update on the calf...

[milkmaid]

for those who have been following along.

'lil "three-legged" heifer with the navel and joint infection.

She's been on Nuflor for...I believe it's almost two weeks now. 3cc SubQ every 48 hours per bottle's instructions. My vet cultured the bacteria and says it's e-coli, entered through the navel shortly after birth due to the umbilical cord not being iodined, and ended up in the stifle joint.

I think she was born around 8/10/05 and I got her...around the first of September. Have to check my records to be sure. So that makes her a month and a half old.

My vet slit and opened a small area over the joint about 7 or 10 days ago so the infection could drain and gave me instructions to make sure it stayed open and flush/drain the area at least twice a day with hydrogen peroxide and iodine/nova san.

I took her over to the clinic this evening as the opening was healing from the inside out and wasn't draining...and quite frankly I didn't have the guts or desire to pull out my knife and open it up again. It may have cost me a $17 "brief exam" because I didn't want to do it myself, but with all the other things he's done for free or really cheap, hey, I'm not complaining. I was over at the clinic after hours so I'll swing by in the morning to pay up.

Anyhow, he opened it again and he says it's looking better. I'm not always sure where I'm seeing her several times a day - I don't notice changes. What's coming out now looks more like...what's the word? serum? clear to sort of off-color fluid rather than that thick yellow pus when we first opened and drained it. Thinks she may have a chance of recovering and using that leg. (Which may imply that he thought she was hopeless before, LOL.)

She's trying and that's why I'm even spending the time and money on her. She can and does run over on three legs for her bottle...and away on three legs when I go out to flush that joint. Can't really blame her for not liking it. I *think* I've seen her try to use her bad leg a little when she's just walking. Running she picks it up and goes on three.

I'd soaked that navel as suggested for a few days and it seemed to help. More than that though - it felt as though the infection was gone from the navel and there was no swelling - but a few days ago it filled back up and now it's draining again. Not sure what happened or why but I guess I'll go back to soaking it.

Other than that she's looking OK. I guess this is just going to take a l o n g time to heal.

 

[Beefy]

milkmaid,
i've never soaked any navels in iodine and i've only seen maybe 3 or 4 navels get infected. and now that i think about it one of those was from flies. all the ones i've seen have been calves born in the summer though, and thats one of the reasons why i dont like to have calves in teh summer. it will take a long time to get better, thats a tough infection to get over. and a lot of the time they still arent "quite right" when they recover. it sounds like you are doing a great job though. keep up the good work.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

We try to keep up with Cornell "recommend" - and Iodine soaking the naval has always been strongly pushed, so we have always done it. We use a teat dip "cup". If you hold it sideways, it fills a small cup to dip teats in. I'm sure you know what I mean. Anyway, works great for naval.
We were always told that naval ill was "terminal". Glad to hear some people have had success treating it.
I would be concerned about giving Nuflor for 2 weeks. :shock: Seems like it's supposed to be used for short periods, but I'm not sure on that. Gotta do what the vet recommends. Good luck.

 

[sidney411]

Milkmaid, You've done a great job! It seems like you've got your little heifer on the high road now, I'm glad!

I've got the same thing going on here with a calf, but it's his front leg. The vet recommended nuflor for 5 days at 2.5 cc per injection. Did your heifer run a fever? I've since started him on LA and tylenol but he still has the fever - What did you do to break the fever?

 

[TheBullLady]

With Brahman and Brahman influenced calves, we run more risk of navel infections. We spent a year iodine-ing navels religiously, and never noticed a difference in the amount of navel problems.

Personally I think having the cow in a pasture as opposed to a dirt / manure lot helps that a lot. With dairy cattle, they are in crowded barns or pens when they calve, and I think that's the reason you see them with that problem often.

Sounds like you're doing a great job! And it sounds like you have a wonderful vet besides.. you're lucky in that.

 

[Bama]

We have been having calves in the open pasture for 35 years and have never soaked a navel. Even the young heifers that are brought up closer to the barn havn't had a problem. I think the key is they are not born in the mud.

 

[milkmaid]

I'll bet you folks are right on the reason why some folks have problems with infected navels and other folks and their calves don't. I'm suspecting the reason this particular heifer had a problem (and none of the other calves this summer have) is because she was penned with a couple other calves and a cow that'd had calving problems. (Sometimes it helps those dairy cows with problems to be turned into temporary nurse cows. Gets 'em up, moving, and caring for the calves.) Anyhow, pen wasn't bedded esp well and so she was laying on mud/manure/etc. The herd usually calves in pasture during the summer months and then the calves are whisked off to some clean dry pen after they're born. Didn't happen with this heifer.

Yes I am concerned about giving Nuflor this long...but I don't see as I have much choice. She's got to have antibiotics because this isn't going to heal on its own. I guess it's just a Catch-22 - take her off antibiotics and she'll be on three legs all her life at the least, or keep giving it and run the risk of kidney/liver damage or whatever it is Nuflor will do.

I haven't checked her temp - she doesn't act like she's running a fever so it, well, hadn't occurred to me. As far as antibiotics; I went straight to the strongest stuff - vet offered Micotil but I'd rather not handle that if I don't have to, so I went with Nuflor instead. I've heard of using pennicillin for navel problems but as far as LA...I'm not sure LA200 is strong enough stuff. My vet didn't even suggest it - and Vicky here didn't either - so I'm assuming that's because it's not going to be effective or as effective against the bacteria as Nuflor would or something similar.