can give him the best chance of making it.  He also suggested that we contact the local Ag extension center to get advice on what kind of protein feed would be best for Chocolate Milk (the call to the Ag extension has proven to be very helpful).
That afternoon after we took him to the vet Chocolate Milk looked like he was feeling better, he needed help standing up but once we helped him stand up he was fine and he was grazing, though slowly, he was up and eating.

He was doing relatively better after our visit to the vet.

We have been giving the best care we can give to Chocolate Milk the past few days, but we haven't seen any signs of improvement yet.  He can't even stand up on his own right now so we have to carry him out of the shed every morning so he can get some sun and in the evening take him back in the shed.

We had all of our cows de-wormed almost a year ago, and Chocolate Milk was born after we took the cows in for de-worm shots...so Chocolate Milk never got de-wormed...and with wet winter here right now and currently having a smaller pasture he was more susceptible to getting parasites.  After hubby talked to the Ag extension agent, we learned that in humid and wet places, it is important to de-worm your cows at least 2 times a year.

We will continue to care for Chocolate Milk and see if he will make it through.  Prayers are needed.