Swollen Knee in Baby Calf

[ILoveCalves]

Hey guys! So I have 2 baby holstein bottle bull calves, currently 3 weeks old. They have been doing great until last night. I went to feed and noticed nothing wrong with them until this morning I went out to feed and one of the calves has a super swollen knee. He is currently hobbling around and putting minimal pressure on that leg. I have no idea how he could have injured it since they both live in calf hutches so it has minimal risk of injury. Any suggestions on what I should do to help him? Thanks!

 

[Mini Horses]

@farmerjan .... Thoughts? Calf issues?

Could be a wasp sting? Maybe he tried to climb fence & got hung? Could be an infection to joint -- joint ill?

ANY other changes? Eating? Poo? Activity? General demeanor?Check for a temperature? Is the swollen knee hot? Is it all around the knee, above or below? Is there broken skin anywhere near swelling? 0ther knee ok?

Can you post a picture?

 

[farmerjan]

Joint ill would be my first guess if he is in a hutch with limited ability to get it caught or hung up. If you can't figure out a way he could have injured it, and no evidence of a possible snake bite or bee stings or something... then I would suggest antibiotics and treat as if it is joint ill. Even if his navel was dipped in iodine, or was dried up good, they can get it from a teeny tiny smidgeon of exposure to germs. Best suggestion is to ask a vet. Joint ill can be a real b@#%h to get rid of and you need to get on it fast... it can get into other joints if that is what it is...sometimes they never get "over it"... but hoping since it was such a fast deal to come up... that you can figure it out and treat accordingly quickly also.

 

[ILoveCalves]

Appetite is great, poo looks no different, demeanor is the same. He seems totally fine he just can't walk. I felt the knee, it doesn't feel too hot. The whole knee is just huge. The other knee is ok.

 

[ILoveCalves]

He is looking a whole lot better. I gave him some banamine and he is putting pressure on his leg now! Im hoping it was just a wasp sting or something. Or he is just reacting to the banamine. But as of now he is doing great! He was bouncing around and everything tonight. HUGE change from this morning. Thank you all for your help! I will update tmrw!

 

[farmerjan]

It could have been a spider bite also... but a bee sting is a good guess... if it is not near as swollen then joint ill is probably not a concern... the banamine will make it more comfortable for him and help with the swelling...and moving around will help with any tissue swelling to get the fluid to move out and into the body to be expelled... so good for that too.
Not being "hot" makes me question the joint ill since they usually have some underlying "heat" in those joints.

I really hope it is just "one of those things" and he continues to improve and feel better.

 

[Mini Horses]

How's he doing?

 

[ILoveCalves]

How's he doing?

He is actually doing amazing!! the knee swelling has gone down and he is back to normal! Must have been a bite or he bumped it on something. I was worried about it because I have seen other calves get their legs hurt and they never heal completely. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Mini Horses]

So glad for BOTH of you