Calf with broken pelvis

[lennie]

Hi, I am new here, my husband and I have a few beef cattle. Three cows and two Year and a half old calves. The cows were bred again and we are now having late calves. The first calf on the ground this year is doing very well. The second calf is my problem. At about two weeks old, we noticed he was limping, a week and a half later, he wouldn't walk on his back leg and had a big knot above the knee. Called the vet, vet gave him a shot of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory. A week later no better, so took him to clinic for xray. Found out he must have gotten stepped on and has a broken pelvis. My vet says, he will heal? We are keeping him contained and pail feeding him. Anyone have any experience with this? He still will put only a very minimal amount of weight on the back leg? I just keep second guessing the Vet and wonder if we shouldn't have just put him down?

Any thoughts?

 

[warpaint]

I'm not a vet, and wouldn't presume to try and override his/her advice.

As long as the calf is eating well, gaining weight, and not in obvious pain, I would feed it out as long as possible, and put it in the freezer.

 

[la4angus]

I just keep second guessing the Vet and wonder if we shouldn't have just put him down?

Any thoughts?

Put it down. Forget about the freezer. The calf is hurting.

 

[Texas Gal]

Please put that baby out of it's misery! Sometimes the compassionate thing to do for an animal is not the easiest thing for you, the owner, to do.

 

[Dusty Britches]

I'm not a vet, and wouldn't presume to try and override his/her advice.

As long as the calf is eating well, gaining weight, and not in obvious pain, I would feed it out as long as possible, and put it in the freezer.

Ditto that. If the vet says he'll heal, give him time. Is it a full blown break, or is it just a fracture? All broken bones hurt. Yeah, he'll hurt for a few weeks; the vet says he'll recover; and the calf hasn't given up - why should you?

 

[lennie]

As for the break, it was a fracture, not a full blown break. The vets theory is that dogs fracture their pelvis's in accidents and heal okay with rest. He say's the pain is a good thing because the calf will rest and let it heal.

He is eating, but is small for now.

It is hard to watch him though. This is the part about raising animals that I hate. Even though I know it comes with the territory.

 

[Vicky the vet]

Now, unless you send me a digitalized image of the radiograph, I can only surmise on what you've said, which makes no sense to me.

1) Swelling above the knee would either be a cracked or fractured femur, not pelvis

2) broken pelvis must have two fracture sites minimum. Where exactly are the fractures?

Are you sure it's not a fractured femoral head/neck etc?

In my PROFESSIONAL opinion, it entirely depends on the answers to the questions above as to whether it is humane to continue caring for this calf. It may be entirely humane, or not at all. Further information is required before an opinion can be rendered.

V

 

[Beefy]

Now, unless you send me a digitalized image of the radiograph, I can only surmise on what you've said, which makes no sense to me.

1) Swelling above the knee would either be a cracked or fractured femur, not pelvis

2) broken pelvis must have two fracture sites minimum. Where exactly are the fractures?

Are you sure it's not a fractured femoral head/neck etc?

In my PROFESSIONAL opinion, it entirely depends on the answers to the questions above as to whether it is humane to continue caring for this calf. It may be entirely humane, or not at all. Further information is required before an opinion can be rendered.

V

I agree with Vicky that it doesnt make much sense. In fact it sounded like navel/joint ill to me until the part about xrays. he must have gotten stomped on pretty good, in more than one spot.

 

[lennie]

okay, this is probably where it gets dicey, since I am trusting this vet and I am not one so here goes.

There was swelling showing on the xray above the knee, but vet said no fracture. However, the pelvis instead of looking like an H looked like this |-/ with the right side kind of caved in.

There are no other "large" animal vets in my area to get a second opinion from. Would not be able to get you a digitized image. But I do appreciate everyones response.

 

[Vicky the vet]

If you have a digital camera, you can digitalize an image just by putting the xray (radiograph to me) on a viewer and taking a pic. If you get that, pm me and I'll give you an addy to send it to so I can interpret the rad for you. I've just spent the day today at OVC interpreting laryngeal and thoracic rads on my daughter's show calf, so I might as well keep going down the spine to the pelvis....

 

[la4angus]

How much $$$$ are you willing to spend on this calf. You have probaly already spent several times it's value.

 

[S&J]

We were given a purebred Angus calf around two years ago with almost the same diagnosis. We fed it for a three months, and it became more and more obvious that he was in pain. His spine began to develop an abnormal curve. It became obvious that things were never going to be right. He never even atemped to act like a normal calf. No silly running around with his tail straight up. No trying to suck your pants off after the bottle. He stayed in one small area and many times ate the grass all around him without even bothering to get up. We thought at least that the pain would eventually subside, but if anything, it only seemed to increase. We put what there was of him into our freezer and agreed that if there ever was a next time, we would give it perhaps a couple of weeks, and if the pain was there, we would put him down.
Steven

 

[lennie]

I thought I would just give you an update on this calf.

After a month or so of keeping him in a small pen with limited exercise, he developed an infection at the site of the hematoma. We called the vet back and it was drained, gave him a weeks worth of penicillian.

About 4 weeks ago, he finally started putting weight on his back leg and now walks, and runs and kicks alittle. He appears to be doing much better and has doubled his weight (I would guess he is about 120lbs or so. He will probably always have a limp and his crushed side leg makes him turn his foot inward some, but we are hoping he will come along.

I really did not believe my vet that he would eventually be okay, but I guess he was right.

Realistically though, he will be short lived and probably headed for the freezer before you know it!

 

[certherfbeef]

120 lbs and over 3 months old? He should have been put down. :roll:

 

[milkmaid]

Pain takes energy.

...which means they don't grow as quickly as they ought. Chances are he'll never make it to an ideal slaughter weight, and as he gets heavier he'll become structurally unsound, possibly become lame on the opposite hind leg, and if you can even get him big enough to slaughter he'll be a tiny, lean carcass.

Been there done that wear that t-shirt.

 

[lennie]

Milkmaid,

You are most likely 100% correct. I really don't anticipate this calf going much past next fall, If he does not get lame on the opposite leg, I would assume he will be arthritic at best.

It is a live and learn situation, just glad that the calf is not in so much pain anymore.