Cramped calf? Can't walk, any experience please?

[Putangitangi]

I've had a set of twins (both heifers) born to a R5 cow, first found dead, just over 37#, second born about three hours later, 58#. Birth day was Sunday morning, now Thursday morning here, so day four.

I bottle-fed the calf for the first couple of days to ensure colostrum intake and survival, because she couldn't stand up. Her back left stifle joint is angled out a bit from her body (although that's gradually getting into line now) and she can't get her leg to take her weight and remain vertically under her, so lurches over to her left and goes down on that side. If I support her she moves forward by hopping her back legs along the ground, so it's as if there's no strength or feeling in the dud one.

I presume this is the result of being cramped before birth. There doesn't appear to be anything obviously wrong with her leg.

She's now feeding well from her very patient mother, but I have to stand and prop her on that side for the whole feed. The rest of the time she's regularly making attempts to get up, but ends up dragging around in small circles as her leg won't take her weight.

What experiences has anyone here had of this sort of thing? I'm hoping it'll come right with time and patience and perhaps some regular calf-physiotherapy!

 

[milkmaid]

Is her navel area swollen or hot? are any of the joints on the affected leg hot or swollen to the touch?

 

[Putangitangi]

No, it's not navel ill, she was unable to get up at birth - but I'm also keeping an eye on that, since I'm handling her frequently. She appears a very healthy calf in all other respects, feeding well.

 

[milkmaid]

It's a long time for her leg to still be cramped from birth... it's much more likely to be a damaged nerve or joint ill.

 

[Putangitangi]

So, knock her on the head, or persist in hope?

 

[Farmgirl]

We had a calf born on 9/3. Calf was having some other problems so we took her to the vet last Saturday (9/8). As a side issue we showed the vet the calf's back leg. Leg had looked funny since it was born. When she put weight on it it looked crooked but did not appear to be swollen or fevered. Vet told us it was from how she had laid in the womb and would straighten out in time. I haven't seen the calf since Sunday to know how it looks now.

Sorry I don't have a picture to share.

Hope this helps.

Farmgirl

 

[Putangitangi]

We have just returned from a visit to the vet - she's small enough to easily transport and it's faster than getting the vet here. They x-rayed her because they could and there's nothing structural (in terms of fractures, dislocations or arthritis in joints) obviously wrong with her.
The vets are less hopeful for a good outcome than I, which is why I'd still be very interested in others' actual experience in this sort of case. While she's feeding and healthy, I'll keep standing her up to suckle.

Farmgirl, which way did the leg on your calf appear crooked?

 

[Farmgirl]

Putangitangi,

It was the calf's left back leg. When she puts weight on it it's like is curves outward at the hock joint. When we ran our hands down her leg it did not feel fevered or swollen.

I'll see her again in a day or two and can give an update.

Farmgirl

 

[milkmaid]

Pic of a calf I had w/joint ill (the stifle joint has been shaved)...

 

[Beefy]

does it look like this?

 

[Putangitangi]

I have no photos which accurately represent what's happening and no, she doesn't look like either of those two, nor does she curve out at the hock, but thank you.

I'm beginning to realise that she's affected on both sides, from the way she sort of hops her back end around. The better leg ends up more extended than it should be, so she pushes herself too far over onto the bad leg and falls over. I'm doing all the propping, so taking photographs is tricky. I'll try and catch her in action during the day again tomorrow.

 

[msscamp]

It's a long time for her leg to still be cramped from birth... it's much more likely to be a damaged nerve or joint ill.

4 days is a long time? Most contracted tendons - and that is what the original post sounds like to me - take a couple of weeks to straighten out, no pun intended.

 

[Farmgirl]

Our calf's problem is no where near as severe as the one that Beefy posted. Our calf could walk just fine from the beginning. I guess the best way to describe it is when she put her weight on it it would give and the joint would turn out. Just weak jointed. btw...our cow has been on great minerals.

Farmgirl

 

[Joy in Texas]

We had a set of twins last night. A bull and a heifer. She had them around 7 pm. All,was looking good,but sometime after 10 pm the cow left the heifer behind.
I waited another hour to see if she was coming back. But she didn't. So ,I brought the little thing in the house. She weighs around 50 lbs. Seems completely formed and all. I fixed a bottle of colostrum and she sucked it all down.
I messed with her awhile and see that she also has foot and leg problems. One front leg and one back leg is contracted. But her hips also seem to be off. At first I didn't think she even had much of a tail. Her tail is also twisted like a pig's tail.
I put her over a bale of hay early this morning.She is trying to push up. Which is a good thing,cause she's putting weight on her feet and legs. But after taking her off ,she tries to get up ,but her hind end is not working either.
I'm thinking of fixing her a sling with bungy cords. Has anyone ever done this and How long can they stay that away without hurting the stomach? Would half an hour be to long?
Putangitungi,maybe together we can figure this problem out. I don't give up that easy.

 

[milkmaid]

It's a long time for her leg to still be cramped from birth... it's much more likely to be a damaged nerve or joint ill.

4 days is a long time? Most contracted tendons - and that is what the original post sounds like to me - take a couple of weeks to straighten out, no pun intended.

That's true... I stand corrected.

However, based on the description, it doesn't sound to me like contracted tendons is this calf's problem.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Had a heifer calf this spring that acted really funny and couldn't get up to nurse. Her joints seemed to be swollen and stiff. Her front legs were the stiffest and he back was always humped up. Her hind legs seemed to not want to work at work at all and she had extreme trouble standing. Called in the vet. He said she had something that was like rumathoid arthrist (sp?) Her mother had eaten a toxic plant that caused this.
We had to keep her in the barn so we could help her get up about as offen as we checked the heifers. She would try to walk over to mom, but would fall alot. After it warmed up she wasn't as bad. Saw her yesterday and she is moving around alright, but her front legs are still stiff. This was after alot of time. As long as they can nurse they may get better, but they may not too.
I would hold her across my lap to help her nurse the cow.

 

[Putangitangi]

We had a set of twins last night. A bull and a heifer. ...and see that she also has foot and leg problems. One front leg and one back leg is contracted. But her hips also seem to be off. ... I'm thinking of fixing her a sling with bungy cords. Has anyone ever done this and How long can they stay that away without hurting the stomach? Would half an hour be to long?
Putangitungi,maybe together we can figure this problem out. I don't give up that easy.

You know about freemartinism in the heifer, I hope? I'd be doing the same as I am if this one's twin had been a bull, but might make different decisions if it started to cost too much time and money.
My vet was concerned about hip dislocation, for which they checked thoroughly - physically and then confirmed by the x-rays I let them do because we were there and could.

We've used a cow sling on adults here, and if the pressure's in the right places underneath, you can keep them up for a fair while, but usually not unless there's the ability for the animal to occasionally take its own weight to relieve any pressure.

...It was caused by a mineral deficiency. Sounds like your cow hasnt been eating her minerals like she was supposed to. My calf was about 30 some odd pounds to. It is called contracted tendons like milk maid described. I couldnt think of the word for it.

We don't have much problem with deficiencies here, except for copper which I regularly inject, and otherwise it's all in the green, green grass. :) I think this one was entirely due to twin cramping.

Had a heifer calf this spring that acted really funny and couldn't get up to nurse. Her joints seemed to be swollen and stiff. Her front legs were the stiffest and he back was always humped up. Her hind legs seemed to not want to work at work at all and she had extreme trouble standing. Called in the vet. He said she had something that was like rumathoid arthrist (sp?) Her mother had eaten a toxic plant that caused this....
I would hold her across my lap to help her nurse the cow.

It was my vet's mention of arthritis which concerned me enough to get her checked out - if it was something serious like that, maybe I'd have different decisions to make about her future.
Fortunately she'll stand on her front legs strongly and if I prop her from one side, she nurses without any other effort from me. I just stand there, enjoying the view and stroking her mother.

As she gets heavier she's getting harder to handle easily - just about runs to her mother at feeding time, which means I have to keep up or she flops over. I figure that's a good sign of her continued determination! At times during feeding she almost takes her own weight on the bad side, so while it's hard to actually see much improvement going on when she still can't get up, I think there's some definitely happening.

 

[fourstates]

Joy, that's a great idea. I have also used square bales to prop up weak calves. It saves my back. I made sure their feet touched the ground, but the bale held most of their weight.

I would make sure I worked those legs several times a day and some times used a sling that was designed for walking crippled dogs to support the calf as it put weight on the legs. A sheet, towel or piece of tarp could also work.

 

[msscamp]

It's a long time for her leg to still be cramped from birth... it's much more likely to be a damaged nerve or joint ill.

4 days is a long time? Most contracted tendons - and that is what the original post sounds like to me - take a couple of weeks to straighten out, no pun intended.

That's true... I stand corrected.

However, based on the description, it doesn't sound to me like contracted tendons is this calf's problem.

Valid point - I haven't actually seen the calf, so I don't know if contracted tendons are indeed the problem.

 

[milkmaid]

It's a long time for her leg to still be cramped from birth... it's much more likely to be a damaged nerve or joint ill.

4 days is a long time? Most contracted tendons - and that is what the original post sounds like to me - take a couple of weeks to straighten out, no pun intended.

That's true... I stand corrected.

However, based on the description, it doesn't sound to me like contracted tendons is this calf's problem.

Valid point - I haven't actually seen the calf, so I don't know if contracted tendons are indeed the problem.

:nod: A pic would be nice.

*hint* to Put ;-)