Help please! Weird calf...

[Morgon64]

First off, I'm a horse person, but I've had a stallion and did some breeding as well as riding/training.

Soooo...Picked up a heifer calf a bit ago, almost 2 days old, did have colostrum and needed to be pulled. She has odd back legs, looks to me just like lax tendons, they will bend forward instead of back quite a bit, as well as sitting back on her pasterns in the back. Not too worried about that. However...I thought well, maybe her joints are a bit big, I'll take a look at her umbilical area. Wha!? Is this a bull calf?? Nope, has girl parts...but what is that?

She has what looks like a sheath, hangs about 5 inches down, but obviously is a cord remnant at the very end. It is covered in hair the entire way down NOT like a drying cord. It is thick, too, bigger than my thumb...but does NOT seem to be an abcessed or anything. It is firm, not at all squishy. Not hot, nor are her joints hot. I have injectable PCN, should I start her on that or ask for something else? My Ex is a vet, but mainly does small animal...however he'll pretty much give me what I ask for if I know what I need.

Comments? I've only raised one other calf. I can take pics next if you want them...sorry if I sound dumb, I probably am

Oh, and she is eating fine, and gets around okay on her wacky legs...

Signed, Confused.

 

[dun]

There is a condition in heifers that is called Freemartin. A freemartin has mixed male and female parts, sometimes external sometimes just hormones. Post a picture of under her tail and another of her belly. If you can;rt post pictures email them to me at [email protected], Subj: heifer

 

[mjnetex]

This may be totally off, not sure exactly what it looks like, but possibly could
be umbilical hernia, try to gently push it up into the body cavity, if it goes in, it might be
a hernia (it will come right back out).

 

[Morgon64]

I'm going to try to post pics...first things first though...I don't think she's a freemartin...heard of that, there is no separate thing that looks like male parts...this is definitely where the cord broke. And no, it does not feel like a hernia, either. When I palpate it, it feels like a thick cord or rope with skin and fur around it! The end is healing, but I don't see where anybody iodined it, either. The only thing this reminds me of is a weird umbilical cord I saw once in Labor and Delivery (I'm an RN) where the skin on the kid's belly where the umbilical cord had joined was extended out a couple inches...so that the cord attached a couple inches from the belly instead of snugged right into it...

Def a heifer:

This odd appendage: I guess it's actually about 4", and it is pretty thick!

Front legs/joints -- don't look bad, I think:

Weird back legs:

Lying down - legs look normal then:

 

[dun]

Hernia
Doesn;t look like what my mind had pictured it as from your original description

 

[Morgon64]

Okay, yer not helpin' old man LOL J/J = just jokin.

Other than getting her rehydrated (they said she hadn't had much in 36 hrs --took 10 quarts in pretty quick succession) what do I do?)

Okay, I think this one is gonna be a pet, but I really am thinking that I want to start raising beef cattle...lowline Angus maybe?
What should I spend on a cow/bull?

I'm near Ocala, FL.

 

[milkmaid]

I think Beefy had a calf that stood like that a few years ago... pretty sure it was okay in the end, but might have taken a few weeks. Calf looks okay otherwise.

 

[robert]

if the cord feel hard it could well be a navel infection, hit her with 6cc of la200 and it will clear it right up. If it is an infection you definately want to deal with it now as it will become joint ill. As for those hind legs, wow, do the legs flex both ways from the hock joint? Looking at how weak the pasterns are I'd think there is a definate lack of strength in the tendons, could be genetic, maybe not.. if things can go wrong they very well might!

 

[dun]

Here's where thinking gets me in trouble. I've looked at the picture of the bulg again, several times, and I recall once seeing a deal like that. Thought it was a hernia and afet poking it and proding it decided it was an abscess/infection. In our case it was encapsulated and never caused a problem but it could lead to a systemic infection. Poke around and see if you can feel a hole in the abdomin wall that it has popped through. If you feel a hole it's a hernia, if not it's an infection. So here's what I would do, since a hernia can lead to a strangualted gut I would have it repaired, if it's not a hernia I would have it lanced.
Just more useless ideas.

 

[jcarkie]

it is navel ill i had 2 this past year that looked like that, i have never had it before and didn't know what it was .i took the first one to see the vet, treated with antibiotices and it went away. one calf was droppy that is why i examined it so close, the other was a bottle calf born really premature.

 

[Morgon64]

Thank you everyone for their input, you guys are fantastic...I got some la200 at the local Tractor Supply and gave her that. She sure doesn't act sick, though. Running around just fine, and it appears that her back legs are getting somewhat stronger. Her right one, especially seems to have tightened up considerably...sometimes when she runs that one doesn't pop forward at all. Guess we'll see.

I'll post a pic in the future so anyone interested can see what she looks like in a few weeks.

 

[dun]

Thank you everyone for their input, you guys are fantastic...I got some la200 at the local Tractor Supply and gave her that. She sure doesn't act sick, though. Running around just fine, and it appears that her back legs are getting somewhat stronger. Her right one, especially seems to have tightened up considerably...sometimes when she runs that one doesn't pop forward at all. Guess we'll see.

I'll post a pic in the future so anyone interested can see what she looks like in a few weeks.

If it is an infection la200 probably isn;t going to do anything other then put money in TS pocket and make you feel better.
Willy-nilly giving of antibiotics can cause more problems in the long ruhen waiting until they are actually needed then giving the right one for the job

 

[Morgon64]

I agree, I actually rarely use antibiotics, even for myself...but something is going on with her naval and I'd rather try to get it now before it goes elsewhere IF that is what it is. Without going to the expense of a vet visit for an animal that was going to be a cull originally, I figured a chance at the broad spectrum was my best bet. Not too worried about having spent $13 at TS, either.

I guess time will tell, like always...

 

[Victoria]

Any muscle or tendon problems I also give a shot of selenium/vitamin E and even a shot of A&D vitamins.
A friend does a calf wonders, cows are herd animals and are not meant to live alone.

 

[robert]

Thank you everyone for their input, you guys are fantastic...I got some la200 at the local Tractor Supply and gave her that. She sure doesn't act sick, though. Running around just fine, and it appears that her back legs are getting somewhat stronger. Her right one, especially seems to have tightened up considerably...sometimes when she runs that one doesn't pop forward at all. Guess we'll see.

I'll post a pic in the future so anyone interested can see what she looks like in a few weeks.

If it is an infection la200 probably isn;t going to do anything other then put money in TS pocket and make you feel better.
Willy-nilly giving of antibiotics can cause more problems in the long ruhen waiting until they are actually needed then giving the right one for the job

really? we've treated thick navels with la200 or its generic for years, and it works, one shot and they clear right up.

 

[dun]

Thank you everyone for their input, you guys are fantastic...I got some la200 at the local Tractor Supply and gave her that. She sure doesn't act sick, though. Running around just fine, and it appears that her back legs are getting somewhat stronger. Her right one, especially seems to have tightened up considerably...sometimes when she runs that one doesn't pop forward at all. Guess we'll see.

I'll post a pic in the future so anyone interested can see what she looks like in a few weeks.

If it is an infection la200 probably isn;t going to do anything other then put money in TS pocket and make you feel better.
Willy-nilly giving of antibiotics can cause more problems in the long ruhen waiting until they are actually needed then giving the right one for the job

really? we've treated thick navels with la200 or its generic for years, and it works, one shot and they clear right up.

The only thing I've seen work on navel/joint ill is multiple high doses of pen over a long period of time

 

[robert]

the trick is to hit it hard and early before it becomes joint ill, it seems more prevalent (thick navel) in bull calves, seldom treat a heifer calf for it but usually do 4 or 5 bc's a year, I suspect it is due to the cord not drying as quickly due to urination and attentive mothers, I gave up dipping navels years ago as it just seemed to encourage the cows to lick at them more rather than leaving it alone, seems simpler to treat as and when I spot the issue.

 

[Morgon64]

Looking much better already, still down in the pasterns a little. Naval is slightly smaller. Looking around for steer or bull calf to put in with her to raise for the freezer.