We have a calf that we think has a dislocated hip. Anyone ever had this. The momma died and he has been in the barn but she is the one who hurt him. Is there anyway to pop it back into place without a vet. Any tips or suggestions??
Need some advise on calf PLEASE!!!
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Call the vet tomorrow...better yet, take the calf there. No way would I attempt to pop a dislocation back in...but there are others who would, and no doubt could.
I'm not afraid to buy lame or limping calves at the auction...normally they get over "it." But, with a dislocation, if that's what you think it is, whew! I'd let an expert (as expert as the vet can be anyway) tell me about it.
Dexamethizone is a good anti inflamatory (I don't think I spelled that right, but anyway...), and banamine could help...
Let the vet tell ya'...probably wouldn't cost that much...
Alice
I'm not afraid to buy lame or limping calves at the auction...normally they get over "it." But, with a dislocation, if that's what you think it is, whew! I'd let an expert (as expert as the vet can be anyway) tell me about it.
Dexamethizone is a good anti inflamatory (I don't think I spelled that right, but anyway...), and banamine could help...
Let the vet tell ya'...probably wouldn't cost that much...
Alice
Alice":3mg8y4hf said:
Banamine is an anti-inflammatory, as well as pain reliever. Depending on the type of injury and the degree of difficulty walking, I may or may not use it as it could possibly lead to the calf further injuring himself. Milkmaid posted on another thread that Dexamethasone suppresses the immune system, so I sure wouldn't be using it on a calf of the age/size that this one appears to be.
Victoria
Well-known member
Don't take this the wrong way but you don't know for sure what is wrong with the calf. So even if someone tells you how to put the hip back into place you may cause a lot more damage because you don't know what is wrong in the first place. How do you know the hip isn't broken, are you sure it isn't? If you don't know what you are dealing with then get a vet.
highvoltagecattleco
Well-known member
Going to pile on here. Take it to the vet. You wouldn't do it yourself to one of your children. Alice is right that sometimes they will heal up from something that causes a limp or uneasy walk. Going to the vet now could save you a lot of heart ache and possibly money.
This is going to sound cold and heartless, and I'm sorry for that, but if you take this calf to the vet, he/she is probably going to recommend taking X-rays. That is, after all, the only way to be certain if the hip is fractured, or simply dislocated. Should you decide to go that route, you will probably have more invested in vet bills than you will be able to recover from the calf - even if he recovers fully. I'm not advocating allowing an animal to be in pain, but it sounds like you're new to cattle and I didn't think it was right to not give you a heads up about what to likely expect. Be prepared to possibly be faced with some hard decisions regarding this calf.
Tiger
Member
msscamp":3aw7xexm said:
I could not have said it better, great points. I would have to see what I could do myself and if no positive response he would get put down.
That is what I would do, too, Tiger. Place him in a small pen so he doesn't have very far to go for food and water, and to reduce the stress/discomfort of moving around - maybe a little banamine, but having never seen the calf I'm not sure about that aspect. If no improvement within a set time frame - a bullet.
bward
Well-known member
Take the calf to a chiropractor. Mine will work on calves, horses and dogs all with success except the dog.... couldn't snap in the hip displasia. But at least he tried.
highvoltagecattleco
Well-known member
A good vet can check joints without x-rays. My vet diagnosed a knee that was dislocated. Ultimately, he just gave him an anti-inflam and we limited his movement for two months. Now he's 500 pounds and ready to leave.
cowvet
Well-known member
Is the calf bearing weight at all and does it look symetrical if you look at it from directly behind.
I wouldn't recommend trying to reduce a dislocated hip yourself - especially if you are just guessing. I have done quite a few in cows (without xrays!) and got most of them back in but it is not something I would ever attempt without anaesthetic. I think the main reason I get them back in in cows is because I knock them completely out and there is total muscle relaxation. Even with a calf I expect the muscle contraction and spasms would make the job near impossible in an awake calf - not to mention painful and cruel!.
If it is dislocated then the longer it is out of the joint then the harder it is to get back in.
Pain relief - isn't going to fix the problem just mask some of the pain for 24 hours....then what?
I wouldn't use dexamethasone - immune system suppression.
I wouldn't recommend trying to reduce a dislocated hip yourself - especially if you are just guessing. I have done quite a few in cows (without xrays!) and got most of them back in but it is not something I would ever attempt without anaesthetic. I think the main reason I get them back in in cows is because I knock them completely out and there is total muscle relaxation. Even with a calf I expect the muscle contraction and spasms would make the job near impossible in an awake calf - not to mention painful and cruel!.
If it is dislocated then the longer it is out of the joint then the harder it is to get back in.
Pain relief - isn't going to fix the problem just mask some of the pain for 24 hours....then what?
I wouldn't use dexamethasone - immune system suppression.
The calf does not look symetrical the right hip is alot further forward than the left and his spaine and tail curve to the right. He puts a little weight on it and it does not seem to slow him down. He runs and walks around but most of the time he just carries the leg. He is gaining weight and if we could get the hip/leg healed he would be doing excellent.
