Calf with leg problems

[Ky hills]

The calf we got a few weeks ago to put on the nurse cow, has tendon or ligament issues.
I thought he was just being stubborn and wanting to move when we got him up to load.
I wasn't thinking about an actual issue.
Soon realized that something wasn't right after getting him home and literally having to pick him up dead weight to get him up. He could get up in his own and walk but seemed slow and weak in his feet.
We got some multi min from a vet and they also recommended electrolytes.
Calf is growing but not at the rate a Charolais x Gelbvieh should be with plenty of available Jersey milk.
He nurses fairly strong for for 4-5 minutes then slows down and is on and off for another couple minutes before stopping. He then will walk off and lay down
He is 6 weeks old and is getting up more on his own and at times throughout the day. He is far behind where he should be, but hoping he will get better with time?
I think being penned with the cows own calf had helped encourage him to move around some. That calf is live wire Jersey Angus cross that runs like a race horse.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

Are the front leg joints swollen? Hard to see with that picture. Are the front legs always bent like that? Or is he just bending that leg because he is reaching down to suck?
Did you actually take him to the vet? Or just got their advice over the phone kinda thing?

 

[Ky hills]

Are the front leg joints swollen? Hard to see with that picture. Are the front legs always bent like that? Or is he just bending that leg because he is reaching down to suck?
Did you actually take him to the vet? Or just got their advice over the phone kinda thing?

I do think they are a bit swollen, yes he pretty much holds them like that but does straighten them out more to step, but when standing he goes right back to that position with his legs.
We didn't actually take him to the vet, but did take several videos of him walking and showed them when we got to the office to get the Multi Min that was recommended.

 

[TCRanch]

Have you checked his navel? Could be joint ill.

 

[Ky hills]

Have you checked his navel? Could be joint ill.

Yes checked that early on, as we thought that may have been the issue. it seemed normal, and the owner had iodines him good. We did give him some la 300 just as a precaution.

 

[TCRanch]

Yes checked that early on, as we thought that may have been the issue. it seemed normal, and the owner had iodines him good. We did give him some la 300 just as a precaution.

LA won't do much for navel ill but it's a start. Iodine can actually trap in the bad stuff. And he won't necessarily have a fever. Might be time to take him to the vet for a physical exam. Only other thing I can think of is to hit him with Dex or Banamine.

 

[Ky hills]

LA won't do much for navel ill but it's a start. Iodine can actually trap in the bad stuff. And he won't necessarily have a fever. Might be time to take him to the vet for a physical exam. Only other thing I can think of is to hit him with Dex or Banamine.

I'll agree that if a navel infection has gone on a while and has spread that LA 200, LA 300 is probably not going to accomplish much.
If it is caught early, I have had really good success with it, often times one dose is enough. I don't believe I've ever had a case of infected navel to spread, but I know it certainly can an will.
You're right, at the age of this calf, iodine would not be of much help, nor likely would LA if it was infection that had been going on for very long. I am assuming the original owner put iodine on the navel right after birth when he gave it 1st defense. When I treated him with LA, I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, but was thinking it might have been just starting maybe from laying around so much.
You are also correct in that we should have actually taken him to a vet and sooner. Did drop the ball on this calf right from the start.
We have a local vet office we could have taken it too, but we usually work with friends that have an office in another county, and have a lot of confidence in their experience.
So far it looks like the calf is showing some small signs improvement. He is still slow, but is getting up and walking around more.
Have seen him actually playing briefly yesterday awkwardly running and butting heads with the other calf and their water tub.
Vet said that the way he stands on the front legs could make his back arch and hind legs come under.
I believe he is getting a little straighter his back didn't seem arched yesterday, so hoping in time he will outgrow it.
Yesterday we were watching him while he was kind of running, and wife said he was doing about like a week old calf at about 6 weeks.

 

[TCRanch]

Progress! Thanks for the update and hope he continues to improve.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Just a thought and I've ran across this before, but very well might not be the issue either. Physical therapy might be a possible solution here. If that does work, don't keep the calf for use as breeding stock no matter how good it turns out. That would be asking for compounded trouble.

 

[farmerjan]

Give him a shot of BoSe ... if you have MuSe, that is concentrated so have to be careful of the dose..... that will help some more... and doesn't hurt with the tendon/contraction problems.

If he was mine, I would put him on a week long course of antibiotics to get through his system for possible joint ill.... My go to is penicillin for things like this.. affects both gram+ and gram - infections. And for something like this I would use BOTH a Penicillin and Tetracycline ...
Many penicillins are a daily shot and should be done for 5-7 days.... LA 200-300 or other tetracycline is usually one shot with a followup 3 days later or something...
Hit it hard with 2 drugs.
Banamine for some swelling/pain help.

EDITED.... I am NOT a vet and am not giving advice... just saying what I would do it it was my calf....

 

[Ky hills]

Just a thought and I've ran across this before, but very well might not be the issue either. Physical therapy might be a possible solution here. If that does work, don't keep the calf for use as breeding stock no matter how good it turns out. That would be asking for compounded trouble.

Yeah, I'd say working with his legs would be helpful.
No chance of considering that calf for a bull. He gon get banded if when he gets straightened out.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

I have a cow that developed foot rot, which is when a wound or crack on the sole of the foot becomes infected and the infection spreads to the ankle joint. She was so crippled we were thinking of putting her down. My vet said to use Nuflor, two shots 48 hours apart. She said she likes Nuflor because it soaks into the bone. It cured the cow.

 

[Randi]

This could certainly be joint ill. BUT, I have had big fast growing calves that have had similar legs. I think that they are just growing so fast that their tendons can't quite keep up.

 

[Ky hills]

Give him a shot of BoSe ... if you have MuSe, that is concentrated so have to be careful of the dose..... that will help some more... and doesn't hurt with the tendon/contraction problems.

If he was mine, I would put him on a week long course of antibiotics to get through his system for possible joint ill.... My go to is penicillin for things like this.. affects both gram+ and gram - infections. And for something like this I would use BOTH a Penicillin and Tetracycline ...
Many penicillins are a daily shot and should be done for 5-7 days.... LA 200-300 or other tetracycline is usually one shot with a followup 3 days later or something...
Hit it hard with 2 drugs.
Banamine for some swelling/pain help.

EDITED.... I am NOT a vet and am not giving advice... just saying what I would do it it was my calf....

We gave him Draxxin and MultiMin 90 soon after bringing him in. Had noticed him breathing hard after nursing and decided to give him Draxxin in case of pneumonia. After 5 days I gave him LA 300 and second dose in 3 more days, in case there was a navel issue starting. I don't like giving multiple antibiotics to young calves unless necessary but at the same time I figured that calf was behind the curve to start with and couldn't afford to get burdened down with any other illness or infection.
Also gave him probios probiotic blouses.
There was a lot seemed to be going on with the calf,
Vet thought it was a tendon issue and recommended another dose of. Multi Min for Selenium and electrolytes.
Calf is doing gradually better., and showing signs of having more energy. It now stretches more when it gets up and wags it's tail while nursing. It's getting up easier and more often, walking and playing a little bit at times,

 

[Ky hills]

This could certainly be joint ill. BUT, I have had big fast growing calves that have had similar legs. I think that they are just growing so fast that their tendons can't quite keep up.

The vet thought it is a tendon issue.

 

[farmerjan]

Glad he seems to be doing better....

 

[gcreekrch]

Give him a shot of BoSe ... if you have MuSe, that is concentrated so have to be careful of the dose..... that will help some more... and doesn't hurt with the tendon/contraction problems.

If he was mine, I would put him on a week long course of antibiotics to get through his system for possible joint ill.... My go to is penicillin for things like this.. affects both gram+ and gram - infections. And for something like this I would use BOTH a Penicillin and Tetracycline ...
Many penicillins are a daily shot and should be done for 5-7 days.... LA 200-300 or other tetracycline is usually one shot with a followup 3 days later or something...
Hit it hard with 2 drugs.
Banamine for some swelling/pain help.

EDITED.... I am NOT a vet and am not giving advice... just saying what I would do it it was my calf....

You should NEVER use tetracyclines and penicillin together.

 

[farmerjan]

As I said, I am not a vet. Passing along some advice that has proven to work for us in the past. The drugs are not given together in the same needle or on the same side of the neck... I have read there can be a greater chance of interaction leading to death if used together... I will ask the moderator to remove that post.

 

[gcreekrch]

As I said, I am not a vet. Passing along some advice that has proven to work for us in the past. The drugs are not given together in the same needle or on the same side of the neck... I have read there can be a greater chance of interaction leading to death if used together... I will ask the moderator to remove that post.

Ken or Lucky P can correct me but it is my understanding that Pen and Tetracycline cancel each other's efficacy.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Ken or Lucky P can correct me but it is my understanding that Pen and Tetracycline cancel each other's efficacy.

That was my understanding as well. But no one uses penicillin around here anymore anyway.