OT Calf refuses milk

I have a 2 week old swiss/jersey bull calf that refuses milk. It was born at the dairy my springers are at and drank tolerably there. I brought it home at 4 days old and have had it since. It drank ok for the first couple days but now will barely drink from the bottle. It had scours a few days ago so I gave it Deliver electrolytes for 3 feedings. It drank the electrolyte from the same bottle and drank down a full 2 quarts. The first feeding back on milk it only would drink 1 quart and since then has never drank more than a pint. It has gotten to the point that after it refuses to drink any more from the bottle, I end up tube feeding it just to keep it from starving or dehydrating. I have used the same bottle and nipple all along. I have 2 other calves on this cows milk that drink fine so I am kind of at a loss as to why this bull won't drink. The scours have gone away but it just won't drink. I did notice today doing chores that it was standing weird, was stand on its hock on one back leg. I have seen this before as an initial indication of white muscle disease and after a shot of MUSE the problem goes away. Is it possible the lack of interest in sucking is somehow related to the selenium deficiency? I hate to do it but guess I have to keep tubing it till it gets the urge to suck again.

I seem to remember that hair will pull out with white muscle. I've seen them stand weird when they have pneumonia also, head down and front legs splayed out. A calf with pneumonia will not have much of an appetite. I would get some E-selenium and antibiotics in that calf.

You're probably just better off to shoot it than stick money in medicine and still have the calf die.

10cc Penecillin, 5cc B complex and 1cc single strength selenium. Mabey go with the penecillin again tomorrow... I think that's about all I'd spend on a bobcalf if I was somewhat trying to save it. Guess that depends on your purposes. Personally... I think I'd give it a crack on the head.

Rod

I give my young calfs 3 cc of oxytet in the neck for two days if they go of milk or devolp the runs. it seems to bring them back in a day or two. Its also cheap. every barn is diffrent in what causes the animals to get sick so it might not work everywhere. Only problem is you will be keeping it longer that you might want and in that case go with the bullet suggestion. i have also used excenell but only if there are only 10 or so cc in the bottle. stuff is to expensive to waste on bull calves but have had excellent results. My vet does not reccomend penicillian to calves as it gives them digestive upsets.