Calf with broken leg

[hersh]

Is there anything you can do with a calve with a broken leg? Neighbor has (reg)charolais bull calf with a broken back leg, big knot on it and drags it. Milks good and gets round on three legs good. Just curious but what can be done about this? Pen it up, bottle feed, bace it?

 

[shorty]

Even if you could splint it and take care of him he probably wouldn't make a good breeding bull , but he may be okay to raise for slaughter , talk to your vet , he can tell you what would be best .

 

[hillrancher]

If the leg is straight and the bone is not outside of the skin best to leave it alone. Will take care of it's self better than you can with a splint. If splinting take off as soon as the leg will stay straight. If you are not in rough terrain will live to be old. I have a cow that had a broke leg bone came to out side she got where she get around without a limp and has had 4 calves.

 

[Bez+]

Is there anything you can do with a calve with a broken leg? Neighbor has (reg)charolais bull calf with a broken back leg, big knot on it and drags it. Milks good and gets round on three legs good. Just curious but what can be done about this? Pen it up, bottle feed, bace it?

Hersh

I agree with hillrancher and shorty and would add the following:

Young calves with broken legs - as long as they are not pushing out through the skin and no significant muscle damage - can often make a fairly decent recovery if kept quiet and well fed.

Medicate for pain and internal infection - standard meds for this can be purchased at almost any feed store or veterinarian.

We pen and separate mom and calf.

I would likely de-nut this calf when/if he got better and keep for my own freezer.

Keep an eye on him as the above does not always hold true - sometimes the 25 cent solution - shooting - is the best fix. The big knot is a worry to me - but only you folks can tell if it is a true problem.

In fact, despite all the advice you will get here - my own included - a veterinarian is the best person to ask. If this calf is worth anything at all it is certainly worth a hundred buck visit.

Papers will not make this guy any more valuable. I know I would not want him as my breeder if I heard about his leg.

Selling him to someone - if he even comes close to being a breeder - without full disclosure will come back as bad reputation news - in spades. In the cattle biz, reputation is everything.

If he gets healthy put him in the freezer.

Good luck

Bez+

 

[endebt]

I disagreee with all of you. a calve with a broken leg can be splited. I have had 10 or 12 in the last 40 years and all did ok. I use pvc pipe cut in half and wrapped with a towel. Put it on with vet wrap. It will only stick to it self. Make sure the leg is stright. It will take 2 weeks for the leg to mend. Hope this helps. I hate to see an animal suffer.

 

[Keren]

Lock the calf and his mum in a small pen so he doesnt have to walk far.

Splint his leg.

Give them lots of food.

Cut his nuts off.

We sold a bull once that broke his front leg, that healed up ok and he can breed normally. But, I personally wouldnt trust a bull that had an old break in his back leg.

Good luck

 

[RanchManager]

Depending on where the break is and how bad it is, we will often splint it with a piece of PVC. We wrap the leg in vet wrap to keep it straight and to protect the hide from the plastic edges. Then, it is important to cut the piece long enough so that if the end is stepped on, the leg does not take the weight. We usually cut it long enough so that the padded joint or upper leg/forearm receives the weight above the break. The PVC has to be wide enough inside diameter for the leg to complete fit inside (usually 4" works). Be sure to wrap and pad the leg sufficiently to protect it from the edges of the PVC and round and sharp edges off with a file. Usually, the areas contacting the PVC still gets rubbed and sore, but that also encourages the calf not to put weight on it. We take it off in 4 - 6 weeks. Try to wrap it and secure it right the first time. Pulling the PVC off and on while the bone it trying to knit is not good. Also, make sure that it is secure in a way that the limb below the break is not jostled around by the PVC movement. The only time this did not work for us is when we allowed the PVC to move around the leg, bumping into the leg below the break like a bell around the clanger. The movement kept the bone from knitting.

 

[Bez+]

Lock the calf and his mum in a small pen so he doesnt have to walk far.

Cut his nuts off.

Good luck

Keren!

That kind of talk makes you my kind of gal ......

Good on ya'



Bez+

 

[grannysoo]

Lock the calf and his mum in a small pen so he doesnt have to walk far.

Splint his leg.

Give them lots of food.

Cut his nuts off.

Good luck

I hope I never break a leg around you......... :lol2:

 

[alacattleman]

Lock the calf and his mum in a small pen so he doesnt have to walk far.

Cut his nuts off.

Good luck

Keren!

That kind of talk makes you my kind of gal ......

Good on ya'



Bez+

really? it woudnt make you want too keep one eye open while you sleep ;-)

 

[Keren]

I love ya Bez!

Granny ... I guess you would be safe. Grandpasoo however ...

 

[nap]

If the calf is worth saving call a vet and get some professional advice.

 

[poorboy]

The last that I splinted was with a couple of those big 5gallon bucket paint stirrers and some duck tape. Remove in 3 to 4 weeks. But I am sure there are better ways. The first one I went to put it down and said what the heck I will try to catch the pitiful thing first. Ten minutes later and out of breath I decided it wasn't as pitiful as I was. I finially caught it and tried the tape.. It worked, a little crooked because of the set but healed up fine. The only thing was that the hair came back in white on a black calf. :shock:

 

[jgibson]

we had a calf that broke its leg and the vet told us to take a pvc pipe and cut it 60-40 and use the 60 half and take a towel and duct tape and splint the leg and leave it that way for 3 weeks then take it off we did it and the calf was fine afterwards

 

[dun]

A lot depends on the break. We had one that had a 6 inch spiral break starting at the ankle joint. Talked to the vet and he wanted to see it so he dropped by. He helped me hook it to the tractor to drag off after I shot it. A simple break can sometimes be fixed with a slpint

 

[mobgrazer]

We pen them with our bottle caves. Once I think they will fill the freezer then I try it to see if I was right. I will either try to milk the momma or poor honey on an orphan and put her under the mom.

Most of the time I will not take the time to splint. They will heal on there own if there not to bad and you limit the walking.