My cow won't stop coughing, what's causing it and how to help?

Hello and thank you very much for your question. Cavs that are not on their mother until fall weaning age of 6 to 8 months are susceptible to infectious gastrointestinal and pulmonary diseases. The scours could be due to a variety of diseases like E. coli, infectious colitis, coccidiosis, other internal parasites, etc. Most likely the cough is due to an acute or chronic calf pneumonia. The coughing may or may not have anything to do with the scours and can be due to Pastorella, IBR, RSV, PI3, etc Both of these clinical symptoms and their associated diseases can cause your calf to become quite sick and in some cases die. I urge you to schedule an appointment with your local large animal veterinarian as soon as possible so that they can do a full physical examination. they also may want to do a fecal analysis to get a diagnosis for the scours also. Your veterinarian will most likely prescribe something anti-inflammatory to get the fever down enough to eat, A strong antibiotic like naxcel/excenel etc, and antiparasitic medication. Thanks for the question.

Your calf may have coccidiosis, which is pretty common in bottle-fed dairy calves, especially those who've not received adequate colostrum upon calving. I'd recommend at least taking a fecal sample in to your local vet for analysis and treatment, as the antibiotics you've had him on may not be effective. Pneumonia is definitely a concern in these calves as well.

Heavy breathing can be a sign of several things including problems with the heart and lungs. Kidney and liver issues can also sometimes lead to heavy breathing in cows. If she's kept indoors in a barn, irritation from bedding or cramped quarters can also cause respiratory disease. Since this has been ongoing for a while, and doesn't seem to be improving, i'd call out a local vet to have her examined.

It does sound as if your cow may have something stuck in her mouth or throat. If you’re able to gently feel around in her mouth with your hand it may be a good idea. If this is unsuccessful you probably need to contact a veterinarian to come out and have a look at her. Other things that can cause abnormal Swallowing/choking in a cow besides a foreign body include toxin ingestion and possibly a neurologic disorder. These are more serious and hopefully it’s not what’s going on. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This sign could be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a rhinitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hello. Your animal has pneumonia or possibly a lung abscess. This needs to be properly diagnosed by a veterinarian so the appropriate medication can be started. We are unable to recommend any medications on this site. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. If Skye only coughs on occasion, this may be either an allergic-type condition or some residual areas in the lungs that have not healed following a previous infection. I would make sure dust is kept to a minimum as best you can in the stall & dampen her hay before feeding. You may need to have a vet come out to listen carefully to her lungs to see if any unusual sounds are picked up that might indicate any areas of consolidation or thickening of airways or tissue. Often a course of antibiotics & steroids are necessary to clean up any leftover lung infections, or an inhalant medication like albuterol is useful if there are some bronchospasms especially in reversible pulmonary problems. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.