Never seen this before

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

I had a dummy calf that was born back in February. It was cold the day he was born and his ears froze but I thought I got him in the house in decent time. I tubed him with some colostrum. Got him warmed up and put him back out in the calving barn with Momma for a couple of days. Then I let him out. I checked him a few hours later and found him outside the fence laying in a snow bank. I brought him back in and set him on teh bedding. Frequently after that, I would find him lying on the cold ground in odd places. About two weeks ago, I noticed that he had sort of a callous around both back leg joints. A ring surrounding each joint right at the bottom of the leg at the knuckle joint. I took another look at him Sunday night and the callouses had broken open and it was quite raw, but he seemed to still be getting around okay. I took a look on the internet and figured it had to be frozen feet. At least that's all I could come up with. By last night, he was limping so I phoned the local butcher to see if he would slaughter him for me. He was a nice sized calf and it seemed a waste of good veal to just throw him on teh compost pile. As I said, he wasn't the least bit sick. He just had this problem with his feet. So I got up this morning, put some bedding in the back of the truck, hog tied him and proceeded to take him the 7 miles into town. Well, some time while he was thrashing around, one of his feet became detached, and the first person I met when I walked in was the meat inspection lady. As much as I tried to explain that his foot had become detached somehow during transport, she called the local vet and he sat me down and read me the riot act on the inhumane treatment of animals. He accused me of tying wire around teh calf's feet and cutting him somehow. He also threatened me with a $2000 fine. He gave me a whole list of do's and don't's about shipping animals and told me that if anything ever happened like that on my farm again, they'd nail my be nice to the wall. Not only that, but I don't think I'm getting my veal either, although I wasn't quite brave enough to ask. The truth is, even if it was the tenderest meat in teh world, I think it would still leave a bad taste in my mouth at this point. Looking back on it, I should've just shot him in the head and dumped him, but I still don't understand what caused his feet to do that and why they would just become detached like that. Is that typical of frozen feet? The vet didn't seem to think so. Any ideas?

 

[dun]

With frozen feet, according to my vet, losing the feet is the most common problem.

dun

 

[AngusLimoX]

Sure hope Kit isn't gonna read this one KMac :lol: :lol:

The stories I hear from local cattle truckers are frightening about what happens at the barns now with an on duty vet inspector.( Not blaming the inspectors, they got a job to do ).

Any health probs at all, you better deal with it before it leaves the farm. A vet certificate may have helped Cattle Rack?

Sorry can't help on the frozen feet, never had them - ears ocasionally.

Here's hopin you get your veal, it is a crying shame the good meat that is going to waste over crap like this.

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

First off why would anyone transport a calf in the back of a truck that is just asking for trouble? Secondly if he did have frozen hooves and there was a possibility of the hoof coming off there is nothing you could have done in that regards anyways but transporting it in the back of a pickup truck makes me question your sanity. In a way I can see where the inspector is coming from.

Well, usually I have a cattle rack on the back of my truck for hauling cattle but I figured if I just tied him well and bedded him down that he'd travel okay. Its only 7 miles. The inspector did say that as long as they were securely tied that it wasn't an issue. However, looking back at it I would have to agree that it was kinda stupid. If he'd got loose and jumped out, that could've been nasty. I should've loaded up the rack before loading him in. I make no excuses more than to say that between the nightly cattle checks and working 50 hours a week, I've been averaging well under 5 hours sleep a night and my brain doesn't seem to be working all that well even for me. I guess I just found it odd that they would both freeze right at the same point and the vet thought it was odd too. Anyway, nothing like that will ever happen on my farm again. If there's even any question of the thing not being entirely healthy, it'll be a bullet to the head. Nuff said.

 

[msscamp]

Looking back on it, I should've just shot him in the head and dumped him, but I still don't understand what caused his feet to do that and why they would just become detached like that. Is that typical of frozen feet? The vet didn't seem to think so. Any ideas?

His feet froze. As the tissue dies due to freezing, the feet will develop cracks, and then the dead tissue sloughs off, and the feet (or tail, ears) will literally fall off. That's why his feet detached. I've seen it twice in my lifetime - both calves born in blizzards, and both calves were shot as soon as it became apparent what had happened.

 

[Victoria]

We had a twin born 3 years ago (?) at about 3:00 AM. My mother saw the cow licking a newborn calf. Checked it again an hour later to make sure it was up and had a drink. All seemed fine. When it got light out I found the twin off in a snow drift. Mom never knew she had two as the twin was quite a distance away. It was a cold night and brought her up to the house to warm up. It was a few weeks later that we saw the early signs of her losing her feet - 3 of them. She was put down. Only had it happen one other time. Often the ones losing feet will try to go to the snow drift. The cold feels better on the feet than the warmth does.