calf with a limp

[Tod Dague]

He has some swelling just above the pastern. It didn't feel like a fracture to me. The site felt feverish but the calf didn't have a fever. No cuts or puncture wounds around the cannon, pastern, or hoof. He is getting around fine with no droop. The vet was already home and I felt that the calf would live until the AM, so I went ahead and gave him a shot of LA 200 and put him back out with his dam.

Any ideas or recommendations?

 

[Beefy]

seems like navel ill is going around this year..?

 

[dun]

You didn;t specify the age, but I've seen fotroot in calves only a couple of weeks old. What you've described are classic symptoms of footrot.
If it is, LA200 may not touch it. You need to hammer it hard. Lately my prefered antibiotic for footrot and pneumenonia is Excenel/Naxell. With LA we used to have to treat at least twice, freqquently more. A few times the problem would reoccur within a couple of weeks. With Excenel we've never had to treat more then once and never had a recurrrence

dun

 

[Tod Dague]

seems like navel ill is going around this year..?

I've never seen navel ill before so I haven't a clue and I haven't herd of anyone else having it this year. The calf is 7 weeks old if that helps. Also they are on a new lease and I had a calf a early in the season get pneumonia at a week old then he developed what the vet thought was a contracture at the pastern on a rear leg. It was treated with LA. Don't know if any of this helps.

If it is navel ill how do you treat it and how do you prevent it?

I do vaccinate with Bovashield gold and an 8 way black leg.

 

[Tod Dague]

You didn;t specify the age, but I've seen fotroot in calves only a couple of weeks old. What you've described are classic symptoms of footrot.
If it is, LA200 may not touch it. You need to hammer it hard. Lately my prefered antibiotic for footrot and pneumenonia is Excenel/Naxell. With LA we used to have to treat at least twice, freqquently more. A few times the problem would reoccur within a couple of weeks. With Excenel we've never had to treat more then once and never had a recurrrence

dun

Thanks Dun. This is just above the pastern at the base of the cannon. When we've had foot rot it was swollen in the pastern. Does this change your assessment? If not should I wait a few days to give the Excenel?

 

[dun]

This is just above the pastern at the base of the cannon. When we've had foot rot it was swollen in the pastern. Does this change your assessment? If not should I wait a few days to give the Excenel?

It's never easy is it? I suppose it could still be footrot. Navel/joint ill usually shows up in the knees and/or the navel. This is the quandry. If it's not something that an antibiotic could help with, why give the antibiotic. But if you don;t geive the antbitic, how do you know if it would have helped? This is just me, but I would skip a day with the LA and if there isn;t a very significant improvement I hit it with the max does of Excenel/Naxel. But as said, that's just what I would do. Kind of a modified benign neglect.

 

[Tod Dague]

This is just above the pastern at the base of the cannon. When we've had foot rot it was swollen in the pastern. Does this change your assessment? If not should I wait a few days to give the Excenel?

It's never easy is it? I suppose it could still be footrot. Navel/joint ill usually shows up in the knees and/or the navel. This is the quandry. If it's not something that an antibiotic could help with, why give the antibiotic. But if you don;t geive the antbitic, how do you know if it would have helped? This is just me, but I would skip a day with the LA and if there isn;t a very significant improvement I hit it with the max does of Excenel/Naxel. But as said, that's just what I would do. Kind of a modified benign neglect.

Thanks again. I'll give it a try and talk with the vet when I pick up the antibiotic.

 

[mystery74]

He has some swelling just above the pastern. It didn't feel like a fracture to me. The site felt feverish but the calf didn't have a fever. No cuts or puncture wounds around the cannon, pastern, or hoof. He is getting around fine with no droop. The vet was already home and I felt that the calf would live until the AM, so I went ahead and gave him a shot of LA 200 and put him back out with his dam.

Any ideas or recommendations?

I Have a posted question about this as well. its update: joint infection. This is exactly how my calf started get him off the LA200 and start him on a heavy antibiotic, my vet used pneumonia-V , 20cc twice a day. Cut the leg open if swelled real bad and release the pressure, if pus comes squirting out then you have what my calf is just getting over, maybe you caught it early then i did. our calf is doing better and alive