Diagnosis please

[grassfarmer]

I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out what is wrong with a calf can anybody help?
Another set of twins - three days old now, one perfect - one less so right from the outset. I removed the problem one from the cow soon after birth.
The calf appeared full when born, with a reasonable size stomach which it has never lost. I've been tubing it and trying to get it to bottle feed but it shows little appetite. I've been giving it 4 litres a day but even on 3 and a 12 hour break it isn't any hungrier. It really resents having anything put in it's mouth and tries to kick me to death when I tube it - it is literally upside down kicking me as soon as I get the tube down it. It also seems to be exhaling under a bit of pressure and pants after you feed it. Apart from that it gets about can stand, walk, sit up fine but it has a 103c temperature since last night. Got me stumped.

[bob-b]

I had one once sort of like that, and found that it's arshole didn't open....got quite a surprise when I opened it too!

[kato]

I agree, check him and make sure that milk has a way out the back! Sounds like whatever you've given him is still in there.

Peritonitis makes them have a big bloated looking belly too, but this calf is a little young for that.

[Cattleman]

I am anxiously awaiting for grassfarmers results.......

[farmers_son]

How is the cow? Is she healthy or is she showing signs of illness? Are you giving the calf the mothers milk or another cows milk or milk replacer? Are the twins identical twins or fraternal twins?

[grassfarmer]

Eventually I get back to the computer, thanks for the replies. No problems with milk coming through the calf it had the really healthy yellow stuff within about 6 hours of birth followed by normal healthy manure. This calf had a "full" feeling belly when it was born - and it was fluid in the stomach as you could move it about. It is a heifer calf, twin to a bull and the mother is very healthy. I actually took this calf off her straight away and gave it some store bought colostrum first followed by powdered milk.
It's bizarre as it looks healthy and normal apart from the slightly strained breathing out and the permanently full stomach. Unless their is something else in the calf that shouldn't be there - say a large bag of water as an extra? any suggestions?

[grassfarmer]

Afterthought - if it were born with a blocked bladder would that make it have a bit of a belly when it popped out of the cow? The belly has not increased in size though and it isn't really bloated. It just looks like a normal calf with a normal size belly full of milk even when you hunger it and it should be empty.

[farmers_son]

This is a bit of a long shot but you might be interested in this paste. Could it be possible that the fluid and fullness you notice is too much blood?

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f00/web3/hayesconroya3.html

A specific disorder, called Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, is related to this idea of disproportionate blood flow. Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome is a disease of the placenta affecting only identical twins who are monochorionic-diamniotic or monochorionic-monoamniotic. One of the twins, the recipient twin, receives too much blood and becomes larger in size. The extra blood that this fetus receives is very viscous and thus the baby's heart over exerts itself in trying to pump blood. When left untreated, eighty to one hundred percent of the recipient babies die of heart failure. The other twin, the donor twin, in contrast receives too little blood. This fetus has very little fluid in its amniotic sac and it is normally smaller. Like recipient twins, eighty to one hundred percent of donor twins will die from heart failure (caused this time by severe anemia) if nothing is done to help. For those who do survive, the recipient twin, though larger, usually fares worse than the donor twin because it is more tired.

I find the real cows milk is so much better for any calf. I have never stomach tubed a calf with anything but real cows milk. Many of our range cows are quiet enough to milk in the open or at least without tying them up so there is usually a ready supply handy.

I know some my calves are born looking for a place to die. Twins can be hard to save sometimes. Occasionally they die with no good reason at all. Good luck.

[grassfarmer]

Thanks for that interesting post farmers_son that is the kind of obscure thing I was imagining it might be.
However it has now recovered - went out after lunch to feed it and it took readily from the bottle. The full looking belly was gone yet there were no piles of manure or visible wet spots to indicate where it went. Srange, but now it appears completly normal in fact it spent most of the afternoon chasing the dog around the yard!

[grassfarmer]

Glad you had a happy ending with your calf. Sometimes the little beggers fool us and have us fretting over them when they really are okay.
Hopefully you are able to put it on another cow sooner or later so you don't have to bottle feed it for too long.