Calf with possible joint ill.

[midtncattle]

I have a 6 week old calf that's mother wasn't milking well. I was supplementing her in mornings and afternoons. Calf got something wrong with its rear leg. I have moved it to a dog pen. It would hardly eat. I got it eating then it got scours. Got it ovet the scours , but leg has gotten to point it can't get up. Took it to vet and it had 104 temp. He examined leg and said it had an infected joint. Said joint ill. I do agree joint is severly swollen, but don't know how it would have gotten joint ill. Calf born in open pasture. It did have a stressfull delivery because momma had purse string I cut while she was in hard labor. But she was walking fine for a coulpe of weeks We are giving calf 1 cc of naxcel twice a day per vet. She is taking very little milk and not much progress on leg. I am at point of putting her down, but thought I would see if anybody had any advice.

 

[dun]

Years ago we had the same deal except it was a front leg. Took a month or so for it to clear up. It was also from a sewed up cow. I wondered if maybe the cow had a touch of infection (there was a little puss on the stitch) and the calf got the infection while the cow was carrying her. It cleared up but the calf always had small strange ailments.

 

[midtncattle]

Thanks dun. It is in her hip joint.

 

[milkmaid]

Treat it aggressively - joint ill is never a good diagnosis.

Causes... if the joint isn't open (eg broken leg) then the bacteria were in the bloodstream and lodged in the joint. Blood vessels at joints in young animals are narrow and places bacteria can easily get stuck. How the bacteria entered the bloodstream... either through the navel (eg contaminated at/shortly after birth) or through the gut. For instance, about 30% of calves with scours will also have bacteria in circulation, because the intestines have damage that allows normal flora (eg E coli) to gain access to blood. On the other hand, 50% of horses in one study had bacteria in their blood even without underlying problems (illness, diarrhea, etc) - so the presence of bacteria in blood may be more common than we'd like to think.

Obviously having calves born on clean ground/pasture is ideal. In addition to that, ensuring calves get enough colostrum is the best way to prevent this problem.

 

[midtncattle]

The calf did recieve limited colstrum and did have bad scours. Can you define "treat it aggressively?"

 

[cowmilker]

Nuflor. Follow label. Search CT for Navel Ill. Craig

 

[midtncattle]

Gave 6cc Nuflor this afternoon

 

[midtncattle]

I gave the calf 6cc of nuflor last Wed. Had drastic improvement. Calf started to nurse that afternoon. Did good for a day or two the slowed down eating. Repeated the 6 cc on saturday. The calf would not take any milk on saturday. Sunday morining the calf was in bad shape. I gave it a bottle by tubing it that am. After church it was in better shape. That night it still wouldn't take milk so I gave it another bottle via tube. Now it will put bottle in eats mouth and start to suck then stop. It is eating some dry feed and it ate a piece of bread. It is like the milk taste bad or hurts it's stomach. I gave 6 cc of nuflor yesterday and 4cc today. Got any clues. We had some cool weather and heavy rain. Don't know if that matters just filling in the factors.

 

[shadyhollownj]

Nuflor you should give 3cc IM, 6cc SQ, 6cc SQ every other day for three doses. Dont skip doses and make sure you are giving that amount PER 100 LBS. If he is 6 weeks would assume he is around 200 so double that dose. If he is not eating maybe the temp is up. Give banamine 1-2 per 100lbs and it will dramatically change his condition if the temp is up. Dont forget the probias.

 

[shadyhollownj]

Also if the calf is in bad shape maybe look for something else like pneumonia if its down and out with joint ill and bad weather.