Premature Calf with Hurt(swollen) Back Leg. Any ideas?

chicks & ducks

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Hi all. I'd like to show a photo of what I'm talking about but can't figure out how to upload it :(

Here's the deal.

Calf was born 6 weeks early on a neighbors dairy farm. They kept him for the first 3-4 weeks and offered him to me so I took him. The night I got him home(only a 3 mile drive) I noticed he had a badly swollen back leg which he wasn't able to put weight on.
I've asked the farm about it-they say they hadn't noticed and I want to believe them. Btw-he was in a little calf pen/hutch so there wasn't a lot of room for him to walk around and be observed.

It's been 3 days of observation with no improvement. I have penicillin here (oxymycin 200) that I could give but I have no way of knowing if this is an injury or illness. All I know is-he's very young, appetite is GREAT, coat is lush and shiny, no high fever. The leg itself feels hard, but it's very cold out and I wonder if that has something to do with it. I thought the other day it had more give to it-softer at the site if you know what I mean.

Can anyone help? In the meantime I'll see if I can figure out how to upload a photo. Thanks
 

chicks & ducks

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2013-12-03 17.41.50.jpg
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Azriel

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Looks to me like he was stepped on by his Mom or another cow. He should be seen by a vet.
 

chicks & ducks

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Thanks for the reply. As far as I know he's been in isolation-not penned up with any other cows/calves for the past few weeks but it's a new development. Did put a call into the vet tonight, will probably have to wait til monday to hear from her though. In the meantime I did give him 3.5ml of oxymycin.
 

Azriel

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It would be nice to think that the dairy was truthful in telling you that they did not know about the injury, but if they gave you the calf I wouldn't count on it.
I was given a calf last spring by a friend of my BF, we were told that the calf was weak and wouldn't make it out on pasture, but was able to stand and just needed more care than this person could give it. When we went to get the calf I asked, "Are you sure this calf can stand" and was told "yes of course." Well to make a long story short, after a month of working with and feeding this calf we had to put her down. she had mild Dummy Syndrome and spinal problems and would never be able to stand and the vet said that the calf had never been able to stand. If a friend is going to lie, Well......
When the calves are born, its pretty easy for the Moms to step on them. In the larger dairys they take the calves from the Moms within 24 hours and put them in the huts and they are fed twice a day and don't pay a whole lot of attention to the calves unless its going to be a replacement heifer. They don't want to deal with something with an injury, and just try to dump it. I wouldn't count on them not knowing about it.
Good luck with this calf, and I do hope it is something minor and easy to take care of.
 

jhm47

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Looks to me that the left front knee joint is swoolen too. I'd bet that the calf has a navel infection and it's spread to the joints. Not much to do for it at this point if that's the case.
 

Azriel

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No you do not have to worry about it spreading to your other animals, it is an infection that gets into the animal thru the navel when it's born. My first thought was navel ill also, but when I look at the photos I still think its an injury. Does the front knee feel swollen, hot, or squishy?
 

violetsky888

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Don't jump to unfair conclusions about the dairy. Most people are good and honest. The calf could of got hurt during trailering, or it could be a bacterial infection, spider bite, just about anything.
 

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