Cattle Emergency: When to Call the Vet Immediately

The Core Rule: When in Doubt, Call

Experienced cattle producers develop an eye for what is serious and what is not. But even the most experienced ranchers follow a simple rule: when in doubt, call your vet. A five-minute phone call to describe symptoms almost always gets you a clear answer on whether you need a farm visit, a prescription called in, or just reassurance that what you are seeing is normal. That call costs you nothing. Waiting costs you animals.

True Emergencies: Call Immediately, No Waiting

The following conditions are life-threatening and require an immediate call — not in the morning, not after you finish feeding. Now.

Bloat (Frothy or Free-Gas)

A cow standing with a visibly distended left flank, in obvious distress, and unable to belch is experiencing bloat. Free-gas bloat can sometimes be relieved by passing a stomach tube, but frothy bloat requires different treatment and can be fatal within an hour. If the animal is down or struggling to breathe, call while you begin first-aid measures. Do not attempt to pass a trocar without instruction unless you have done it before and the animal is dying — improper placement causes fatal peritonitis.

Milk Fever (Hypocalcemia)

A cow that has calved within the past 72 hours and is now wobbly, cold-eared, or down and unable to rise likely has milk fever. This is a calcium crash caused by the sudden demand of milk production. Treated quickly with IV calcium, most cows recover fully within 30 minutes. Left untreated, the cow will die. Call your vet and ask about calcium bottle administration if you have been trained to do it — many producers learn to treat their own cows with vet guidance.

Prolapsed Uterus

A cow that has expelled her uterus through the vulva after calving requires immediate veterinary attention. Keep the tissue clean and moist, prevent the cow from straining further, and call your vet immediately. Do not attempt to replace the uterus yourself unless you have specific training. The tissue is fragile and infection sets in quickly.

Dystocia (Difficult Birth) After Two Hours of Active Labor

A cow or heifer that has been actively pushing for two hours without delivering a calf, or that has a calf visibly in the birth canal and is making no progress, needs help now. Prolonged labor kills calves and can kill cows. If you are pulling yourself, call the vet if you cannot deliver within 30 minutes of attempting assistance.

Rumen Stasis Combined with Rapid Decline

A cow that is off feed, not ruminating, and deteriorating quickly over 12 to 24 hours needs examination. Rumen stasis can signal hardware disease (traumatic reticuloperitonitis), grain overload, or other serious conditions. By itself, rumen stasis is not always an emergency — combined with a declining animal, it is.

Suspected Grain Overload (Acidosis)

A cow that broke into a grain bin and gorged on corn, wheat, or barley is in danger of acute ruminal acidosis. Symptoms include dullness, reluctance to move, soft rumen contents, and rapid breathing. This can be fatal. Call your vet immediately — treatment involves rumen lavage and systemic support that you cannot provide without medical assistance.

Eye Injuries With Visible Puncture or Rupture

Pink eye (Moraxella bovis) is common and treatable. A punctured or ruptured eye globe is not a wait-and-see situation. If you see a cloudy eye that has suddenly lost its shape, or a visible wound to the eye surface, call your vet today.

Broken Limbs

A calf or small animal with a fracture is potentially salvageable with proper splinting and casting. An adult cow with a fractured leg above the knee is almost always a humane euthanasia situation — but you need a vet to make that determination and, if necessary, to perform euthanasia properly. Do not let the animal suffer while you decide.

Urgent But Not Immediate: Call Within 2–4 Hours

These conditions need same-day attention but are not typically minutes-matter emergencies:

• Pinkeye (infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis) — painful and spreads rapidly through herds. Call for antibiotic treatment the same day.
• Retained placenta beyond 24 hours post-calving — routine retention under 24 hours is common, but beyond that, infection risk rises sharply.
• Calf that will not nurse within 4 hours of birth — colostrum delivery within the first 6 hours is critical for passive immunity transfer. If the calf is too weak or the cow is not letting it nurse, intervene immediately.
• Foot rot with severe lameness — cattle with foot rot become non-ambulatory and lose significant body condition quickly. Same-day antibiotic treatment prevents complications.
• Respiratory illness with fever above 104°F — bovine respiratory disease (BRD) kills quickly in feedlot and stressed animals. Do not wait overnight if the animal has a high fever and labored breathing.

What to Do While Waiting for the Vet

When you make that call, the vet will likely give you immediate instructions. In general, while you wait:

• Isolate the animal from the herd to reduce stress and allow close monitoring.
• Confine it safely — a calm, secure area prevents further injury.
• Do not give medications unless instructed — some treatments can mask symptoms or interfere with diagnosis.
• Limit water and feed for bloat or suspected surgery cases unless your vet says otherwise.
• Write down what you observed — when symptoms started, what the animal ate, what you have already done. Your vet will need this history.
• Restrain appropriately — have the animal in a headgate or safe chute if possible, or have someone available to help with restraint on arrival.

Build Your Emergency Contact System Before You Need It

Post the following numbers somewhere in your barn, not just in your phone:

• Your primary large animal vet — main number and after-hours line.
• A backup vet or the nearest veterinary teaching hospital.
• A neighbor who has experience with cattle emergencies.

Knowing these numbers by heart — and having them written down where anyone on your farm can find them — can be the difference between a live animal and a dead one when you are not the one home to make the call.