Can a cow recover from white muscle disease

[nycowgirl]

We have a 3 month old calf with white muscle disease. Diagnosed by vet via blood tests through Cornell. She has been down for 8 days now. She is eating, drinking,moving around, but not able to get up. Does anyone have any experience with this? Can this calf recover and walk again?

Thanks,
Amy

 

[dun]

What treatment does your vet recommend?

 

[nycowgirl]

She was given a shot of Mu Se by the vet. She initially had 2 days of banamine and dexamethasone. The banamine and dex was repeated a week later. We are to give her a shot of Bo Se 2 weeks after the shot the vet gave her. We are giving her milk replacer, hay and grass, which she eats. She struggles to get up every now and then, but her progress seems to have leveled off . Our vet said we would just have to wait and see. Any thoughts?

 

[dun]

This is what Mercks says:
"Treatment:
Lambs and calves may be given sodium selenite and vitamin E in sterile emulsion, SC or IM, at 1 mg selenium and 50 mg (68 IU) of vitamin E per 18 kg (40 lb) body wt. This may be repeated after 2 wk, but no more than 4 doses should be given. Larger dosages are sometimes advocated, but caution is advised because they approach the toxic level. In practice, several products are available for use with designated animal species. When simple vitamin E deficiency is apparent, dietary supplementation with α-tocopherol or substances rich in vitamin E should be instituted. Minimum dosages have not been established. However, cures have been reported after daily doses of 5 mg of α-tocopherol to rabbits; 500 mg initially, followed by 100 mg on alternate days to lambs; and 600 mg initially, followed by daily doses of 200 mg to calves. When the causative diet contains substances antagonistic to vitamin E, such as unprotected, polyunsaturated fats, these must be removed or stabilized by addition of an appropriate antioxidant. Dry concentrates of vitamins A and D may substitute for cod-liver oil, thus removing a potential source of oxidative damage"

 

[nrs farm]

We have a 3 month old calf with white muscle disease. Diagnosed by vet via blood tests through Cornell. She has been down for 8 days now. She is eating, drinking,moving around, but not able to get up. Does anyone have any experience with this? Can this calf recover and walk again?

Thanks,
Amy

I had a 2-3 month old heifer calf down similar to yours years ago. I gave it BoSe about every 2-3 days and vitamin E. I also tried to stand it up after about day 2. I milked the cow and tubed the calf at first. Eventually, I noticed the cow would stand close to the calf and soon the calf would nurse laying down. The calf did recover and became one of my best cows in the herd until it was killed by lightning at about 6-7 years of age. So my suggestion is to continue working with it but I would try to stand it up each day. I held it up at first but eventually it learned to stand and walk on its own.

 

[Aaron]

Don't give anymore than 4 cc's Se within a two week period. Keep mom and baby penned up so she doesn't have to go far to suck. She'll come around. Dealt with that last year on a heifer calf. :cowboy:

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

nycowgirl - I disagree with Aaron. I give 4 ml of BoSe at birth and more if it's over 100#. If I have a calf that does not "act" right or shows signs of SE deficiency, I give it 2 ml next day - wait two days, give another 1 ml.
Yes, SE is toxic - but, years ago "researchers" out here tried to see what level it would take to kill a calf with SE and they were unable to do it.
Do you know how much the vet gave? how much does the calf weigh? At 3 months, it probably weighs at least 200#, so it should have gotten 8 ml right from the start of BoSe.
If you are dealing with MuSe - dosage is different. You give 1 ml / 200# - so, calf should have gotten 2 ml immediately, & I would give 1/2 ml now, and again in few days.
"Drape" calf over a bale of hay or straw to get it "up" for a while.
We are extremely deficient of SE in all of NY. Your cows should be receiving SE in a loose mineral daily - 24/7/365. And, all newborns should get a shot soon after birth.
BoSe & MuSe are basically the same, just different concentration. I always say "B" for Baby and "M" for Mama.
After being tested, our mineral is mixed with 3X the recommended dosage. I would not recommend anyone to jump right in & double or triple the dosage, but I'm saying that's how SE deficient this area is.
It affects cows cycling, breeding, calving, retained placentas, mastitis, course rough hair coats, poor growth, dumb suckers - you name it - it just about affects it.
If calf doesn't die from complications like respiratory problems, it should recover.
I think you know me, you can call or email me anytime.

 

[nycowgirl]

Thanks for all who responded to my question.
Here is an update on my calf. She is a bit over 300 lbs, so it has been a challenge getting her up. I bought a block and tackle from Tractor Supply. We fashioned a sling with leg holes from an old canvas cover off something. When we would get her up she would struggle, which provided the much needed exercise for her legs. Everytime we go down to the barn we would turn her and take a few minutes to unfold her front legs, which are always under her, and stretch and bend her legs. She has been down over 2 weeks now and we are just starting to see improving signs. She is attempting to get up, which seems to have been spurred by up getting her up. She can get her back end up, and just yesterday her biggest accomplishment was she also got her front end up (even if her ankles were knuckled under) for about 3 seconds. I hope she has no heart muscle damage, but I am concerned as her endurance is SO low. Her gross motor skills seem to be returning, but it looks like the the fine motor skills will be quite a bit longer. Yesterday she got her second vet recommended selenium shot. I had been giving her banamine about a hour prior to getting her up, and I could see a difference on the days she did not get it- she is quite sore. Hopefully she will continue to improve. She is eating and drinking well.