[unclebilly]

Bad couple days here... on Saturday we had 2 calves. The first was a nice little Hereford heifer and I had to help momma as it was 1/2 out for 3-5 minutes and no progress was being made. Momma is an old cow and this will be her last year with us.

2 hours later, another cow (another daughter of cow #1) gave birth unassisted to a 111 lb calf. This is 30 lbs bigger than a good sized bull calf. Her nipples were about 2.5” in diameter and we could not get any milk out. A trip to the vet last night at 10:00 for some hormones and still no luck. This morning I followed up with another hormone shot and still nothing. I poked some 3D printer filament you into mommas nipples and got the milk moving. Tits are too big for babe’s mouth but we milked her and got it feeding. This calf is the same size as our orphans that are 4-6 weeks old.

Then we noticed our future bull (calf I bought) was bloated. I went to the drug store and got him some pepto bismol and gave him 35 ml and a shot of metacam and checked on him at 11:30... still bloated, probably worse. Tried to tube him (stick 3/8” PCR tubing down onto his stomach) and got nothing for gas release.

Called vet. Unloaded fencing supplies from my truck. Hooked up stock trailer. Went to get him and he was down on his side dying. Got him up, tubed him again and nothing. Lead him towards my truck, he went down again so we tubed him again and got some pretty stinky gas out. Tried again and got nothing. Carried him to stock trailer and put him in. Drove 85 MPH to vet. When I got there he was standing up in the trailer. Still bloated but at least not dead or still down.

Vet palpated him, we tubed him again and got more stinky gas out. We gave him bloat ease and some other large bolus. Lead him around to the infirmary and put him in a pen on IV for the night... fingers crossed he makes it and doesn’t need surgery in the morning.