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Seeking medical advice for calf

S

Soapweed

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
16,264
Location
northern Nebraska Sandhills
Yesterday, a neighbor called to tell me that one of our calves was hanging by himself and was not acting right. Late in the day, I drove to the pasture to check out the big March calf, and he can't stand. Both hind leg joints seem to be swelled. I don't know if he has back or spinal problems, or if it is the swelling in the legs that inhibits his actions.

I am wondering if the calf got stepped on by a bull. Another thought is rattlesnake bite. The cattle were all drinking out of a big muddy pond on the hot day before yesterday, so contaminated water could be the problem. Possibly a toxic weed? I am open to any ideas or suggestions.

The calf is several miles from home, in a four section pasture. His mother may or may not be with him (I'm not sure he is able to suck). My dilema is whether to just go put the calf out of his misery, or to load it and travel forty miles to get veterinary assistance (and the resulting bill).

Calfunabletogetup.jpg

Calf unable to get up
Hockjointsarebothswelled.jpg

Hock joints are both swelled
HecantstandevenwhenItailhimup.jpg

He can't stand, even when I tail him up
 
I think I'd just put him out of his misery the prognosis isn't too good on those deals-I'm surprised the yotes never got him by now-they tend to make those decisions for us in the bush.
 
I had one like that one time turned out someone shot him with birdshot and one pellet hit his spine.
 
Soapweed, sometimes when a calf gets stepped on in his flank area, the swelling will affect his spinal column resulting in a fluid build up in his/her hocks and pasterns. A dose of banamone and therapeutic excersise are the only way to relieve the nerve damage. If the nerve damaged is coupled with dehydration, then the outcome is almost always the same. if I had to guess the calf got stepped on or butted as he was being friendly with a cow in heat, and he will never get up again.
 
I am wondering, does he have any resistance to you flexing and straightening his back legs or are they just limp noodles?

By his attempts to get up, it doesn't look like its a classic poisoning, in fact other than his inability to get up his attitude looks bright. It looks to me like its a mechanical problem; whether a bull dismounted onto his backbone and he got a subluxation of a vertebra, or he has an actual stenosis of the spine. But with a stenosis you see a gradual limping or dragging of one hind leg, then a difficulty in getting up, then an inability to get up.

In any case, it doesn't look too hopeful unless you want to take a chance on a long recovery and a lot of TLC.

I hope others have brighter ideas.
 
I believe its obvious by the swelling,where the problem is,not in the flank or spine.
Soapweed,with cattle prices fair,I would get a vet to look at him,two reasons,he might be able to help the calf, and or at least tell you what the problem is,its always a good thing to know what is killing your cattle............good luck
 
Was he wormed recently and with what? Dectomax Pour on for cattle has a warning :
Killing "H bovis"(one of the many parasites it gets rid of) when it is present in the vertebral canal may cause staggering or paralysis.
It doesn't say how fast it affects them tho.


Do his back feet always stay cupped like that, even when you stood him up? If they do, I'd think it's a more permanant paralysis because he is more or less goin fetal with those back feet. And like someone else asked, is there any resistance or movement of his hind legs at all?

I hate it when stuff like this happens, it's not so bad when there's an obvious explaination and you know "why".
 
What drugs do you have on hand? I'd be inclined to give dexamethasone and banamine for pain/anti-inflammatory action, give the calf 12-24 hours, and reevaluate. If it were a younger calf I'd consider joint infection, but it seems unlikely at this age. Problem might be the spine and the swelling in the hocks is secondary, or the swelling in the hocks might be the primary cause of being down. Hard to say.

Regardless, I think I'd try dex and banamine for two routes of anti-inflammatory action, and see where that gets him. Calf have access to water? if your weather's anything like ours has been lately he's going to need water and shade.

On the other hand, what's the calf worth to you? might be worth a vet visit. Say a diesel truck pulling a trailer for 40 miles at what? 15m/p/gal? Maybe $20-25 round trip. If your vet's anything like ours he probably won't charge if you take the calf to the clinic and he says there isn't a thing he can do. If he decides there IS something that can be done, that's different, but... you'd have to weigh your costs and decide if it'd be worth it. What if a $40 vet visit would save him? You might only break even on that cow/calf for this year, but that's better than losing money, isn't it?
 
Soapweed,


We had a calf acted and looked the same way last year. I kept him on banamine for a few days but he still couldnt get up. He could stand up on his fronts but just sat like yours does. I ended up putting him down as I hated to see him suffer.
 
I've seen A COW react to Pour-On this way - - not that :!: - -
I'd check him for bulit holes - - Not that :!:
Snake bite :!: - No :!: -
Then
milkmaid said:
I'd be inclined to give dexamethasone and banamine for pain/anti-inflammatory action,
Click to expand...

Years ago (in the70's) "Davis U Vet. School" wanted me to treat some cows 3 times a day with some thing for SHOCK - -

Three time per Day :?: We have 500 Head :!:

I was helping a ranch that had 500 head that I figured out had "Onion Poisioning" - (2 or 3 died per day) the Local Vets & State Vets were treating them for "Red Water" They took out all the Dams

I was lucky (reading Mercks) - I knew they were feeding onion skins from a local plant and the Vets were just walking over them.

Anyhow we ran 500 head through the chute and gave them 5cc's of dexamethasone and spread "Mucho Hay" to help their diet and that was that :!:

A side effect of dexamethasone is a good treament for shock! For what it's worth!
 
If it were me and he had to be put out of his misery...I'd at least take some samples ( blood-fecal-occular) to the vet to ck for any virus, bacterial, etc problems. Just to be on the safe side.

But he looks like he's been hurt, stepped on, knocked about or something that has affected/effected his motor skills.

If your suspicious of the water....have any more shown any ' funky' signs? If it were the water....you'd surely have more than one critter down.
 
I'd sure have a Vet look at it

1 Googls Search Report:

OSH Answers: Rabies
In domestic animals, rabies is most commonly found in cattle, with about ... Eventually the animal becomes paralyzed in the throat and hind legs, and dies. ...
www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/diseases/rabies.html - 46k - Cached - Similar pages
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/diseases/rabies.html

Test - - Will he eat :?:

Caution: Watch out getting bodly fluids on you!

For some reason links do not want to work on 'Mac'
Try this
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Cattle+-+Paralyzed+Hind+Legs&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
 
Soapweed, wish I could help, but I'm all stumped. I'd urge you to take the calf to the vet for the rest of the herd (just in case its something) and your piece of mind.
 
Agree with Brad. But sometimes a calf will come out of this if steped ect. Had one 5 mo. old to this day don't know exactly what happened to her-anyway just in the same way as soapweeds calf-vet was out doing something else-he IVed her and we tubed her a few times a finally she started to eat and drink on her own and helped her up a couple times then she struggled up on her own. Also banamine and la200 or similar every other day for a wk. --this depends on how much time you have also. AS much experience soapweed and crew have had and seen - never ceases to be something new. :wink:
 
Thanks for all the replies, suggestions, and good ideas. This morning we worked hard trying to get some more haying equipment ready to go. Peach Blossom was ahead on mowing, and we got KK on the rake, and Saddltramp off and baling. I finally had time to go get the calf. Ol' Goose was at the barn, so I loaded him up for companionship. The calf probably weighed 300-350 pounds, so Goose's help was much appreciated to get the steer pulled onto the trailer. Took the calf to the vet, and he wasn't very optomistic that he could do anything. He thought it was just an injury, probably caused by a bull. He would have posted it and done some more tests, but he really didn't necessarily recommend it. Besides, sometimes no news is good news, so I declined. He was nice and didn't charge anything for his opinion, so all I was out was a trip to town. Needed a few hayfield parts anyway, so the trip wasn't wasted.

The calf's troubles are over. He is now frolicking in fields of clover in a much better place. :wink: :-)
 
With the price of gas and the price of vet calls in this area it does seem more economical most times to just put them out of their misery. Sorry it turned out that way for ya.
 
Good for you for putting him out of his misery, Soapweed.

Not much fun for him trying to get up all the time.
We can do for our animals things we can't do for others.

Our neighbor has a cow down on our place. Mr. FH noticed her
when he went to bale yesterday morning about 4:30 am but
it was too early to call anyone. Soon as he could, he let the
owners know and they came over. No one had a for-sure anwer
as to what was wrong with her. She is only a 2-year old.
The vet was called and he came out and gave her antibiotic,
something for grass tetnany and something for milk fever (just
covering his bases, obviously). Mr. FH and the owners set some
steel posts to put a tarp over her for some shade. This morning
the owner took water over to her and managed to tube her
somehow with some water and she seemed to perk up. Her ears
were up better. They went over this afternoon late and got some
more water down her, but the results weren't as good as this morning.
Perhaps she got too hot today as it reached 95 degrees here.
Hopefully she will be better in the morning. If not, they'll probably
need to go the same route you took.

No sense watching something suffer.
 
OK,

Here's something else that may become more mainstream....

My wife was at our Chiropractors. She is Becky Cannon, former NFR Barrel Racer. Dang, I can't remember her Maiden name, but not important...


Tammy saw a foal Becky has treated. It was most likely stepped on when she was originally called. It couldn't get up and Becky had little hope to help it. They had to milk the mare to feed this little fella as it couldn't stand so it could nurse....

Well, it is now getting along fine and nursing on its own...Becky used chiropractic.

I saw in anotehr thread someone mentioning using chiropractic on a bull...

I know it does wonders for me,


PPRM
 

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