injured shoulders during pull?

[fourstates]

One of my first calf heifers had to have the calf pulled last night. Since then, we have had to take care of him, his mother associated him with the horror of the pull and showed no interest in him. We had to recussitate him, and he is getting stronger. My question is we he gets to his feet, his shoulders make popping noises and seem to be painful. He was a front pull. The vet had to cut the heifers hymen! I gave him 3cc's of childrens motrin. Is this normal?

 

[msscamp]

My question is we he gets to his feet, his shoulders make popping noises and seem to be painful. He was a front pull. The vet had to cut the heifers hymen! I gave him 3cc's of childrens motrin. Is this normal?

It sounds like he may just be so big that the tendons & ligments in his shoulders didn't have to chance to 'tighten' up properly, and that is why they are making the popping noises. As far as his mother not showing any interest, you might try penning the calf and his mother in 2 smaller, adjacent pens - sometimes when this is done the mother ends up claiming her calf, and sometimes it doesn't work. Another option would be to get the heifer back in the chute and help the calf nurse - that also works quite often. Good luck with your new calf!

PS You might also want to talk to your vet about motrin(ibuprofen) vs aspirin. I'm not sure what the possible side-effects of giving a calf ibuprofen are, but I know it tends to be toxic in dogs & cats.

 

[fourstates]

Thanks for the reply. I have had good luck doing this in the past. The mother would lick the baby, protect the baby, but just wouldn't stand or would kick the baby when it tried to nurse. This big beautiful stupid cow is very frightened, and almost killed herself to get out of the corral and would not even sniff this calf. We hobbled her in the chute and tried holding the calf to nurse, but his legs are so sore, we had a hard time getting him to show any interest. I wound up milking the cow, using teat dialators, and tube fed that to the calf.
He weighed a whopping 87lbs, which makes him the biggest calf we've ever had.
I have never bottle fed before, he didn't show any interest in the bottle, so I tube him. How long can I tube feed him? Or will his strength determine that for me? What a way to spend Mother's Day. BTW, Happy Mothers Day to all!

 

[msscamp]

This big beautiful stupid cow is very frightened, and almost killed herself to get out of the corral and would not even sniff this calf.

Sure she is. she is also hurting and has no idea what happened to her. Be patient, maintain a calm steady attitude around her, and she will probably come around.

We hobbled her in the chute and tried holding the calf to nurse, but his legs are so sore, we had a hard time getting him to show any interest. I wound up milking the cow, using teat dialators, and tube fed that to the calf.

That works, and good job!

I have never bottle fed before, he didn't show any interest in the bottle, so I tube him. How long can I tube feed him? Or will his strength determine that for me? What a way to spend Mother's Day. BTW, Happy Mothers Day to all!

Well, I wouldn't tube any longer than absolutely necessary. Bottle feeding is not all that difficult, once you get a few basics down. Newborns will sometimes have trouble with a regular sized calf nipple, so try a sheep nipple on an appropriate sized bottle. Although it is far better to bottle the calf when he is standing, sometimes this might not be possible - as in your case. If the calf can't stand for that long, at least make sure he is sitting up when you bottle him. You might also consider putting him across a bale of hay to provide him with some support while he is standing. Next, kneel or straddle the calf, and place one hand under his jaw towards his throat. Stick the nipple in his mouth, and let a little milk dribble into his mouth. If you hold your other hand on his lower jaw/upper throat, you will be able to feel him swallow. If he does not, gently squeeze his upper and lower jaws together - this will force milk into his mouth. It will take some patience, and might be a long, tedious process, but he will catch on. Another option might be to stick your finger in his mouth. If he sucks, carefully replace your finger with the nipple. He might back off but, if you give him a second or two to think about it and then try again, he could very well take off and nurse. Good luck!

PS Oh, I don't know. It doesn't sound like too bad of a way to spend Mother's Day - the calf is alive and his mother is alive, and both sure count for a lot! ;-) :lol: :lol: