Wisconsin State Journal
Feb. 26, 2005

Steve Kraak is used to strange looks when he tells people what he does for a living.

Some don't believe him, even after seeing the large water tank on the back of his truck.

But it's true.

Kraak floats cows.

"I prefer to call it rehabilitating cows," he says. "There's more to it than putting them in a tank of water."

When injuries and illness cause them to go down, he and his hot tubs help them get up again.

Kraak works with veterinarians to treat mostly downed cows that had a hard time calving or with milk fever.

When called early, his success rate is 70 percent to 80 percent.

Mostly, he helps Holsteins, which weigh anywhere from 1,100 to 2,000 pounds.

"Steve provides a valued service," says large-animal veterinarian Ray Pawlisch of the Brodhead Veterinary Clinic. "Many farmers feel helpless when their cows can't get up. Steve gives them hope."

Here's how he does it:

Kraak pumps a tank on his truck full of water, heated to about 100 degrees in his barn.

He responds to calls from all over southern Wisconsin but tries to stay within 60 miles of his home west of Janesville.

Kraak arrives on the farm with warm water and a portable tank. He begins by rolling the downed cow onto a large mat.

Then he winches the mat and cow into the tank with the front and back panels removed, replaces the panels and fills the tank with about 700 gallons of water.

The buoyancy of the water helps the cow get to her feet, because she's holding up only about 15 percent of her body weight.

If the cow has no serious injury, she is left in the tank for up to 24 hours.

The warm water helps blood circulation in her muscles and increases her strength.

During this time, she can eat from a trough attached to the front of the tank.

When it's time to see if the therapy works, Kraak lets the water out.

He gives the cow time to stand in the empty tank so she can adjust to her full weight.

"At first, they're sea-legged," Kraak says. "Best-case scenario is that they walk right out."

He has a higher success rate if he gets to the cow within 24 hours. The longer she's lying down, the more pressure damage can occur to muscles and nerves.

Normally, Kraak floats two to three cows a day.

Last year, Kraak floated 660 cows and put about 70,000 miles on his truck.

He charges from $180 to $350, depending on how many times he floats a cow and how far away it is.

The 49-year-old has been floating cows for more than five years. Before that, he worked with dairy producers to help them feed cows balanced diets.

Kraak was skeptical the first time he heard about warm-water tanks. Then he got one, tried it on a friend's cow and never took it back.

A Danish dairyman built the first tank after he got the idea while undergoing rehabilitation in a hospital pool.

"It's the most humane way to treat a downed cow," Kraak says. "I've never been just a business. I'm about not only helping the cow but also the dairyman. Just seeing their faces when their cows stand makes me feel good."