frozen feet

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dun

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If a calf is frozen to the point that it's joints wont bend and recovers, how long before the hooves will slip/fall off? Am I looking at a week or a couple of months before I know the extent of the damage?

Thanks

dun
 
MISSOURIWINTER.jpg
 
dun":1gt2261c said:
If a calf is frozen to the point that it's joints wont bend and recovers, how long before the hooves will slip/fall off? Am I looking at a week or a couple of months before I know the extent of the damage?

Thanks

dun
After rewarming, it is usually first the coronary band that will be noticed to be swelling. Separation and oozing may be seen next. The hoof may or may not separate off, or only parts may slough. The majority of the animals will have shown evidence by a week to 10 days. I've never seen one go over 10 days, but I'm not God, it may happen. It's kind of odd, but very few lose the entire hoof, and if they do, they lose the bones underneath as well, in my experience. UGH!

Are you applying any topical meds?

V
 
Thanks for the information.
No meds, just a lot of exercise and massaging the lower leg and foot.

dun
 
dun, once they are frozen there is little you can do. in about 3or 4 weeks you will know the full extent. had one that lost two hind feet & part of the gamble, another lost both hind feet. when it lets go the cords will hold for a long time or you can cut the cord. vet had one once that lost three feet & still managed to live to get fattened up to eat
 
dun, like you and Chuckie, I didn't know a calf could survive that. Good luck with this one. Let us know what happens.

Learned another new thing here on this board today.

Katherine
 
jerry27150":gnvvo0n3 said:
dun, once they are frozen there is little you can do. in about 3or 4 weeks you will know the full extent. had one that lost two hind feet & part of the gamble, another lost both hind feet. when it lets go the cords will hold for a long time or you can cut the cord. vet had one once that lost three feet & still managed to live to get fattened up to eat

The vet dropped by today and looked at her. He squeezed her feet and the coronary band area. Said that by now he would expect the tissue to have a "papery feel" . Said it felt normal and she ran him all over the place after that wanting her bottle. He's still surprised at how well she's doing. Her brother that is on the cow is showing a bit of a limp in one hind foot and he's more concerned about that. Time will tell.
Still amazes me at how healthy they both are from their ordeal.

dun
 
dun":3gz1save said:
jerry27150":3gz1save said:
dun, once they are frozen there is little you can do. in about 3or 4 weeks you will know the full extent. had one that lost two hind feet & part of the gamble, another lost both hind feet. when it lets go the cords will hold for a long time or you can cut the cord. vet had one once that lost three feet & still managed to live to get fattened up to eat

The vet dropped by today and looked at her. He squeezed her feet and the coronary band area. Said that by now he would expect the tissue to have a "papery feel" . Said it felt normal and she ran him all over the place after that wanting her bottle. He's still surprised at how well she's doing. Her brother that is on the cow is showing a bit of a limp in one hind foot and he's more concerned about that. Time will tell.
Still amazes me at how healthy they both are from their ordeal

dun

Dun ...usually a calf that has had badly frozen feet will end up going down in the feedlot...something to keep in mind.

good luck
 
frenchie":2t4mqnpo said:
Dun ...usually a calf that has had badly frozen feet will end up going down in the feedlot...something to keep in mind.

good luck

It may sund a little crass, but if she holds up till she's a couple of months old and doesn;t have a problem, she's headed to the salebarn. If she develops problems before then she'll go to the coyote feeding/bat area out back in the holler. I'm not going to keep her around till she's old enough to slaughter to insure she's ok. I won;t knowingly foust my problems off on someone else, but you can only be just so sure of something.
But she will go with the notation she is a twin to a bull, I won;t try to screw somebody out of a few bucks by misrepresenting her.

dun
 
dun":22kgqkn4 said:
frenchie":22kgqkn4 said:
Dun ...usually a calf that has had badly frozen feet will end up going down in the feedlot...something to keep in mind.

good luck

It may sund a little crass, but if she holds up till she's a couple of months old and doesn;t have a problem, she's headed to the salebarn. If she develops problems before then she'll go to the coyote feeding/bat area out back in the holler. I'm not going to keep her around till she's old enough to slaughter to insure she's ok. I won;t knowingly foust my problems off on someone else, but you can only be just so sure of something.
But she will go with the notation she is a twin to a bull, I won;t try to screw somebody out of a few bucks by misrepresenting her.

dun

Usually an experienced order buyer can pick out an animal that has had frozen feet... But there is always the veal option..
 
Veal is somebody elses option. I don;t milk well enough to kep feeding calves. That's the cows job normally. As well as she runs and bucks and bends her joints, it would be hard to tell she ever had a problem, now anyway. The coronary band is a little swelled, but not as bad as it has been. The exercise should, in my warped opinion, either help with increasing the circulation, or cause the problems to show up faster. I subscribe to the 5 hearts school of thought.

dun
 
dun":1qhsqbkz said:
Veal is somebody elses option. I don;t milk well enough to kep feeding calves. That's the cows job normally. As well as she runs and bucks and bends her joints, it would be hard to tell she ever had a problem, now anyway. The coronary band is a little swelled, but not as bad as it has been. The exercise should, in my warped opinion, either help with increasing the circulation, or cause the problems to show up faster. I subscribe to the 5 hearts school of thought.

dun

Uually frozen feet don,t develop properly as they grow.Hoofs end up sort of splayed out.

time to hit the sack..good night
 
The only one I ever had lose his hoof was when he was an older calf. Tired and can't remember the exact age...would have to ask Honey as his memories better.

Bones didn't fall off in his case, but didn't sell him as the buyers would have discounted him severely (plus I don't send junky calves through the ring), so kept the little guy back and will feed him for our own slaughter this spring. His hoof has completely regrown (he walked for several months on a caloused looking stump) but he's still a poor looking animal as far as body condition goes.

Good luck with your calf. Sure sounds like you're pulling out all the stops for it, and if it doesn't work out it won't be for lack of trying.

Take care.
 
I don;t know if it's a good sign or bad, but this morning the swelling is almost completely gone from the coronary band. Foot and leg are almost the same size now.
The bull sure doesn;t seem to have a limp anymore either. I never did notice it.

dun
 

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