23/05/2026
For the past few weeks, we have been on quite an emotional rollercoaster. One of our young heifer calves, Delilah, fell ill.
Delilah is just over five months old and came to us as a bottle-fed embryo calf. Tuesday afternoon (5/5), she didn’t come for her milk. I walked the paddock in search of her and found her busy grazing with the older heifers. I didn’t think much of it and put it down to her getting older and maybe not needing as much milk as usual. The following day (Wednesday, 6/5), I noticed her lying nearby the fence line of our truffle patch, and the rest of our girls grazing in the adjoining paddock. It seemed a little odd for a young calf to be separated from the fold, albeit reasonably still close by. That same evening, Delilah was laying down nearby her milk feeder; her nose was completely dry, and there were no signs of rumination. She appeared lethargic and refused her milk. Time for the vet.
The following morning (Thursday, 7/5), she was administered antibiotics and anti-inflammatory injections, and a f***l sample was sent to the lab. It was very firm, blood-tainted, and tar-like in appearance. While awaiting the results, we brought both Delilah and Daphne into the shed as a severe cold snap was setting in. They spent the night in the warmth of indoors.
By Friday, 8/5, Delilah was rapidly declining. She appeared very frail and thin, and her usually crazy, wavy hair looked rather limp and lifeless, as though it had been straightened. I lay in the hay beside her for an hour and a half, and in that time, she barely moved, except to let out the occasional, uncomfortable sigh. I honestly thought she was going to die. Time for an urgent follow-up vet visit. Later that evening, upon the vet's arrival, to our surprise, Delilah stood, walked to her water, took a big drink, and nosed her oaten chaff for a few moments. She urinated and let out a few coughs. Her f***l test had come back all clear, and our vet began treatment for pneumonia. Bloods were also taken to further investigate. Rest and additional antibiotic injections over the weekend saw Delilah very slowly improving her water and food intake, and her energy levels were increasing.
Monday evening (11/5), the blood results came back, and it was not the result I was expecting. Delilah’s kidney and liver function was in decline. All signs pointed to renal failure. Our vet stated that he believed Delilah had been poisoned. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Why her? How were none of our other cattle affected? What could have poisoned her? Our paddocks are well-maintained and generally weed-free. No recent sprays had been used. I wondered if something in the truffiere could be the cause. Conditions for truffle growing are often also ideal for various types of fungi. Could she have ingested a toxic fungi? What else could be in the truffiere that cattle shouldn’t eat? Hazelnut, as well as English and French oak trees, form the canopy, but the cockatoos devour the hazelnuts before they even get a chance to ripen. It had me wondering if the acorns from our oak trees could be toxic to cattle. After a quick Google, I was horrified to read that, indeed, acorns are highly toxic to cattle, especially in the late summer to early autumn, when the fresh green acorns fall from the tree and get gobbled up by curious calves in large quantities. How is this not more commonly known?
Acorns contain a tannin, which becomes an acid within the rumen. The acid attacks the kidneys, intestines, and liver, causing ulcerations. Clinical signs of acorn toxicity arise three to seven days after ingestion and often include anorexia, abdominal pain, and constipation, followed by black, tarry f***s. Acutely affected animals can die within 24 to 72 hours. 😳 After little inspection of Daphne’s poo, which was normal in appearance aside from the presence of some nut-like particles, it was very clear this was the culprit.
You can imagine my horror, followed by sheer, utter guilt as her owner. My cattle have all grazed in the truffiere at some point, and none of them showed any symptoms of poisoning. The combination of wrong place at the wrong time of year and a curious calf without a mum to show her the way were the recipe for this disaster.
This week (18/5), seven days after the initial blood test, we took another sample for comparison. Delilah’s kidney function is improving. Her liver is showing smaller signs of improvement, but still better than none at all. The symptoms of pneumonia are gone.
Delilah has gradually regained her strength over the last week and a bit. She is gaining weight, eating normally, drinking her milk and water as usual. She and Daphne have been allowed to graze in a smaller holding paddock attached to the shed, and we’ve even had the occasional morning zoomies.
We plan to keep her shedded for another week or so to ride out the next rainy, cold front headed our way, and hopefully, she and Daphne can return to the heifer paddock shortly.
I’m feeling positive about her progress, and I’m so thankful we caught it early and shedded her away from the cold very quickly. I hate to think of the outcome had we not acted so fast. Our vet is terrific and not only treats my cattle but also my anxiety, panic, and crazy. Tom at Gembrook Vet Clinic, you are amazing!!
