Dairy Question

[PureCountry]

Since there doesn't seem to be any activity in the dairy section, I'll ask here. My Brown Swiss cow has been raising 2 calves all year - her own steer and an orphan steer. We've kept her at home all year w/our old Granny cow, and she's stayed in real good shape. Until last week.

All of a sudden she went downhill - losing weight, hair looks dull, eyes look dull. I don't think it's hardware or calcium deficiency. The suddenness of it is what has me baffled.

Any clues? Any dairy men out there?

I'm gonna wean her calves this weekend and get some feed into her. I don't want her going into the winter any thinner that what she's sunk to now.

[poorboy]

wouldn't hurt to put a magnet down her and check her temperature. I had a cow act somewhat the same this spring, heavy milking cow that came in out of the pasture one day and looked sickly, eyes sunk in, lost condition etc.

Put a magnet down her and gave her plenty of biomycin and she has never looked back. Raised an awesome calf as well.

[dalek]

How's she eating and how does her manure look?

[kato]

Check her temperature.

[dalek]

My first guess would be a DA, or maybe a floating DA since she's still alive a week later, but there are a lot of possibilities.

[PureCountry]

Manure looks normal, and she's eating like normal. I got her cut out this weekend and into her own pen, giving her some grain. I don't know, maybe she just took that freezing rain we had a while back alot harder than the others. Maybe it's nothing more than that.