Need some help

[jallen]

Got a 3 year old. Calved 12 days ago. Everything went fine as far as I know. Milking good and cow and calf seemed great. Today out of the blue the cow has bloody discharge, not a ton but very noticeable almost like she retained some afterbirth. She is also very lame in her right rear leg. Are these symptoms related in any way? Will discuss with the vet tomorrow as well as try and get her caught.

 

[LauraleesFarm]

The bloody discharge is probably normal unless it is to the level of a constant flow as in hemorrhage. It is probably just the cow's normal flow after calving.

The limping sounds unrelated and with most of mine that get a limp, they will limp a few days and get better. Benign neglect is the ticket. That calf will keep her up and moving.

 

[Putangitangi]

Bloody discharge is pretty normal for a couple of weeks after birth - as long as it has no odor. It's the normal process of the uterus returning to its normal state.
Sore leg though could indicate pain from an infection. Your vet is the best bet. Does she look bright and healthy in general? Is the calf happy? If she's really sick, the calf may get hungry.

 

[jallen]

Cow looks fine other than the lameness. Grazing and has good appetite. Ate some sweet feed earlier. She is hell to catch though, more interested in the calf than feed. I guess I'll just continue to monitor. Would it be ok to give her some aspirin in with her sweet feed? I've got her separated from the others, although not in a pen.

 

[TCRanch]

Agree the discharge is probably normal. Her leg or her foot? Do you see any swelling near her stifle? Or any obvious trauma to her hoof (crack, stick between toes, etc)? Aspirin is fine. I generally break them in half; if she won't eat it in her sweet feet you can drizzle a little molasses over it.

 

[jallen]

I can't find anything obvious in the foot or leg but she's not been in the chute either. Hope to catch her and look her over good soon

 

[TCRanch]

Good luck! If it's foot rot, all it takes is one good sniff between the toes - naaaasty.

 

[CottageFarm]

Since you don't know the source of the bleeding for certain, strictly as a precaution, I would recommend an anti-inflammatory drug other than aspirin (since its also a blood thinner/anti coagulant) until you can discuss with your vet.

 

[dun]

The bleeding is normal cleaning, if it doesn;t stink it's not a problem. I don;t use livestock aspirin, I just feed a dozen 325 mg regualr asprin sprinkled in the grain. She'll suck them up and never realize she's taken them.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I agree with the rest, just normal post-calving discharge. I have seen it with mine, over the years, discharge up to 2 weeks, in dribs and drabs.

As for aspirin, like dun, I have always used the small bayer tablets, for people, when giving to horses, dogs or cattle. I adjust the dosage accordingly. (# of mgs to # lbs.)

 

[jallen]

Gave 12 asprin tonight with grain. A couple hours later she's still lame. Time will tell I guess.

 

[dun]

Gave 12 asprin tonight with grain. A couple hours later she's still lame. Time will tell I guess.

They won;t solve the problem that fast. She'll need them morning and night for a couple of days before they really start to have any affect if they are going to.

 

[jallen]

She is noticeably better this morning but still a noticeable limp. Gave 12 more with grain. I'll keep dosing her til the weekend if the limp persists. I can't see any swelling anywhere and I'm right next to her while she eats. I'm wondering if it's in the foot itself, maybe a rock or something. Maybe will get her caught today if she will cooperate.

 

[jallen]

Cow seems a little better but still lame. I'm checking her out as much as I can everyday and can't find any swelling. Both of her front hooves seem to be torn on the front outer claw towards the front corner of it. Not torn off but like cracked on the corners. Not seeing this in any others. I'm not seeing lameness on the front however. At this point I've opted not to catch her and just let her be a few more days. She's plenty active, more so than she was two days ago at least.

 

[Supa Dexta]

Could be an abscess inside the hoof, pressure builds up and causes them to turn lame. Vet or hoof trimmer can usually trim it down and open it up to relieve the pressure. Then hit em with antibiotics.

 

[jallen]

The cow seems better with the real lameness. Not where I'd like her to be but lots better than she was. I'm starting to see some tenderness show up in her front hooves now. They are both cracking on the corners of the outer claws. Not huge chunks trying to break off but around quarter size. Not sure what's going on at all there. Any advice as to what the cracking could be from?

 

[TCRanch]

I got nuthin. But if she's having cracked hoof issues on all 4 I'd take her in; it may be as simple as the vet having to trim them but there could be something else going on. Something to consider: if she's this young & having hoof problems other than a rogue rock stuck between the claws, the occasional tweak/twisted foot or an accidental puncture wound, you may be setting yourself up for perpetual trimmings, doctoring, etc. Been there =(

 

[jallen]

It's front hooves with the cracking. I'm starting to lean towards corkscrew claw. I'll have to deal with it for a while until I can get her calf sold. She can go to if that's what it turns out to be.

 

[TCRanch]

If that's the problem a good trim will get you through raising her calf. Best of luck!

 

[jallen]

Yea that's the plan. Will get her to the vet for s look over. I took a couple pics of her feet today but can't get them posted from this phone for some reason.