Nerve Damage

[TCRanch]

Condensed version: hard pull on a heifer June 3rd with a dead calf & she was down with nerve damage. After a series of Dex & Banamine she's improved dramatically but still has what looks like contracted tendons in her right hind foot. On top of everything else she retained her placenta & Lute didn't do the trick so our vet came out & cleaned her up. She's still at the barn, my main concern is cycling & getting hunched by the bull (or the cows), causing additional damage or undoing all her progress. BUT it seems to me she would "work it out" or heal faster if she exercised it more. The "pasture" in the barnyard is primarily weeds & she stays inside the barn most of the time. We do have one pasture that currently is not in use but I hate to put her there by herself. She's starting to get a little testy :devil2:

Anyone else have a similar experience or words of wisdom? And sorry it's not a good pic.

 

[Koffi Babone]

How much dex and banamine has she been getting and for how long?

 

[TCRanch]

20cc of Dex & Banamine on the 4th & 6th plus Vit B Complex. Lute & 50cc penicillin on the 7th, 50cc penicillin on the 10th & 12th. I've also been giving her aspirin twice a day. Great appetite, never grinding her teeth, temp never got over 102.5. Takes her a while to get up but she gets around pretty well - all things considered.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We had one. Here is a video of her walking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSbAUgNm6m8

She eventually got better, and walked perfectly normal, but it took several months. We shipped her not long after. We bought her just 30 days prior to calving, and the breeder told us to take her to the stockyards and replaced her with a weaned heifer (he felt is was not our fault, since we did not own her long before calving - and she was bred to the number one calving ease sire in the industry at the time).
We still have that (weaned heifer) in our herd, and she is the best recip cow out of all of them.

 

[TCRanch]

We had one. Here is a video of her walking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSbAUgNm6m8

She eventually got better, and walked perfectly normal, but it took several months. We shipped her not long after. We bought her just 30 days prior to calving, and the breeder told us to take her to the stockyards and replaced her with a weaned heifer (he felt is was not our fault, since we did not own her long before calving - and she was bred to the number one calving ease sire in the industry at the time).
We still have that (weaned heifer) in our herd, and she is the best recip cow out of all of them.

Wow, she was way worse than my girl, looks like both hind feet/legs were affected. We were able to get Minnow up with the track loader & cinches (hip lift didn't work) that night & she somehow made it out of the covered section of the barn the next day but couldn't move after that. Had to rig golf umbrellas to the utility holes in the beds of both Polaris' to keep the sun off her. Little more improvement every day but I had anticipated better/faster results.

The other thing I absolutely cannot figure out (and the vet really didn't have an answer) is how it was possible for Minnow to produce an 89 lb calf?!? She was pelvic measured & bred to a calving ease heifer bull that hasn't thrown any calves more than 75 lbs tops, most averaged 70 lbs, long & thin with narrow heads. Naturally she's our smallest heifer.

Thanks for sharing and I'm glad you ended up with a winner!

 

[True Grit Farms]

She was down for 2 1/2 days and finally got up. I turned her in with her buddies this afternoon. I didn't bother restraining her because I didn't think she could get up. But once I got the head out she staggered up with the puller still attached to the calf. Always restrain an animal before you try to doctor it.

 

[TCRanch]

She was down for 2 1/2 days and finally got up. I turned her in with her buddies this afternoon. I didn't bother restraining her because I didn't think she could get up. But once I got the head out she staggered up with the puller still attached to the calf. Always restrain an animal before you try to doctor it.

Absolutely! When we were trying to get her up with the track loader she nailed me with her head & sent me flying into the bucket. We haltered her & secured the rope to the grill guard on the Polaris for the 1st couple rounds of shots.

 

[Koffi Babone]

What is dex 5 or dex 2?

I guess you need to wait and let nature do its magic. Did she calve on her due date or was she late?

 

[TCRanch]

What is dex 5 or dex 2?

I guess you need to wait and let nature do its magic. Did she calve on her due date or was she late?

Not sure what you are referring to. 20cc of both Dex & Banamine & I provided the dates in my previous response.

I didn't know her due date; the heifers were in a separate pasture & evidently that particular bull does his best work at night so I didn't get to witness the action. That said, I ganked her from the herd & she's been in the barn/barnyard since May 29th because she was starting to bag & I busted her letting 2 calves nurse. She went into labor on the 3rd.

But the good news is she put full pressure on her foot this morning! Finally!

 

[Koffi Babone]

Glad she is on the road to recovery.

Is this a product that contains both banamine and dex? In Canada, Dex is available at concentration 5mg/ml (dexamethasone 5) or 2mg/ml (dexamethasone 2).

 

[TCRanch]

Glad she is on the road to recovery.

Is this a product that contains both banamine and dex? In Canada, Dex is available at concentration 5mg/ml (dexamethasone 5) or 2mg/ml (dexamethasone 2).

Separate shots in this case, Banamine was IV & I keep that on hand but our vet had syringes of Dex already loaded & waiting for me. Resflor Gold is the only product I'm aware of the contains both an antimicrobial & Flunixin Meglumine & it's SQ.

 

[TCRanch]

Woo hoo, she's with the herd! Little lagging, little fighting but she's a tough girl & holding her own