Contracted tendons/ Lax tendons/ Crooked Calf Leg

[Rebarose]

Put a splint on her? Been watching videos that is what to do. But they seem to be done more on the upper joint, not the lower joint. They cant possibly get up with these can they? Her very lowest joint will buckle over time and soon she will be standing on that joint. Soon she may get back up or just sit down.

Vitamin C helps? Human Vitamin C has to be the same as any cattle C? Where do you even buy cattle C? At a useless vet?

They say to stretch the tendon? How? Do I push down on it for a while to try to straighten it?

Surgery?

Please I would like replies on how to fix this or help the calf not useless replies that waste my time. This calf is a rare breed and a pet.

I have used a pool noodle(like kids use in the pools) over the affected joints then vet wrap over that to give stability. Its easy to take on and off to check. You can do more harm than good putting anything on too tight. Keep her in where she doesn't have to follow the cow or herd too far stressing her joints and making her sore. My vet would give Tetracycline iv to help loosen the joint.

 

[blue albion]

I made that stint for her today. Just kept it on for a few hours. She stood for a lot longer than yesterday/ day before, and walked a little bit. I also did what one vet told me over the phone to massage the joint area and bend it back and forth for a while. I took the brace off and she stood better than yesterday and walked a little.

what is the secret? The thing that worries me is she is not moving all day all night.

If all it is is contracted tendons that's not uncommon. Seems like we have some every year. Benign neglect seems to be the secret.

 

[blue albion]

I have used a pool noodle(like kids use in the pools) over the affected joints then vet wrap over that to give stability. Its easy to take on and off to check. You can do more harm than good putting anything on too tight. Keep her in where she doesn't have to follow the cow or herd too far stressing her joints and making her sore. My vet would give Tetracycline iv to help loosen the joint.

I do not have to worry about her following the herd. She seems to have no interest in doing that. She does not even try.

 

[blue albion]

I have given a homeopathic cell salt called Calc. Phos. 30X or Calc. Phos. 6X tablets to deer fawns with contracted tendons like your calf has with great success. There are several brands of homeopathic cell salts, but I use Hyland's. Whatever brand you can find at a local pharmacy or health food store should work the same as Hyland's. A white-tailed deer fawn that had both front legs contracted very much like your calf's right leg was given a tablet of Calc. Phos. 30X morning and night and in three days both legs were completely normal. I know that sounds insane, but that is what happened and . The homeopathic cell salts are actually electrolytes that help the cells uptake the minerals, especially calcium that the youngster gets in its food, but sometimes does not go into the cells that need it. If you go to a health food store, you should be able to find Calc. Phos. 30X in a 500 tablet bottle. Just put a tablet in its milk after you warm the milk or put the tablet directly in the calf's mouth under his tongue. If you want to read all about the cell salts and see before and after photos, my website is (www.judyhoy.com). Click on (Explaining the use of homeopathic cell salts) right under the photo of the fox pup at the top of the page. There are photos showing the deer fawn before and after it was given the cell salts. I also tell what other health issues giving the electrolyte cell salt tablets help with in the article above the photos. As a wildlife rehabber, I received fawns with underbite, contracted tendons, broken bones and digestive issues. If I gave the Calc. Phos. 6X or 30X to fawns with contracted tendons, crooked legs or underbite, the bones/tendons grew quickly to be normal so the fawn could run and walk normally. If the animal in care had a broken bone, if I gave Calc. Phos. 6X the bone healed in 2/3 the normal healing time. If I gave Calc. Phos. 30X, the bone healed in exactly half the normal healing time. That works on humans with broken bones also and homeopathic cell salts are actually made for humans, but work great on other critters. There is a lot more about how rehabbers use homeopathic cell salts in the article on the website. I do not get anything from homeopathic cell salt companies for telling people about how the cell salts worked on wild and domestic animals I received for care. I just want to help the suffering animal.
[h2][/h2]

Walmart. Ten bucks 250 tablets. This is the stuff right?

Robot or human?

 

[blue albion]

Walmart. Ten bucks 250 tablets. This is the stuff right?

Robot or human?

Actually Walmart does not have it in the store. Have to order it, takes a week. So at least for Wisconsin this is a item impossible to go pick up same day. Have to order and wait a week or near a week. Does it pay to order it then? Just spent over a hour trying to find it.

I WILL TRY CALLING HYLANDS DIRECTLY IF THEY CAN TELL ME A SELLER IN MY AREA.

 

[Hpacres440p]

How old is that calf? I can see every bony prominence. Is she trying to eat solids at all?

 

[Hereford2]

I had a bull calf born with both of his front legs like that, I gave him a shot of Bo-Se from the vet, (it's Selinium & Vitamin E). And by day 3 he was close to normal, now he's 9 days old and his legs are perfectly fine!

 

[blue albion]

1 month. She eats a little grass. Gave her some oats molasses mix, she didnt want it. Ate it if I put it in her mouth.

 

[Nkline]

I had a bull calf born with both of his front legs like that, I gave him a shot of Bo-Se from the vet, (it's Selinium & Vitamin E). And by day 3 he was close to normal, now he's 9 days old and his legs are perfectly fine!

That's what I suggested, after seeing the pictures, I'll stand by my suggestion.

 

[blue albion]

I went to a good vet today, he gave me a shot of BO-SE. She got the shot this morning. I think she is doing slightly better today. She still could not get up by herself, but she seem to be able to stand longer and walked a little more than yesterday. Especially in the later afternoon. I was able to find this calc phos 6x stuff. 30x is discontinued and harder to get unless u wait for it in the mail a week. I will give her some of this tomorrow. Not sure why that helps, says for gum or tooth sensitivity.

I took a good pic of how she stands and walks on her tippy toes and one of her recent poop if that. I started mixing the milk replacer stronger. She is drinking 5-7 qts per day. Maybe less water and more milk replacer will put more meat on her bones. So instead of the suggested full cup to 2 qts been giving more like 1.5 cups to 2 qts.

I would assume there is a good additive to add to the milk replacer, like some kind of protein booster?

I also have a video but it says to large and its less than a min long.

 

[Katpau]

Do NOT mix the milk replacer stronger than the instructions say. I was told that you can damage their kidneys doing that! Use a good quality replacer and mix it according to directions. You can feed her extra servings if you want to get more in her, but don't make it thicker.

It appears she is nibbling on some grass from the looks of her poop. That is good. Get her a feed designed for a calf her age and feed it to her by hand if that's what it takes to teach her. Let her suck your fingers while holding some feed, and then slip it into her mouth. I trained my bottle calves to drink from a bucket and that helped in getting them to eat some grain. As soon as they drained the bucket and while they were still looking for more, I would put the grain in the same bucket.

I have had calves born with contracted tendons over the years, and they all improved to where it was no longer noticeable in a few weeks. I have never seen one get worse. I suspect this is not the usual case of contracted tendons typically seen at birth and mostly in large calves. There is something more going on in my opinion. Perhaps a mineral imbalance, but I really wonder if this could be some congenital defect that causes muscular atrophy or something like that over time. I understand she is a rare breed, which means inbreeding would be necessary to grow numbers. That certainly increases the likelihood of problems popping up.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

I went to a good vet today, he gave me a shot of BO-SE. She got the shot this morning. I think she is doing slightly better today. She still could not get up by herself, but she seem to be able to stand longer and walked a little more than yesterday. Especially in the later afternoon. I was able to find this calc phos 6x stuff. 30x is discontinued and harder to get unless u wait for it in the mail a week. I will give her some of this tomorrow. Not sure why that helps, says for gum or tooth sensitivity.

I took a good pic of how she stands and walks on her tippy toes and one of her recent poop if that. I started mixing the milk replacer stronger. She is drinking 5-7 qts per day. Maybe less water and more milk replacer will put more meat on her bones. So instead of the suggested full cup to 2 qts been giving more like 1.5 cups to 2 qts.

I would assume there is a good additive to add to the milk replacer, like some kind of protein booster?

I also have a video but it says to large and its less than a min long.

Do NOT mix the milk replacer stronger than the instructions say. I was told that you can damage their kidneys doing that! Use a good quality replacer and mix it according to directions. You can feed her extra servings if you want to get more in her, but don't make it thicker.

It appears she is nibbling on some grass from the looks of her poop. That is good. Get her a feed designed for a calf her age and feed it to her by hand if that's what it takes to teach her. Let her suck your fingers while holding some feed, and then slip it into her mouth. I trained my bottle calves to drink from a bucket and that helped in getting them to eat some grain. As soon as they drained the bucket and while they were still looking for more, I would put the grain in the same bucket.

I have had calves born with contracted tendons over the years, and they all improved to where it was no longer noticeable in a few weeks. I have never seen one get worse. I suspect this is not the usual case of contracted tendons typically seen at birth and mostly in large calves. There is something more going on in my opinion. Perhaps a mineral imbalance, but I really wonder if this could be some congenital defect that causes muscular atrophy or something like that over time. I understand she is a rare breed, which means inbreeding would be necessary to grow numbers. That certainly increases the likelihood of problems popping up.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

I went to a good vet today, he gave me a shot of BO-SE. She got the shot this morning. I think she is doing slightly better today. She still could not get up by herself, but she seem to be able to stand longer and walked a little more than yesterday. Especially in the later afternoon. I was able to find this calc phos 6x stuff. 30x is discontinued and harder to get unless u wait for it in the mail a week. I will give her some of this tomorrow. Not sure why that helps, says for gum or tooth sensitivity.

I took a good pic of how she stands and walks on her tippy toes and one of her recent poop if that. I started mixing the milk replacer stronger. She is drinking 5-7 qts per day. Maybe less water and more milk replacer will put more meat on her bones. So instead of the suggested full cup to 2 qts been giving more like 1.5 cups to 2 qts.

I would assume there is a good additive to add to the milk replacer, like some kind of protein booster?

I also have a video but it says to large and its less than a min long.

I have used Bo-SE to address white muscle disease in lambs and calves, it is vet recommended and usually works very well

 

[MurraysMutts]

Every milk replacer I've used is 3 cups to 2 qts. ...

Better check your label for correct mixing instructions!

Agree. DONT mix more than directed. They wont digest it right!

 

[Katpau]

When you say you are mixing a cup of powder to make 2 quarts of milk,do you mean a cup that came with your milk replacer?

I assumed you meant a measuring cup that came with the bag of replacer and not a standard measuring cup. The milk replacer I buy says mix 10 ounces of powdered milk with enough water to make 2 quarts of fluid. I always weigh my powder with a postal scale to be sure I have the correct amount, but many bags of replacer will come with a cup marked with a line at 10 ounces for measuring. If I take my 10 ounces of powder and put it into a standard measuring cup it is more than two cups of powder. If you are not weighing and are just mixing one standard measuring cup (like the ones you probably have in your kitchen) into two quarts of water, then you have been been making it way too weak. The bag should tell you how this should be mixed. Follow those instructions carefully. Every bag I've seen has given this number in ounces. It is very important to follow those instructions exactly. Don't make it too strong or you can eventually damage their kidneys. Too weak and you may starve them to death.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I cringe to think about this.

If that milk has been mixed as weak as it seems from these last couple posts, THAT is why the calf isnt doing well.

Hoping for a clarification b4 long..

Perhaps a picture of the back of the bag of milk with feeding instructions.
This is my milk I'm using currently. I have seen bigger measuring cups. So ounces are what is important, not necessarily the "cup". This bag comes with one of those cheapo lil white plastic cups. It holds "about 4oz. The picture could be decieving as it shows that cup at 12oz with a note underneath that each cup actually holds 4

 

[wbvs58]

I went to a good vet today, he gave me a shot of BO-SE. She got the shot this morning. I think she is doing slightly better today. She still could not get up by herself, but she seem to be able to stand longer and walked a little more than yesterday. Especially in the later afternoon. I was able to find this calc phos 6x stuff. 30x is discontinued and harder to get unless u wait for it in the mail a week. I will give her some of this tomorrow. Not sure why that helps, says for gum or tooth sensitivity.

I took a good pic of how she stands and walks on her tippy toes and one of her recent poop if that. I started mixing the milk replacer stronger. She is drinking 5-7 qts per day. Maybe less water and more milk replacer will put more meat on her bones. So instead of the suggested full cup to 2 qts been giving more like 1.5 cups to 2 qts.

I would assume there is a good additive to add to the milk replacer, like some kind of protein booster?

I also have a video but it says to large and its less than a min long.

At least she won't have a tooth ache. If she comes right in 3 days now, who is going to get the credit? The advocates of BO-SE or our cal/phos pusher's?
1 month is a bit long winded for this sort of thing however as they are getting over it fatigue is a big thing. As they tire they tend to knuckle over more so confinement in a small paddock where they don't have to follow the mob is important until they are strong. The cow is usually a good judge that something is wrong and will usually keep them away from the herd for a longer period than usual.

Ken

 

[blue albion]

Do NOT mix the milk replacer stronger than the instructions say. I was told that you can damage their kidneys doing that! Use a good quality replacer and mix it according to directions. You can feed her extra servings if you want to get more in her, but don't make it thicker.

It appears she is nibbling on some grass from the looks of her poop. That is good. Get her a feed designed for a calf her age and feed it to her by hand if that's what it takes to teach her. Let her suck your fingers while holding some feed, and then slip it into her mouth. I trained my bottle calves to drink from a bucket and that helped in getting them to eat some grain. As soon as they drained the bucket and while they were still looking for more, I would put the grain in the same bucket.

I have had calves born with contracted tendons over the years, and they all improved to where it was no longer noticeable in a few weeks. I have never seen one get worse. I suspect this is not the usual case of contracted tendons typically seen at birth and mostly in large calves. There is something more going on in my opinion. Perhaps a mineral imbalance, but I really wonder if this could be some congenital defect that causes muscular atrophy or something like that over time. I understand she is a rare breed, which means inbreeding would be necessary to grow numbers. That certainly increases the likelihood of problems popping up.

Yes vet said not to make it stronger. She has a big interest in grass, but is picky on what she eats. Always nosing around it to find something that is satisfactory. Going to the feed mill to get her some feed on Monday.

 

[blue albion]

Been mixing it in a 3 qt bottle with with a full cup and maybe almost a half cup, directions say a full cup is 10 oz, Directions say 2 qt to a full cup.

 

[blue albion]

At least she won't have a tooth ache. If she comes right in 3 days now, who is going to get the credit? The advocates of BO-SE or our cal/phos pusher's?
1 month is a bit long winded for this sort of thing however as they are getting over it fatigue is a big thing. As they tire they tend to knuckle over more so confinement in a small paddock where they don't have to follow the mob is important until they are strong. The cow is usually a good judge that something is wrong and will usually keep them away from the herd for a longer period than usual.

Ken

The herd leaves her alone. There are only 9 others on about 15 acres. I keep her mostly outside, have brought her in a couple times. Rained this morning so shes inside now.