Chance she will survive?

[sstterry]

I found a cow stuck in chest-deep mud in a wet-weather spring this morning. It looks like she had been there since early yesterday. I got the tractor and a tow rope and pulled her out. She is still alive, but she was shivering terribly. She was moving, but not able to get up (maybe from exhaustion). She is a pretty old cow that I had planned on sending to the sale barn. I left her in the grass in the sun to warm up. My thoughts are that she probably won't make it. But I am hoping. What do you think are the chances she will survive if she is given time to rest and warm up?

 

[Travlr]

I found a cow stuck in chest-deep mud in a wet-weather spring this morning. It looks like she had been there since early yesterday. I got the tractor and a tow rope and pulled her out. She is still alive, but she was shivering terribly. She was moving, but not able to get up (maybe from exhaustion). She is a pretty old cow that I had planned on sending to the sale barn. I left her in the grass in the sun to warm up. My thoughts are that she probably won't make it. But I am hoping. What do you think are the chances she will survive if she is given time to rest and warm up?

She's probably hypothermic. Wet, cold mud sucks the heat out of them. And just like older people, older animals have a hard time recovering from getting chilled. Hope you have a hot day today.

 

[M.Magis]

I think it depends on the cows health and just how much and long it struggled. Neighbor has had a couple through the years. One a few years back looked terrible but was up and fine after a few hours. He had an old cow stuck a couple weeks ago where road run off created a mud hole. We pulled her out and she never moved again.

 

[bird dog]

60% chance she will live but probably only 30% chance she will get up. Throw a tarp over her to help her warm up.

 

[Ky hills]

A few ago bought some cows, during drought conditions. One cow never would come up to drink with the other cattle, I was running water for them in tanks. Had a pond that was needing cleaned out and was going dry. Found the cow one night stuck in the pond mud. Took the side by side down as close as I could and literally crawled out on the cows back to get a strap around her neck then hooked a chain to the strap and pulled her out. We thought for sure she would die. Carried her some water. Next morning she was up. She lived through it, sold her a month or so later once we finally got the crazy thing to the barn.

 

[Son of Butch]

What do you think are the chances she will survive if she is given time to rest and warm up?

50/50
Depends on how low and for how long her body's core temperature dropped and how long it takes her internal organs to recover back to 97% of their normal temperature,

 

[Hogfarmer10]

Years ago, I had a hog get down in a creek during below freezing temps. She was there for hours before I found her. I always "stack" my manure because it has lots of bedding in it. The heat helps make it rot. Anyway, I dug a little bit of a hole in the pile, rolled the hog into the loader bucket and put her in the hole, then I forked manure on top of her. Left her like that half a day at least. She recovered. I sure didn't think she would when I first saw her, but she did.

 

[TCRanch]

Hope she makes it! Friend of ours has had to put down 2 cows so far this spring from being stuck in what used to be a pond. Just thankful we haven't lost any - yet. Ponds are the main source of water in many ranches around here and they're going dry, one by one. Putting out a stock tank & hauling water, then surrounding the pond with hot wire is merely a suggestion. If the cows are used to the pond, they're busting through the hot wire.

 

[wbvs58]

Not promising but we will hope for the best.

Ken

 

[Travlr]

I found a cow stuck in chest-deep mud in a wet-weather spring this morning. It looks like she had been there since early yesterday. I got the tractor and a tow rope and pulled her out. She is still alive, but she was shivering terribly. She was moving, but not able to get up (maybe from exhaustion). She is a pretty old cow that I had planned on sending to the sale barn. I left her in the grass in the sun to warm up. My thoughts are that she probably won't make it. But I am hoping. What do you think are the chances she will survive if she is given time to rest and warm up?

Got an update?

 

[puzzled in oregon]

60% chance she will live but probably only 30% chance she will get up. Throw a tarp over her to help her warm up.

Horse blanket or flannel blanket with tarp on top

 

[sstterry]

Got an update?

Had family come over last night and I could not get away to go check on her. I figured at that point she was either alive or dead and not much I could do either way. I will find out this afternoon when I can get back to her after work.

 

[kenny thomas]

Arent you ever going to retire?

 

[jltrent]

Had the same thing to happen a few years ago. The cow was getting old and she loved to get in a swampy place and eat what was there. I pulled her out once and she got up okay and I be danged if she didn't get stuck again there. The second time she did not make it.

If she is up and going might be a good ideal to move her from the swampy area.

 

[Fred]

I pulled a cow out of a gully once and she had a broken back leg. I never knew if it broke when I pulled her out or if she broke it trying to cross the gully. I had to put her down. I wouldn't give much hope for your cow making it, especially if she was old.

 

[sstterry]

Arent you ever going to retire?

I can't afford it. I have to pay for my CT contribution

 

[sstterry]

Well, for an update, she did not make it. She was dead under the tarp and never got up. Now I feel a little guilty for letting her suffer instead of just going ahead and putting her down yesterday. But, I did want to give her every chance to survive.

 

[Travlr]

Well, for an update, she did not make it. She was dead under the tarp and never got up. Now I feel a little guilty for letting her suffer instead of just going ahead and putting her down yesterday. But, I did want to give her every chance to survive.

I doubt she suffered. From what I understand hypothermia is an easy way to go.

 

[sstterry]

I doubt she suffered. From what I understand hypothermia is an easy way to go.

I have lost many before, but I never want them to suffer.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

It's always a crap shoot and 50/50 when you have to pull them out of a mud hole/river/swamp. Best thing you could do is probably let her rest for a couple of hours and then start picking her up, getting her to stand. Suppose it depends how old, how weak and how much will she had left to live.
Every few years we have a case like that, sometimes they make it, other times they don't, no matter how hard we try.
Sorry that you lost her.