Swollen nose on live calf

[JSchroeder]

We had a pretty tough pull yesterday and when we got the calf out, his nose was swollen.  In fact, it was swollen to the point that when I first went in to check him I thought we had lost the calf.

I always thought the swelling comes after they die.  Does this just mean we were about to lose it?  Does the swelling come from just a hard labor?  Something else?

 

[shooter4]

We've had a few do that. Its usually just from a hard labor. I would just make sure he's not havin trouble nursing and the swelling should go down in a few days.

 

[SWMO]

Seems to me to be due to alot of pressure on the head.  We have seen it when the calf is "stuck" in the birth canal.  In my experience, the swelling will be down in just a couple of days.  However, have fun drenching or bottle feeding until that time.  A shot of anti inflammitory wouldn't hurt.

 

[DL]

We had a pretty tough pull yesterday and when we got the calf out, his nose was swollen.  In fact, it was swollen to the point that when I first went in to check him I thought we had lost the calf.

I always thought the swelling comes after they die.  Does this just mean we were about to lose it?  Does the swelling come from just a hard labor?  Something else?

The swelling is related to trauma --> inflammation---> accumulation of fluid. Likely your calf had his head not positioned quite right and contractions pushed it (with considerable force) up against the pelvic bones. It is not uncommon to see a calf with a swollen tongue, muzzle or head after a difficult birth.

Swelling that occurs after death is generally related to bacteria releasing various gases

 

[JSchroeder]

Thanks for the replies.  He’s was sucking within an hour and is full bellied.  We stuck around and made sure he was breathing before we left him with the cow.

The head position thing does make a lot of sense.  He was in a position where her contractions were pushing the head up into the top of the pelvis and I had to adjust him more than I have just about any calf that I remember.

We’ve pulled over 30 calves the past few years but that’s due primarily to the fact that we’re pretty quick to get chains out.  This time the cow was found struggling and had to be walked about ¾ mile to the pen.  We’ve just never found a calf this swollen that wasn’t already dead, I always thought it was a suffocation thing.