calf with sore leg

[black and red]

I have a heifer calf that is about a month old or so. She isn't putting any weight on her front left leg. If she's just walking around she'll be on 3 legs. When running she'll hobble on 4. Her leg doesn't look broke or bent - although maybe i'm missing signs??? Its been going on for close to 2-3 weeks and gettting slightly worse. She's the runt of the group and not gaining like the others. I hate to lose or have a calf fall behind like this. What can a person do? I had an older neighbor say she'll just be a butcher calf/cow when she comes back from grass this summer if her leg doesn't heal up right and said he wouldn't worry about it. It happens. I hate to hear that sort of thing. I'm not a huge cattle owner and I'll pursue any options to get this calf back to 100%. Any help or suggestions is appreciated.

 

[Roadapple]

Don't know how far you are from a vet, but if neither you or your neighbor have an idea, and it's been going on for 2-3 weeks, I think I would call one.

 

[black and red]

Don't know how far you are from a vet, but if neither you or your neighbor have an idea, and it's been going on for 2-3 weeks, I think I would call one.

I was wondering if a make shift splint would be worth a try? I do think I'll have time tomorrow to pick the vet's brain. I may just have to take her in.

 

[IluvABbeef]

Foot rot may be a possibility. Does the area above the hoof look swollen at all?

 

[black and red]

Foot rot may be a possibility. Does the area above the hoof look swollen at all?

It does actually. The joint above the hoof looks swollen. I'm taking her to the vet monday.

 

[bird dog]

she may have a nail or something in it. We had one last year that got hurt where we knew she would not recover. About the same age. She had a good moma that would keep her fed even if it meant leaving her behind and coming back at dark to spend the night with the calf. The calf went anther 3 or 4 months on three legs and learned to keep up with the herd. We weaned it at about six months and fed it some grain for about two months. Butchered her and had her mostly ground into burger. The wife loves cooking with this lean meat. We saved a few of the better steak cuts and we cook up this meat usually in a crock pot. It works great for us because we don't have or need a lot of freezer space. We have now a pot bellied dwark calf that we are raising to do the same thing

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Hopefully, you'll not have to butcher that calf, and you get good treatment via your vet.

 

[dun]

Have you looked at the foot? Last year we had a calf that had a terrible limp and the fetlock was swelled. Too young for footrot. Lifted the foot and found a rock wedged way up high between the claws. Pried it out and the calf walked away without a limp and the next day the swelling was gone.

 

[regolith]

Is there such a thing as too young for footrot? I treated one of mine this year, lifted the foot and found nothing between the claws but it was swollen and hot, I think she was 3 - 4 months old. I've seen them younger than that, 2005 my memory's kinda fading that far back.

 

[dun]

Is there such a thing as too young for footrot? I treated one of mine this year, lifted the foot and found nothing between the claws but it was swollen and hot, I think she was 3 - 4 months old. I've seen them younger than that, 2005 my memory's kinda fading that far back.

This one was only a couple of weeks old.

 

[regolith]

like the calf in the original post.
I think I treated a calf six weeks old when my boss was away in 05... I know he left a couple of sick calves and they were pre-weaning, and he weaned real early.

 

[black and red]

We worked cows and calves today. The heifer calf must of gotten stepped on. It looks like the bottom joint above the hoof is terribly swollen and part of the hoof is "shedding". The guys I work with and who are teaching me the ropes think there's nothing a vet can do and that I should just let her be and send her to grass and if she's not any sounder, then get ready to butcher her. I hate it. She's a nice looking heifer and I would like to retain all of mine. Plus, out of 15, there's 9 bull/steer calves! Oh well. I guess it happens.