Post by Gorignak on Nov 9, 2013 10:23:04 GMT -5
"........if the penetration is in the region of the heart, an infection often occurs. This infection is INVARIABLY severe and fatal.
That was the result of a Google search AFTER one of the forum members supplied me with an educated guess from their child who is a second year Veterinary student. I had the great fortune of having the pictures run past some of the instructors.
So, we come to a diagnosis of "HARDWARE DISEASE". Here is an abridged version of the reply I got:
"..........talked with their professors about your heifer. After reading and looking at your pictures, they are leaning toward this starting in the heart with maybe a puncture of some sort -- probably from the rumen since they are located very close together. They said looking at the pictures they could see the fibers walled off in the heart. They did wonder if you saw any evidence of the sac around the heart showing any evidence of being ruptured or anything like that. They were leaning more towards Hardware Disease -- just going by what info they had at hand. I asked why the joints were so badly affected. They said the infection from the heart was in the blood and spread out from there, and joints are usually the worst to be affected.
Astronomers and Physicists search relentlessly for a "MODEL" that fits some observation. One of the problems the general public has with science is that these "models" are often reported before they are examined for underlying flaws, and they turn out to be ridiculously in error . I appreciated all the input, but was aware that some of the observations were directed elsewhere, and not at the problem. I maintained a laser focus on the "problem", and did not have a "model" that fit the situation and conditions.
I HAVE THAT "MODEL" NOW.................... I'll bet it was hardware disease.
I buried the entrails, but in the spring, when we plant a pear tree on the site, I will dig up the hole and run a metal detector over the dirt. The Eureka moment would be finding a 2" piece of metal where none should be.
All that is needed to make the facts fit precisely into the model is to REVERSE our guess as to the progress of the disease. It started IN the heart and went "septic" immediately. The calf's immune system handled it well, in every spot that it had the resources. If it had not gotten in the joints, we might have recovered, only to relapse as the metallic object punctured again.
From an article on the web.........
"Early signs of hardware (the first day after penetration of the stomach wall), may be mistaken for indigestion or acute carbohydrate overload in a grain fed animal; he goes off feed suddenly and is very dull. If a wire is just starting to migrate and the animal has peritonitis, fever will be 104 to 105°F. With a chronic case, it will be around 103°F. Respiratory rate is usually elevated and the animal is dull, reluctant to move, and off feed, sometimes grinding the teeth."
Poor Calf......that is a PRECISE description of our first few days.
Was this our fault?? Well, it wasn't the calf's fault. Could we have done anything to prevent it?? Absolutely. Can we guard against a recurrence?? Yes, with more diligence and a magnet in every stomach.
Sadder but wiser.
THANKS for the effort that led to this conclusion.....
www.countrysidemag.com/93-6/hardware_in_cattle/
That was the result of a Google search AFTER one of the forum members supplied me with an educated guess from their child who is a second year Veterinary student. I had the great fortune of having the pictures run past some of the instructors.
So, we come to a diagnosis of "HARDWARE DISEASE". Here is an abridged version of the reply I got:
"..........talked with their professors about your heifer. After reading and looking at your pictures, they are leaning toward this starting in the heart with maybe a puncture of some sort -- probably from the rumen since they are located very close together. They said looking at the pictures they could see the fibers walled off in the heart. They did wonder if you saw any evidence of the sac around the heart showing any evidence of being ruptured or anything like that. They were leaning more towards Hardware Disease -- just going by what info they had at hand. I asked why the joints were so badly affected. They said the infection from the heart was in the blood and spread out from there, and joints are usually the worst to be affected.
Astronomers and Physicists search relentlessly for a "MODEL" that fits some observation. One of the problems the general public has with science is that these "models" are often reported before they are examined for underlying flaws, and they turn out to be ridiculously in error . I appreciated all the input, but was aware that some of the observations were directed elsewhere, and not at the problem. I maintained a laser focus on the "problem", and did not have a "model" that fit the situation and conditions.
I HAVE THAT "MODEL" NOW.................... I'll bet it was hardware disease.
I buried the entrails, but in the spring, when we plant a pear tree on the site, I will dig up the hole and run a metal detector over the dirt. The Eureka moment would be finding a 2" piece of metal where none should be.
All that is needed to make the facts fit precisely into the model is to REVERSE our guess as to the progress of the disease. It started IN the heart and went "septic" immediately. The calf's immune system handled it well, in every spot that it had the resources. If it had not gotten in the joints, we might have recovered, only to relapse as the metallic object punctured again.
From an article on the web.........
"Early signs of hardware (the first day after penetration of the stomach wall), may be mistaken for indigestion or acute carbohydrate overload in a grain fed animal; he goes off feed suddenly and is very dull. If a wire is just starting to migrate and the animal has peritonitis, fever will be 104 to 105°F. With a chronic case, it will be around 103°F. Respiratory rate is usually elevated and the animal is dull, reluctant to move, and off feed, sometimes grinding the teeth."
Poor Calf......that is a PRECISE description of our first few days.
Was this our fault?? Well, it wasn't the calf's fault. Could we have done anything to prevent it?? Absolutely. Can we guard against a recurrence?? Yes, with more diligence and a magnet in every stomach.
Sadder but wiser.
THANKS for the effort that led to this conclusion.....
www.countrysidemag.com/93-6/hardware_in_cattle/