Calf rolling his eyes

[crossbredcalves]

I have a six month old Jersey calf. Weaned him about three weeks ago. I vaccinated and castrated him two weeks ago. I noticed when he is eating that he rolls his eyes back in his head. He doesn’t act like anything is wrong, but this is odd. Anyone seen something similar?

 

[freshman]

Looks more like abnormal third eyelid protrusion/movement vs true eye rolling. With his recent history of castration, I would be pretty worried about tetanus. What vaccine did you use? Does the calf show any other symptoms at this point? Stiff gait or rigidity? Either way, call your vet. Here's a video of the 3rd eyelid flickering as seen with tetanus cases

 

[crossbredcalves]

Bar-vac CDT
I did not notice any of the stiff gait or rigidity and he still had a healthy appetite

 

[wbvs58]

Yes, with the history of recent castration and 3rd eyelid dragging across the eye I'd be suspicious of tetanus. The ears seem a bit pulled back and he has a bit of a frown. How is his tail head carried?

Ken

 

[crossbredcalves]

He carries his tail head up like he just pooped

 

[RDFF]

Yup, sure looks like what is described as tetanus symptoms.

 

[MurraysMutts]

What is the cure?

 

[wbvs58]

What is the cure?

No cure really, big doses of pennicillin, draining wound, large doses antiserum. Years ago antiserum injected into the cerebrospinal fluid at the back of the skull was being touted as helpfull. Cows are not as susceptible to it as horses and some will get over it themselves without treatment or in spite of treatment. They should be kept quiet and in a darkened area as bright light can trigger spasms.

Ken

 

[crossbredcalves]

I gave him two rounds of LA300 and moved him to a stall in the barn for the last week. He is doing much better. He may die tomorrow, but maybe he is going to pull through okay.