Broken Leg

[Sparky11]

I have a 3 month old heifer who broke her right rear leg about 6 inches up from the hoof. Below the break is swollen but she's alert and eating. I'm planning to take her to the vet asap. Any suggestions? Will she heal ok if casted? Is it worth the effort? I wanted to keep her as a brood cow and value your ideas. Thanks.

 

[redcowsrule33]

Depends on the actual location and nature of the fracture. At three months she is getting a bit heavy for a cast and you need to keep that thing clean and dry or the skin underneath will rot. If they will xray it first that will give them a better idea as to how favorable your outcome will be. It may require internal fixation with a splint to heal right. I would decide how much she is worth and see what they recommend. If they do cast it, usually the outcome is more reliant on how the calf and cast is managed afterwards. Difficult with an animal that has little aversion to stepping in it's own excrement. Good luck!

 

[Double E]

I had one much like that, the swelling never went away. She did fine unless she took a trailer ride or got mounted for breeding, then she limped for several days after. After breeding the limp was VERY bad for a day or two and I worried she wasn't moving enough to graze and water. I couldn't let her suffer like that, although I did get two calves from her. I should mention she was swollen like that when I bought her as a yearling, but the vet said it wouldn't affect her and I guess it didn't. Most of the time all I noticed was the swelling but when she was hurting it was clear the pain was bad. If you are planning to breed her, you might keep that in mind unless you AI.