Blind Calf

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I was just given a 10 day old calf (I'm a sucker) that appears healthy, but the neighboring rancher could not get it to nurse its mother. It would suck a teat if put on one, but once off could not 'find' it again, but would just bounce around pushing against the cow's flank. The calf has been bottle fed with replacer and milk from the mother. It appears the calf may be blind, seeing shadows and larges objects. I have the time and patience to bottle feed it. Does anyone have any experience with a calf like this? I am concerned about getting it on solid food. Should I start putting some hay/grain into its mouth so he will get the taste and start chewing? Hopefully he will then find his food and water by smell or with his limited sight.
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A blind calf is a lot of work and takes a lot of commitment. Are you planning on this being a pet? The calf will start to eat grass, grain, hay, etc.,<br> when it is ready, but being only 10 days old it will need milk replacer for a while still.<br>you can get calves to drink milk replacer out of a bucket, and they make buckets with nipples at the bottom. Perhaps that would be helpful. There will be more risk that the calf will get injured- getting kicked by other animals,stuck in fences. Just be careful. good luck! : I was just given a 10 day old calf (I'm a sucker) that appears healthy, but the neighboring rancher could not get it to nurse its mother. It would suck a teat if put on one, but once off could not 'find' it again, but would just bounce around pushing against the cow's flank. The calf has been bottle fed with replacer and milk from the mother. It appears the calf may be blind, seeing shadows and larges objects. I have the time and patience to bottle feed it. Does anyone have any experience with a calf like this? I am concerned about getting it on solid food. Should I start putting some hay/grain into its mouth so he will get the taste and start chewing? Hopefully he will then find his food and water by smell or with his limited sight.<p>
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There are several reasons the calf could be blind. Do you see the iris and pupil clearly, or is there white obscuring it? If there seems to be white floating in front of the iris, it may be hypopyon, a sign of serious systemic infection. If the pupil is white only, that is cataracts, possibly genetic but not likely infection. If the eyes look normal, it could be Vitamin A deficiency....did the calf get a shot of AD? if not, this may help. Raising a blind calf can certainly be done, but figuring out why may prevent major problems in the future. Talk to your vet and see what they think!Good Luck<br>V<br>
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His eyes are clear and look normal. His head is shaped a bit abnormally, so one thought was that perhaps he had some pressure in the womb. I was thinking about vitamins myself, can't hurt to try that. He is really a healthy little guy except for his sight. I will be seeing my vet next week. We have thousands of cattle in this area, so most of the big ranchers would just knock this little guy on the head, but I'm getting a reputation of saving hopeless cases!<br>
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