wobbly calf

[danl]

I have a calf that was born 10 days ago and still is getting around like it was 2 hours old.
It can't hardly get up and when it does it stumbles around and falls down a lot. It just kind of staggers around.
It has a good appetite and looks completely normal when it laying down. It's alert and it looks fine. It looks healthy out of its eyes.
I messed with it some the day it was born and it is strong. And doesn't like me bothering it, neither does the cow. Makes me a little nervous working with a calf and a 1200 pound cow pawing the dirt 6 feet away. ( I had a tree close by to jump behind if neccesary.)
It seems kind of bowed down in the back. when it walks.
Never had one act like this before, I guess I will call the vet tomorrow and see if he will give me something for it, based on his best guess. The vets around here don't get out of there clinics much and I don't really blame them they are covered up with small animal patients.
By the way i forgot to say, it was a week to ten days early at least.
Any ideas?
Thanks Dan

 

[cowvet]

If it has been like that since the day it was born I would be very suspicious of a birth defect in the brain (or central nervous system).

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Or it may be Selenium deficient. SE affects large muscles.

 

[Aero]

would you say it has underdeveloped muscles for a calf of that age?

 

[mitchwi]

....bowed down in the back....

could it possibly have something out of joint? or broke?

Can you take the calf to the vet? ...for a better prognosis?

Michele

 

[danl]

kind of think it must have underdeveloped muscles or something.
I called the vet this morning, told me to come over about 1:00 and talk to the vet, didn't even get to see him.
The whole waiting room was full of dogs and cats.
I took off today to sell some calves at the sale barn and couldn't wait 2 or 3 hours to get to talk to him. I guess I will call again first thing in the morning and see if I can get him on the phone.
Wasted 30 mile trip and time today.
Calf still eats good and looks fine til it tries to go very far.
Maybe it will cure itself. I can always hope.
If the vets around here aren't wealthy, its their own fault.
Large animal owner doesn't stand a chance.
Dan

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Selenium deficiency is an easy fix with BoSe - you need to get it from the vet. If you are not supplimenting your herd & giving your newborns SE, this may very well be the problem.
A bottle will cost about $20 - well worth trying it.

 

[danl]

Selenium deficiency is an easy fix with BoSe - you need to get it from the vet. If you are not supplimenting your herd & giving your newborns SE, this may very well be the problem.
A bottle will cost about $20 - well worth trying it.

Thanks
I asked for it at a feed store that stocks a lot of cattle medication and they looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe it's not a SE Missouri thing????
They tried to sell me some mineral with selenium, I told them it wasn't gonna do a newborn much good.
I already have minerals out with selenium in it, but I have no way of knowing if that particular cow got enough. I don't really know what percentage it should be of the minerals.
I will try and talk to the vet tomorrow and see if he will give me some.
I went back while ago and thought it was a goner, he was laying on his side all stretched out, looking deceased, but when I walked up, he didn't waste any time trying to get back on his feet. Takes a while and is painful to watch.
Dan

 

[Alice]

Selenium deficiency is an easy fix with BoSe - you need to get it from the vet. If you are not supplimenting your herd & giving your newborns SE, this may very well be the problem.
A bottle will cost about $20 - well worth trying it.

Thanks
I asked for it at a feed store that stocks a lot of cattle medication and they looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe it's not a SE Missouri thing????
They tried to sell me some mineral with selenium, I told them it wasn't gonna do a newborn much good.
I already have minerals out with selenium in it, but I have no way of knowing if that particular cow got enough. I don't really know what percentage it should be of the minerals.
I will try and talk to the vet tomorrow and see if he will give me some.
I went back while ago and thought it was a goner, he was laying on his side all stretched out, looking deceased, but when I walked up, he didn't waste any time trying to get back on his feet. Takes a while and is painful to watch.
Dan

You have to get the Bose from your vet...it's a prescription med. If you have a vet supply store, ask the vet to call you in a script for Bose. Ya' never know...ya' might get lucky.

Also, do you know anyone that raises baby calves in your area? They might have some bose on hand.

Alice

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Just dawned on me that this calf is nearly 2 weeks old. He may have naval ill. His naval may or may not show infection. "Bugs" enter the blood steam thru the umbilical cord at birth and will "set up house" in the calf's joints (generally knees) and makes it VERY painful for them to move. You best hope it is SE and not naval ill. NI requires antibiotics for a loooonnnngggg time - and still may not cure him.

 

[danl]

Just dawned on me that this calf is nearly 2 weeks old. He may have naval ill. His naval may or may not show infection. "Bugs" enter the blood steam thru the umbilical cord at birth and will "set up house" in the calf's joints (generally knees) and makes it VERY painful for them to move. You best hope it is SE and not naval ill. NI requires antibiotics for a loooonnnngggg time - and still may not cure him.

He has been this way since birth.
Striking out on the SE shot the other vet wants me to bring him in. Can't give med without seeing calf.
Getting kind of ticked off.
Thanks
Dan

 

[danl]

I just called my first vets office and the lady said she thought she could get me a shot to give calf that I could pick up after I get off work.

They don't really like suggestions, such as "it might be Se deficient".
So I don't know what I'm gonna get.
Dan

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Your area is SE deficient. So if you have cattle, ANY vet should be willing to sell you a bottle of BoSe.

 

[Alice]

I just called my first vets office and the lady said she thought she could get me a shot to give calf that I could pick up after I get off work.

They don't really like suggestions, such as "it might be Se deficient".
So I don't know what I'm gonna get.
Dan

Might be time to show the vet fell the sharp side of your tongue and let him/her know that you are capable of doing research and you have found that your area is selenium deficient and you want to do what you can to make this little guy better and since a shot of Bose can do no harm at this stage of the game, then that's what you expect to be given. How's that for a run on sentence.

People trying to raise baby calves are just as entitled to a vet's expertise and time as anyone...however, that just doesn't always seem to be the case, at least around here. We were fortunate enough to have a vet that enabled us to go to Walco and get what we felt we needed...and since vets don't seem prone to mess with baby calves, I don't see how anyone can raise them anymore without being able to have the ability to get the medicine one needs to treat a calf w/o having to wait to see if a vet will bother with the calf.

Alice

 

[TxStateCowboy]

I had a wobbly calf last year that had it seemed like a crooked spine at the rear, he would run with the other calves and bang into 'em and nearly run in circles.

I thought it may be selenium deficiency, or just abnormal defect, or, i found, that if the cow got ahold of lupine during gestation that could have caused structural damage to the developing calf.

The calf grew out to 6-7mo. old, still running crooked, but almost heavier than the rest of the bunch!

Sold at salebarn for $34.00. At that moment I wished i had eaten him...

 

[danl]

Vet told me it was no way that it was selenium, wanted to know where I got that idea.
Said was either injury or birth defect.

Gave me 6cc of Nuflor and 6cc of dex-something I can't read it on the ticket. He said if it was injury should be better in 3 or 4 days. Of course I know birth defect isn't gonna get better with shot.
Still wish he would have given me BO-SE, just in case.
He said we don't see that around here.
I will wait and see.
It didn't like the shots, strong little booger. He's been eating fine all 4 quarters were nursed down and he had milk slobber on his face when I went back.

 

[msscamp]

I just called my first vets office and the lady said she thought she could get me a shot to give calf that I could pick up after I get off work.

They don't really like suggestions, such as "it might be Se deficient".
So I don't know what I'm gonna get.
Dan

Might be time to show the vet fell the sharp side of your tongue and let him/her know that you are capable of doing research and you have found that your area is selenium deficient and you want to do what you can to make this little guy better and since a shot of Bose can do no harm at this stage of the game, then that's what you expect to be given. How's that for a run on sentence.

People trying to raise baby calves are just as entitled to a vet's expertise and time as anyone...however, that just doesn't always seem to be the case, at least around here. We were fortunate enough to have a vet that enabled us to go to Walco and get what we felt we needed...and since vets don't seem prone to mess with baby calves, I don't see how anyone can raise them anymore without being able to have the ability to get the medicine one needs to treat a calf w/o having to wait to see if a vet will bother with the calf.

Alice

And it might not be - one can usually catch a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar, and one never knows when one might be in dire need of a vets services. I've learned the hard way to never burn your bridges until you've got a damned reliable alternate path! ;-)

 

[Alice]

I just called my first vets office and the lady said she thought she could get me a shot to give calf that I could pick up after I get off work.

They don't really like suggestions, such as "it might be Se deficient".
So I don't know what I'm gonna get.
Dan

Might be time to show the vet fell the sharp side of your tongue and let him/her know that you are capable of doing research and you have found that your area is selenium deficient and you want to do what you can to make this little guy better and since a shot of Bose can do no harm at this stage of the game, then that's what you expect to be given. How's that for a run on sentence.

People trying to raise baby calves are just as entitled to a vet's expertise and time as anyone...however, that just doesn't always seem to be the case, at least around here. We were fortunate enough to have a vet that enabled us to go to Walco and get what we felt we needed...and since vets don't seem prone to mess with baby calves, I don't see how anyone can raise them anymore without being able to have the ability to get the medicine one needs to treat a calf w/o having to wait to see if a vet will bother with the calf.

Alice

And it might not be - one can usually catch a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar, and one never knows when one might be in dire need of a vets services. I've learned the hard way to never burn your bridges until you've got a damned reliable alternate path! ;-)

I know, you're probably right...but I get so steamed with arrogance! Especially when I'm paying the freight with that arrogance.

I've noticed, as the years roll by, that I'm getting more vocal...and more steamed.

Alice

 

[msscamp]

I just called my first vets office and the lady said she thought she could get me a shot to give calf that I could pick up after I get off work.

They don't really like suggestions, such as "it might be Se deficient".
So I don't know what I'm gonna get.
Dan

Might be time to show the vet fell the sharp side of your tongue and let him/her know that you are capable of doing research and you have found that your area is selenium deficient and you want to do what you can to make this little guy better and since a shot of Bose can do no harm at this stage of the game, then that's what you expect to be given. How's that for a run on sentence.

People trying to raise baby calves are just as entitled to a vet's expertise and time as anyone...however, that just doesn't always seem to be the case, at least around here. We were fortunate enough to have a vet that enabled us to go to Walco and get what we felt we needed...and since vets don't seem prone to mess with baby calves, I don't see how anyone can raise them anymore without being able to have the ability to get the medicine one needs to treat a calf w/o having to wait to see if a vet will bother with the calf.

Alice

And it might not be - one can usually catch a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar, and one never knows when one might be in dire need of a vets services. I've learned the hard way to never burn your bridges until you've got a damned reliable alternate path! ;-)

I know, you're probably right...but I get so steamed with arrogance! Especially when I'm paying the freight with that arrogance.

I've noticed, as the years roll by, that I'm getting more vocal...and more steamed.

Alice

I know. I didn't say I don't get p*ssed off, too, just that I've learned to not shoot myself in the foot. There is a certain vet clinic (who shall forever remain nameless) that, if I had my way about it, would never receive a dime from us! They are patronizing imbeciles(sp?), and I wonder on a regular basis if they know for sure which end a cow defecates from. That having been said - if a cesaeran section is needed, they are a much more viable alternative than us doing it ourselves (depending on who is on call). One does what one can to try to make sure one's animals are taken care of when the chips are down.

 

[danl]

Yesterday,I called the first vets office back ( the one that kept saying bring it in) and actually got to talk to the vet.
Told about not being a easy task to bring calf in, she said I just got the wrong person at the desk that day.
She was extremely helpful, gave me a shot of BoSE and one of calcium and recommended 2 1/2 cc la200.
So at least I feel better that I'm trying everything. I hope.

It was about 5 pm before I got to dr. him, so I don't know if there is any improvement or not.
He sure doesn't like me -at all.
Now he is getting up on his hind legs pretty good but the front ones aren't cooperating. I don't know how he does when I'm not around.
Part of the problem when I'm there is that he is in total panic trying to get away and falls all over himself.
I know he gets up because the cow is staying nursed down and he is still alive. The cow is a low slung Angus, so I suppose he could be nursing while laying down.
Dan