Episode Notes
Senior Advisor Tara and NonprofitA non-governmental organization whose primary purpose is something other than selling goods or services. Specialist Julia discuss how caregivers can best prepare for a scenario in which a resident cowWhile "cow" can be defined to refer exclusively to female cattle, at The Open Sanctuary Project we refer to domesticated cattle of all ages and sexes as "cows." cannot stand. In this situation, time is of the essence, so having a plan in place is key, as is understanding what to look for when assessing a cow resident who may be having difficulty standing.
This Episode’s Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:
- When Cows Can’t Stand: Understanding Causes And Making Sure You Are Prepared To Help | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Observation: An Important Caregiving Tool | The Open Sanctuary Project
- The Caregiver’s Guide To Developing Your Observation Skills | The Open Sanctuary Project
- Daily Observation For Cow Resident Health And Well-Being
Episode Transcript (Auto-GeneratedThe following content was transcribed through an automated process and may contain transcription errors or misspellings.)
Julia Magnus: Welcome to another episode of the Open Sanctuary Podcast. In fact, it is our first episode of 2026, which I think makes the fourth year that we have been doing this podcast. Is that right? I cannot remember. But I am Julia, the nonprofit specialist at the Open Sanctuary Project, and I am joined by my friend and our senior adviser, Tara Hess. Today we are diving into a literally weighty topic that can be incredibly stressful for any caregiverSomeone who provides daily care, specifically for animal residents at an animal sanctuary, shelter, or rescue., and that is discovering that one of your cow residents is unable to stand. Tara, last year you wrote a resource on this topic, and it feels like such a critical conversation for anyone caring for these magnificent beings.
Tara Hess: Yeah, it is concerning when a resident of any species is unable to stand, and we always urge folks to seek the guidance of a veterinarian in such cases. However, because of their large size, it is a particularly dire situation when a cow cannot get up on their own. Time really is of the essence. Caregivers need to be prepared ahead of time with the knowledge and resources necessary to assist a cow resident who cannot get up. I should also just add for folks who are listening that here at OSP, we use the term cow to describe both males and females. I do not want anyone listening to this podcast to think that we are somehow excluding males, but we are going to say “cow,” and we really mean everyone.
Julia Magnus: Thanks for that because, as we know, language is super important. It is very important we make sure that we are clear about how we define various terms. Along those same lines, can you talk a bit about the terminology that you use to describe a cow who cannot stand?
Tara Hess: There are a bunch of different terms that are used to describe a cow who cannot stand. In our resources, we refer to them as being down or as being a downed cow. Depending on where folks are looking, they are probably also going to come across terms like downer, downer cow syndrome, or other terms that are more specific in regards to the position the cow is in or how long they have been down. We are really just generally going to use the term “being down” or “downed cow”.
Julia Magnus: In this resource, you start by stressing that it is really important for caregivers to understand the mechanics of how cowsWhile "cows" can be defined to refer exclusively to female cattle, at The Open Sanctuary Project we refer to domesticated cattle of all ages and sexes as "cows." move between lying down and standing up. Could you talk a little bit about this and why that is so important to understand?
Tara Hess: I really do think this is important because there are a multitude of reasons why an individual may not be able to stand, and understanding the mechanics of how they normally get up can really help in figuring out why they cannot get up and what you can do to help. Now, of course, we always recommend veterinary involvement. Still, as caregivers, it is helpful to be able to sort of assess the situation and have that information to share with our veterinarian when we are talking about what is going on. For folks who are not familiar with the normal mechanics of how a cow rises, I urge you to check out the written resource that we keep referring to, which will be linked to in the show notes. That not only has a detailed description of the process, but it also has helpful graphics that show each stage of how they get up. To briefly sum it up, if they are not already sitting up in a sternal position—and this is really the position that I think most people picture when they think of a cow relaxing and lying down—sometimes they lie flat on their side, but they cannot stay in that position for very long. Usually, they are lying down, but their body is mostly upright. When we say sternal, I mean their chest is mostly against the ground and their head is upright. If you look at their back end, you will see that they are really on one side or the other. From this position, they rock forward.
Tara Hess: They have to extend their neck and rock forward and basically get up on their front knees. This momentum allows them to then push up on their back legs to get their hips up. Like I said, on their back end, you will see they are on one side or the other. The leg they are lying on has to do most of the lifting. This is important to understand because you might have residents who you notice have a hard time when they are lying on one side but not the other, maybe because one leg is sore or something like that. Once they are up on their back end, they can extend their front legs one at a time and, voila, now they are standing.
Julia Magnus: So that rocking forward motion seems key. If something is blocking that motion, they are stuck.
Tara Hess: Exactly. That leads us to some of the reasons why they might be down. While it is certainly possible that a cow cannot get up because they have a health condition that is making them too weak or too pained to stand, it can also be that their surroundings are preventing them from getting up. Like you just mentioned, that rocking motion is vital. If a cow is lying down and has something in front of them that makes it so that they cannot extend their neck and rock forward, they simply cannot shift their weight enough to be able to stand. If you think about the size of a cow and how long their neck is and how big their head is, that is a significant amount of space they need in front of them. I should also point out that sometimes it is a combination of factors that make them unable to stand. Something I have seen a lot in my time caring for cows is someone might have a health issue that makes it a little bit more challenging for them to get up.
Tara Hess: You might see some individuals get up with ease; they rock forward and, like magic, they are standing. Others you can really see have to heave themselves. Sometimes you will see certain individuals have to rock a few times. It is not one rock and then they are up. They maybe rock a couple of times and then they get up, or there are a few failed attempts. What can happen sometimes is during that process of rocking to try to get up, they might scoot around or even spin in a circle. Now you could have someone who originally was in a place where they could get up quite easily, but they have positioned themselves in a way where it is not just hard for them, but now they simply cannot because they do not have that space in front of them.
Julia Magnus: So like if they end up in a corner where they might not even have the room.
Tara Hess: Corners are real bad. All it takes is a little bit of movement, because you might think if they lie down on their own, clearly they are in a spot where they can just reverse that process and get up. But again, sometimes in the process of trying to get up, they spin or move a little bit and now all of a sudden they just cannot do it.
Julia Magnus: Mud, ice, and sloped terrain could also factor into this difficulty, right?
Tara Hess: Yeah, definitely. If a cow is lying on a slope, that can complicate things, especially if they are on a slope where their back feet are now higher than their back end. If you think of the mechanics, they have to be able to get their feet under them to lift their hips. How are they going to do that if their hips are basically lower than their feet because of the sloped terrain? That can really complicate things. You might also have a situation where someone cannot even get themselves into that sternal position because of the slope. Being stuck flat on their side really requires an immediate response because they are at additional risks there. Mud and ice can be dangerous because they really need traction to be able to push up and get their feet under them. If they cannot do that, they just will not be able to get up.
Julia Magnus: You just mentioned that while it is super concerning when any resident of any species cannot stand, time is really of the essence with cows. Can you explain the risks associated with cows being unable to stand in particular?
Tara Hess: I definitely do not want to suggest that being unable to stand is only a concern for cows. That is absolutely not true. Actually, some of the risks I am going to mention are not even unique to cows. But getting cows up can just be so much more complex and challenging given their larger size, and things can go downhill pretty quickly. In addition to the risk of the individual injuring themselves while attempting to stand, which certainly can happen if someone is repeatedly trying to get up, cows are also at risk of developing free gas bloat. This is true for all ruminants. If they are stuck on their side, they are going to be especially at risk of developing free gas bloat. Cows who are down are also at risk of developing respiratory issues, muscle and nerve damage, as well as pressure sores. Some of these issues on their own can prove fatal.
Tara Hess: You could have a respiratory issue that is a fatal situation, but others can become irreversible. Something like muscle or nerve damage, if they are down too long, can become irreversible. At that point, it is a moot point if you can get them up because they will not be able to walk and now you are faced with quality of life concerns. The thing that I want people to understand is that the longer they remain down, the poorer the prognosis. This is why I keep saying time is of the essence. You really want to call your veterinarian immediately so that they can be involved in figuring out what needs to be done. But you also want to make sure you have done the prep work ahead of time so that when they offer their recommendations, you are prepared to see them through and have the skills to do it.
Julia Magnus: Backing up one second, can I ask you, is it obvious when a cow is stuck down versus a cow who is simply relaxing? Are there certain signs that caregivers should be on the lookout for?
Tara Hess: That is a really great question. Sometimes it is obvious; you happen to see that someone is struggling to get up and you know there is a problem. But there are a lot of times that if you are not there at the right time, it is easy to miss that someone is down unless you are paying super close attention and know the more subtle signs to look for. As I said, the longer they remain down, the higher the risk of life-threatening or irreversible complications. It is really crucial to be able to recognize those more subtle signs so that you can identify there is a problem and respond as quickly as you can.
Tara Hess: One thing to look for is if they have a really dirty face. Someone could have a dirty face for another reason, but sometimes what will happen, especially if it is muddy, is that in that rocking forward motion, they might actually be pushing their face against the ground to try to help them get their balance and get their back end up. Also, if they have a huge pile of poop behind them, that would indicate that they have been down for a while. That would make me investigate what is going on.
Tara Hess: Another telltale clue is if there is evidence on the ground around them that they have been dragging themselves or spinning in a circle. Outdoors, you might see that the grass is flattened in a certain path where you can see they started out further back and have dragged themselves forward quite a bit. That is not normal. You might also see that they have spun themselves in a circle. That spinning can be really common if they are having a hard time getting their back feet under them. They might be trying really hard and their back feet are moving around, so they are essentially spinning with their front end as the center of the circle. Indoors, you could see the same sorts of things.
Tara Hess: If you use straw bedding, you might see that all the bedding behind them or in a circle is essentially gone because they have dragged it out of the way trying to get up. It is also important to pay attention to the individual’s behavior. If you have someone who is a little leery of people and typically gets up when you come within a certain distance to them, but they do not, that would raise some red flags. Another thing is if I see one cow resident down somewhere far away from everyone else. If I walk into the barn and there is one cow there by themselves and everyone else is way out in the pasture, I am going to want to check out that individual.
Julia Magnus: Again, it might not be that they are stuck down, but there could be something else going on like a social dynamic thing at play. This is another area where caregiver observation comes into play big time. I want to note that we have a resource on that which we can also drop in the show notes. You mentioned that time is critical here, so why don’t we talk a little bit about preparation? The key point seems to be that folks really shouldn’t wait until a cow is down to figure out a plan to help.
Tara Hess: That is exactly it. If you care for cows and have not already worked with your veterinarian to create some sort of downed cow protocol, you really should do that as soon as possible. Attempting to assist a downed cow without proper training and equipment could have devastating consequences for the resident and for the humans involved. You really need to make sure that you either have the equipment necessary and know how to use it or that you know who to call who can help you. Obviously, veterinary involvement is key. But the reality is that calling your vet and getting them to come out does not magically get your cow resident up. In some cases, your vet might have some equipment, but a lot of times you have to have things on hand or know who to contact. You really need to know who has what you need and establish a relationship with them in advance.
Julia Magnus: Let’s talk a little bit about that equipment. What exactly are we talking about here?
Tara Hess: I do want to stress that this is not a one-size-fits-all thing. Unfortunately, it is not like you just do A, B, and C in that order and now they are up. Depending on the situation, there are different things you may need to do. This is why we always recommend consulting with your veterinarian for guidance because they are going to be able to give you specific instructions about what should happen for this particular individual.
Tara Hess: That said, there are four important things that I think caregivers should be prepared to do themselves or know how they would accomplish so that they have these tools in their toolkit. I mentioned earlier that it is especially dangerous if a cow resident is stuck on their side because they are at risk of developing free gas bloat, which can be fatal. It is imperative that cow caregivers are prepared to assist a cow into a sternal position. You really don’t want to be in a situation where you are waiting on someone else to help with this.
Tara Hess: This and everything else really requires proper training either from your veterinarian or an experienced caregiver. Standing in the wrong place around a cow who is trying to get up really can put you in harm’s way. Without proper training, you could also cause harmThe infliction of mental, emotional, and/or physical pain, suffering, or loss. Harm can occur intentionally or unintentionally and directly or indirectly. Someone can intentionally cause direct harm (e.g., punitively cutting a sheep's skin while shearing them) or unintentionally cause direct harm (e.g., your hand slips while shearing a sheep, causing an accidental wound on their skin). Likewise, someone can intentionally cause indirect harm (e.g., selling socks made from a sanctuary resident's wool and encouraging folks who purchase them to buy more products made from the wool of farmed sheep) or unintentionally cause indirect harm (e.g., selling socks made from a sanctuary resident's wool, which inadvertently perpetuates the idea that it is ok to commodify sheep for their wool). to the resident while you are trying to help them. Assisting a cow into a sternal position can sometimes be done with human strength, but you may also need a rope halter or some soft but strong ropes or straps to assist in this process. Sometimes you also actually need to prop them up. With a little bit of help, you can push them into a sternal position and maybe they can stay there, but there are also times where they flop back down on their side.
Tara Hess: You have to have a plan in place for how to prop them up because these are huge animals. You need something on hand that you could easily move that will be robust enough to keep them upright without injuring them. One thing that most people have on hand are straw or hay bales. If you have a few 50-pound bales, that might be enough, or you can wedge them between the individual and a wall. If you have those huge straw bales that require equipment to move, that obviously can help also.
Tara Hess: Another thing you may need to do is reposition them so that they are lying on their other side. This is often described as rolling them. Again, this is something you absolutely need to be trained to do to ensure that you are safe and the cow resident is safe. This is where you might need a rope halter or some additional ropes or straps. The next thing is there might be a time where you need to move a cow resident to a different location or reposition them in terms of where they are in the space.
Tara Hess: This is more complex than simply rolling them or sitting them up. I found that a rescue glide can really come in handy, but this really requires proper training to use. You might also need some ropes and things in order to be able to use it. A rescue glide can also come in handy if it is decided that the cow needs to go to the hospital. The rescue glide can be used to get them onto a trailer, but you have to make sure your trailer has a ramp because there is no lifting a cow on a rescue glide up into a trailer. Sometimes the things I just talked about are actually enough to get the cow to get up on their own. You might push them into a sternal position and after some time to rest, they get up.
Tara Hess: Or maybe you roll them to their other side and they are able to get up. If it was an environmental factor like being in a corner, moving them so that they have the room they need might do the trick. But obviously, there are also times when they truly do need assistance getting into a standing position. There are different kinds of lifting devices that can be used to accomplish this. I would encourage folks to work with their veterinarian to determine which devices they should have on hand and then make sure they get trained to use them. I do want to point out that none of the devices I have used actually lift cows themselves; they are almost like accessories that attach to the cow and then to something else that is going to lift them.
Tara Hess: A lot of times that is going to be a front-loader tractor. You need to figure out what else you need to make this thing work because otherwise it is of no value to you. Don’t just rely on the fact that you have a tractor; make sure your tractor can lift that weight safely without tipping. Think about your heaviest resident; will you be able to lift them?
Julia Magnus: That is a lot of extensive and complicated information. Thanks for sharing it because it all seems incredibly important. You mentioned that folks should have this equipment or at least know who to call. If not your vet, who would folks talk to?
Tara Hess: Even though your vet might not have this equipment, I would start with them. Talk to your vet and see if they can recommend folks in the area who might be able to help. You can also search for organizations in your area that are trained in technical large animal emergency rescue. Once you have identified possibilities, reach out in advance and have a conversation with them to see if they would be able to offer assistance. Figure out what they can and cannot do because it might be that they have certain things, but you still need to provide the tractor.
Tara Hess: I did also want to mention very briefly that whoever you are talking to, make sure that they understand who your residents are. Sanctuaries often care for cow residents who are far larger than expert people who have worked with cows for 30 years have ever seen. Even trying to stress that verbally, people do not always get it. Someone could have worked in the dairy industry for years but they have never seen a male Holstein who is 18 years old, and they just cannot comprehend how big they get. Some of these devices may not fit your residents. A hip lift might not be the thing that works for all your residents, so don’t just rely on the fact that they have something. Make sure you have a plan for everyone; you might need a lifting harness or something like that.
Julia Magnus: Makes sense. You also mention that layout of living spaces matters as well. Can we talk a little bit about infrastructure?
Tara Hess: Basically, the way your living spaces and your property are set up really can work for you or against you. Think about what your plan is and everything it would take to execute it in the different areas where your cow residents may be. If you buy all the equipment and you have the fancy lifting harness and an appropriate tractor, but your barn has a really low roof or a loft that restricts vertical space, your plan is not going to work. Now you are going to have to move the cow out of that area before you can even lift them. Any step you can avoid is going to reduce the risk. I am not saying every sanctuary should tear down their barn, but just really think about where you are going to get into trouble and what your plan is going to be. Can your equipment get through different gates? Do you have the vertical space needed?
Julia Magnus: Are there other things in addition to all that that folks should be thinking about?
Tara Hess: I would encourage folks to talk to their veterinarian about any medications that they recommend keeping on hand to be used under their guidance. I have had instances where I have called my vet and they instructed me to administer a certain pain medication or a steroid before the whole process of trying to get the individual up begins. When we are talking about downed cows, the goal is obviously that you want them to get up, but what if a cow needs to stay down for a while during treatment?
Tara Hess: The reality is some interventions just take time to kick in, or a health condition takes time to resolve, or you are waiting on test results. There could be times when an individual needs to stay down and you need to care for them through that process. It is important to work closely with your veterinarian to mitigate risks. Sand pens are typically ideal for most downed cow residents because they can help prevent muscle and nerve damage as well as pressure sores. Can you provide a sand pen on your property? In some cases, hospitalization is best.
Tara Hess: I would say in advance, have a conversation with the veterinary hospital you take your cow residents to and figure out what they could do for a downed cow and what sort of limitations there are. Just like some lifting devices might not work for larger residents, they might also have limitations with float tanks. Knowing this information will help you make decisions about whether or not there is value in hospitalizing someone or if you should manage their care at home. Work with your vet to figure out where a sand pen should be or what sort of deep bedding you could provide. You have to be able to move the cow to the pen, so what is that going to take? In terms of care, they need close observation to make sure they stay in a sternal position, and they need food and water nearby. Your veterinarian will likely instruct you to roll them from one side to the other at specific intervals to prevent nerve and muscle damage and pressure sores.
Julia Magnus: That is a lot of information and thank you so much for sharing all of that. Do you have any final thoughts or suggestions for our listeners?
Tara Hess: I would say create a written protocol in collaboration with your veterinarian and share it with anyone who might need it. Discuss it as a team and make sure a copy is easy to access. Doing research and having it all in your head does no good if you are not reachable. You want to make sure anyone who cares for your residents has the information they need. The written protocol should include who to call, where equipment is located, and who is trained to use it. It is also helpful to include a list of the type of information your veterinarian will need when a caregiver reaches out to them. The more information your veterinarian has before they even come out, the better able they will be to assess the situation.
Julia Magnus: Thanks so much for sharing all that, Tara. It is a heavy topic, but being prepared truly will make all the difference in the world.
Tara Hess: It really does. Preparation is the best way to ensure a scary situation has the best possible outcome. For a quick summary: know the mechanics of how your cows stand, check your infrastructure for tractor access, and have your downed cow kit and protocols ready well before you ever need them. To visualize why preparation is so vital, think about a downed cow situation like a heavy ship that has run aground at low tide. You cannot just tug this ship back to sea without the right tools and a plan. If you wait too long or use the wrong equipment, the hull could crack under its own weight. Being prepared is like having the tugboats and the tide charts ready before the ship ever hits the sand.
Julia Magnus: Thanks so much for sharing this; I think it is going to be really critical information for a lot of folks. Listeners, thank you for listening to the Open Sanctuary Podcast. If you have enjoyed this podcast, please consider leaving a five-star review. You can also consider giving us a donation so we can continue to provide free resources for the sanctuary community. For more resources on cow care and sanctuary management, visit us at opensanctuary.org.
