Help!!Baby calf won't walk

[Anonymous]

Baby calf 48 hours old. We came upon the mother giving birth approx. 1-2 hours into labor. We had to help deliver the calf. We were successful. The mother stil has not gotten up nor has the calf. We have been tube feeding and giving colostrum(sp)to calf. She seems respondent, however, she will not get up. We try putting her on her feet. She turns her back hooves under and will not put any weight on the front. She has started w/ a stuffy nose today. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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[Anonymous]

Anita,<br>I don't have much experience when it comes to cattle, but it sounds to me as if it might be time to call the vet. Mother could have pinched a nerve during the birth, causing her to be paralized (think I've read about that happening on other boards). From what I gathered from the discussions, she should eventually regain feeling and be able to stand and function normally. The baby, having a stuffy nose, could be in for trouble. It's possible that some of the milk that was tube fed to it could have gotten into it's lungs. That could lead to pneumonia. Turning her hooves under sounds like she may have weak tendons, which should get better with time. Some people wrap the legs, but I'm not sure how that is done.<br>Like I said, I'm very far from being an expert. I'd call the vet and have him/her come check on both of them.<br>Hopefully others(with more experience than me) on the board will respond to your post with much better advice.<br>Good luck with your cow and calf,<br>Tim<p>
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[Anonymous]

: Anita,<br>: I don't have much experience when it comes to cattle, but it sounds to me as if it might be time to call the vet. Mother could have pinched a nerve during the birth, causing her to be paralized (think I've read about that happening on other boards). From what I gathered from the discussions, she should eventually regain feeling and be able to stand and function normally. The baby, having a stuffy nose, could be in for trouble. It's possible that some of the milk that was tube fed to it could have gotten into it's lungs. That could lead to pneumonia. Turning her hooves under sounds like she may have weak tendons, which should get better with time. Some people wrap the legs, but I'm not sure how that is done.<br>: Like I said, I'm very far from being an expert. I'd call the vet and have him/her come check on both of them.<br>: Hopefully others(with more experience than me) on the board will respond to your post with much better advice.<br>: Good luck with your cow and calf,<br>: Tim<p>Tim, thank you very much for your input. It was greatly appreciated. We called and have visited with the vet several times right from the start. He gave us advice about the cow. However, he was unable to give much info on the calf's walking condition(he never visited the calf). So, we have been treating her for a pinched nerve. We have been giving the calf medication LA 200 for possible pnemonia. So, I appreciate the back-up information. As to the the weak tendons, thank you. We are going to try to wrap them and see how she progresses. Thank you, again, for your good thoughts.<p>

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[Anonymous]

It's good you've been touch with your vet. I've read on here and other boards where some people make temporary splints for the legs with plastic tubing. Pad it and watch for sore spots. I've never had a calf with this problem, so am not too sure about the whole routine. I would think you would have to assist the calf with getting up and down. I think the tendons stretch out and strengthen within a short time. <p>How much did the calf weigh? If it was a hard birth, it may take a few days for her to get going. <p>Continue to tube or bottle feed the calf to keep her hydrated so she can fight the pneumonia. <p>Are you comfortable tube feeding? Are you clamping the tube before inserting it and again before pulling it out? If the calf has gotten some milk in her lungs, it's going to be a fight to pull her through this. If she is stressed and has caught a bacterial infection, you have a better chance. If she has a viral infection, you can only give her supportive care while her body fights the infection. Supportive care includes keeping her hydrated and possibly antibiotics to cure or ward off a secondary bacterial infection. <p>Have you taken her temperature? <p>I think if you can spend some time going through the old posts here and on Cattlepages.com you will find quite a bit of info on helping the cow through her paralysis. She does need to be turned regularly. My guess would be a pinched nerve, but without a vet's exam, no one can say for sure. <p>Good luck with both of your animals.
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[Anonymous]

Well, that was my post above, not Anita's!<p>Here's a link to CattlePages Health Board, where there's a good thread on this same problem.
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<ul><li><a href="http://www.cattlepages.com/wwwboard/health/index.asp">http://www.cattlepages.com/wwwboard/health/index.asp</a></ul>
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[Anonymous]

: Anita,<br>: I don't have much experience when it comes to cattle, but it sounds to me as if it might be time to call the vet. Mother could have pinched a nerve during the birth, causing her to be paralized (think I've read about that happening on other boards). From what I gathered from the discussions, she should eventually regain feeling and be able to stand and function normally. The baby, having a stuffy nose, could be in for trouble. It's possible that some of the milk that was tube fed to it could have gotten into it's lungs. That could lead to pneumonia. Turning her hooves under sounds like she may have weak tendons, which should get better with time. Some people wrap the legs, but I'm not sure how that is done.<br>: Like I said, I'm very far from being an expert. I'd call the vet and have him/her come check on both of them.<br>: Hopefully others(with more experience than me) on the board will respond to your post with much better advice.<br>: Good luck with your cow and calf,<br>: Tim<p><br>

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[Anonymous]

: Anita,<br>: I don't have much experience when it comes to cattle, but it sounds to me as if it might be time to call the vet. Mother could have pinched a nerve during the birth, causing her to be paralized (think I've read about that happening on other boards). From what I gathered from the discussions, she should eventually regain feeling and be able to stand and function normally. The baby, having a stuffy nose, could be in for trouble. It's possible that some of the milk that was tube fed to it could have gotten into it's lungs. That could lead to pneumonia. Turning her hooves under sounds like she may have weak tendons, which should get better with time. Some people wrap the legs, but I'm not sure how that is done.<br>: Like I said, I'm very far from being an expert. I'd call the vet and have him/her come check on both of them.<br>: Hopefully others(with more experience than me) on the board will respond to your post with much better advice.<br>: Good luck with your cow and calf,<br>: Tim<p>Anita, Sometimes if the calf wasn't able to get to it's feet within the first half hour after birth it never will.<br>

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