calf has problems - but not sure exactly what - opinions?

[milkmaid]

Other than this calf needing to be put down, what exactly IS wrong with him? pay particular attention to his hind legs in this video; about half way through you can see him from the side. He's about 6 months old and I'm told he's "always" been this way.

 

[hillsdown]

MM I can't get it to play it stops and buffers all the time. So much for high speed..

My guess would be it is a genetic defect or an irreversible injury that has occured in gestation or delivery..

 

[kenny thomas]

Played ok, I agree either genitic defect or calving problem. Any chance the calf had to be pulled when born?

 

[TCTara]

If it is just the hind end, it is a spinal lesion, likely a stenosis or other malformation of the spine pinching the spinal cord. If it includes the front end, with just the hind end worse, it could be that,or a true Wobbler's or even an enzyme deficiency or other interesting thing. Either way, if drug free can be eaten, wouldn't want to grow it to full size because it will get worse and the animal could go down.

The reason I feel it's neurologic, is that you can see the crossing of the hind feet, and the stiff gait on the hind. The stumble on the front makes me think the front is involved as well. But hey, it's just what I saw.

Who's calf is this??

 

[Beefy]

definitely neurological.

 

[milkmaid]

It's a relative's calf. I talked with one of the hired hands this morning and he said the calf was actually fine until part way through the summer when the cows went to summer pasture. Doesn't know what happened but said the calf was fine earlier. Calf out of a first-calf heifer. I'd thought I'd heard earlier the calf had always been this way, but apparently not. Snakebit was the hired hand's best idea.

Thanks for the input, keep it coming please. I'd like to get permission to put this calf down this afternoon, but I'd also kinda like some ideas for what's wrong with the calf before I pull the trigger and can no longer evaluate him... If I were to necropsy him, is there anything in particular I should look for in the hind end region?

 

[SRBeef]

I hate to even mention the word but could that be CWD?

Jim

 

[milkmaid]

CWD can't be transferred from deer to cattle (according to prion research at UW), BSE isn't going to be showing up in a calf this age. It's something else - defect, injury, disease, etc, I just don't know what is wrong or exactly what area of the calf the problem is in.

 

[rockridgecattle]

Hubby's first thought was spinal injury.
His second guess...the navel looks like it was swollen at one time and the navel infection hit the joints. We had one like this several years back.

My guess
spinal
hard pull
or unsucessful navel ill treatment

 

[ollie?]

I'd guess broken back. If they trucked them to the new place, it could have happened in the trailer.

 

[hillsdown]

I finally saw the whole video. I have to say neurological ,just the way the calf moves. The way it crossed it's back legs and lost footing in the front. Interesting case MM .

The navel did look quite sloppy too.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

When I saw who posted this question - my first thought was - if she doesn't know, who would???
Looks like spinal probem to me also.
So what did you find out???

 

[jt]

When I saw who posted this question - my first thought was - if she doesn't know, who would???
Looks like spinal probem to me also.
So what did you find out???

LOL that is exactly what i was thinking.. anyway. i have a friend who had a bull calf all of a sudden start whobbling really bad in his back end. it came on sudden because it happened when he penned them so i could look at them. he hadnt seen it before that time. long story short, in about 3-4 months he got over it and has not wobbled since to my knowledge. all we could chalk it up to was that he got excited or hurt during the penning.

i should add that his calf was not the same as this calf. his calf just wobbled in the back in from side to side really bad like he was going down, but never did.]

jt

 

[milkmaid]

Calf was put down Sunday. Don't know exactly what happened to him initially, but the responses I've gotten from most of the vets I've asked have implied a spinal lesion, cracked vertebrae, broken back, that sort of thing. Looks like a probable injury. Maybe he was laying down by one of the watering tanks this summer and a mature cow stepped on him.

Interesting case, I wanted him put down 2 months ago when we weaned, but a person can only be so pushy when it's not their own animal. He was turning into a downer this past weekend when I was up there (I gave him a tail lift to get him up and walking so I could get that video) and so the decision was finally made. Thanks for the input, y'all.

 

[regolith]

I've never seen any, but we have an AI Jersey bull out here throws 'wobblers' - up to 5% of his calves I've heard, and they just get worse and have to be put down.
It's genetic. Just no-one can tell what gene yet, or how it works.

 

[Double R Ranch]

I purchased a calf from the auction some years back for $5.00 that walked like that. What ever it was stunted his growth but made a good butcher "cow". He lived to almost a year before we turned him into burger. He never seemed in pain. Tried to run with the other calves in the weaning pasture and everything.
When we butchered we saw problems with his spinal cord which was the first place I went to. Walked identical to this calf. Never knew what actually caused it but his hooves adapted to the wierd walk and everything.
Double R