Three Legged Calf ~ Photos

[CowCop]

~

Had a 1st calf heifer give birth earlier in May and found the calf with a broken leg the next day.

Told my boss to "shoot it or ship it," as it was a rear leg and the break was high up.

I was also on crutches myself, so I sympathized with the pain the calf was in.

My boss surprised me and called the vet in and they did an amputation of its rear leg right in the grain room.

Here are the "after" photos.

I have the actual surgery photos as well, but am reluctant to put them on here as they are rather graphic.

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Seems like every summer we have some sort of unusual calf situation.

Here is the link to last years "Calf Education:"
http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... halic+calf

 

[CowCop]

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Photo of calf before surgery in its stall, nursing, on its mom.

Mom is an Angus.
Dad is a Reg Hereford.

This heifer calf is the ONLY black calf born this year, so far.

All the other calves have mostly dads markings, regardless of breed the mom was.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/Cowcop/51107044G37calf.jpg

 

[CowCop]

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2 weeks after surgery:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/Cowcop/52907012W007G37.jpg

 

[CowCop]

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Enjoying the "Green."



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/ ... 54W007.jpg

 

[Green Creek]

What a shame. That is a beautiful calf.

 

[cattleluvr18]

that is a nice calf. so what are you gonna do with it?? looks like its doin fine. i would have to keep it.

 

[Alice]

that is a nice calf. so what are you gonna do with it?? looks like its doin fine. i would have to keep it.

So would I...dangit!

CC, it is a beautiful calf...and doesn't really look worse for wear.

Alice

 

[CPL]

How much did the surgery cost? Glad to see its doing fine.

 

[certherfbeef]

Sorry guys but NONE of this makes any sense to me.
If you pencil it out I bet nothing would add up.

In my neck of the woods, bottle babies are a dime a dozen. Shoot the calf with the broken leg and graft a bottle baby onto the cow. Then you are only out the few $$ you spent on the new calf and don't have a vet bill to pay off.

A 3 legged calf will do no one any good and I bet that it won't even be able to take the weight on the 3 good legs to make it to market weight.

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[Bez>]

Sorry guys but NONE of this makes any sense to me.

Big snip .....

quote]

Well Certs, you and I are on the same page. I know it is a feel good thing, but - yeah, I would have shot it as well.

Regards,

Bez>

 

[NamVet_Farmer44]

Sorry guys but NONE of this makes any sense to me.

Big snip .....

quote]

Well Certs, you and I are on the same page. I know it is a feel good thing, but - yeah, I would have shot it as well.

Regards,

Bez>

a "feel good thing"?...I don't think I'd be feeling too good after that vet bill...

 

[CowCop]

Sorry guys but NONE of this makes any sense to me.
If you pencil it out I bet nothing would add up.

In my neck of the woods, bottle babies are a dime a dozen. Shoot the calf with the broken leg and graft a bottle baby onto the cow. Then you are only out the few $$ you spent on the new calf and don't have a vet bill to pay off.

A 3 legged calf will do no one any good and I bet that it won't even be able to take the weight on the 3 good legs to make it to market weight.

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

That is EXACTLY what I said to my boss.

We hapened to have found an "extra " calf in the field, and I wanted to graft it to the black heifers mom.
Then I saw the will to live in that black broken legged heifer, and I knew she needed a chance.

If my tighter than nails Scottish boss was gonna dish out the mooolah to have it done, what the heck.

Cost:

$100 for surgery

$100 for the supplies

Seeing that calf running 4 hours after surgery ~~~ Priceless

It cost $2,000 to take a front leg off the hound here.

I deal with facts and I also agree that this calf won't make it around long. The remaining rear leg is unable to support the increasing weight of the calf for any length of time. She spent almost 2 weeks in a stall, so has no muscle tone ( yet ) in the intact leg. She runs in short spurts and then falls over and lays down.

 

[CowCop]

 

[TxCoUnTrYbOy]

I would think the calf would end up suffering even more as it gets heavier. Might seem like your helping the calf out, but its only a matter of time before its unable to get around and suffering. You just delaying the inevitable, and adding vet bills.