Week old calf bucked over at knees

[Still Tryin]

I have a week old White Chocolate calf bucked over badly on both front legs. Otherwise perfectly healthy. Could this be a vitamin deficiency or just structural?

 

[JTM]

It's actually a fairly common thing in club calves and big boned calves. It is a problem with their tendons in the legs. They need time to strengthen and you will need to help the calf nurse and help it stand for it to get over it. I would make sure it gets a selenium BOSE shot but that is not going to be the cure. Just keep helping the calf and it should get better in another week or so. If it's really severe and not getting better I would call a vet for an opinion. Good luck!

 

[leanbeef]

Yep...what JTM said. Give him a little time...he oughta straighten up. Time, exercise, and weight are the formula. As he gets heavier and exercises more, it should help stretch his tendons & his legs will straighten up.

 

[ChristaCheatham]

We had a calf born with it and it's known as contracted tendons. We put splits on the calf so that it could get around and nurse. The calf was fine in a few days.

 

[Still Tryin]

Thanks for the replies, He did have a BOSE shot, when he was born. He can walk but especially when he stands he bucks way over. Doesn't have any problem nursing or anything like that. This is the 3rd straight calf for her to White Chocolate and this is the first one to do this.

 

[Cowboy]

Not seeing your calf here in  a picture is hard to tell, but this sounds more like NAVEL ILL than structure problems.

Navel ill is sneaky, they don't have to have swollen navels to be infected. Dead give away, healthy at birth, and in a few days he will start to shake and quiver in the front knees and buck over badly as time goes on. If caught EARLY, he will make a FAST and full recovery. Treatment is very simple -- plain old Penniccillin works wonders. Given for a full 7 days, about 10 per day, and he will be going great. At the very least, if it is NOT navel ill, the penn will not hurt him at all. I have seen hundreds of them with navel ill over the years, not only here once in a great while, but all over.

A few years ago out very own "" RED " posted a calf on here she was sure was crippled. She bucked over badly in front and was going to be destroyed. I wrote to her and gave my opinion, which is just that, and she tried it. That fall that hfr was not only completely normal, but she sold it for very good money!

Give it  a try -- my gut tells me it is more navel ill problems than structure!

Good luck -- let us know -- Terry

 

[Still Tryin]

Thanks Cowboy, I will give it a try and see what happens. I feel much the same as Red must have felt as far as his future. The cow is hard to work with. (used to be ok) Would Nuflor be an alternative that would work giving shots every other day instead of every day?

 

[chambero]

No on Nuflor.

I've used long acting penicillin to cut down on frequency of shots.  Even 1 or 2 shots of regular penicillin is likely to help - just watch him.  They get sick in a hurry and can get well in a hurry.

 

[Still Tryin]

Ok, Thanks folks I will give it a try and let you know.

 

[loveRedcows]

Not seeing your calf here in  a picture is hard to tell, but this sounds more like NAVEL ILL than structure problems.

Navel ill is sneaky, they don't have to have swollen navels to be infected. Dead give away, healthy at birth, and in a few days he will start to shake and quiver in the front knees and buck over badly as time goes on. If caught EARLY, he will make a FAST and full recovery. Treatment is very simple -- plain old Penniccillin works wonders. Given for a full 7 days, about 10 per day, and he will be going great. At the very least, if it is NOT navel ill, the penn will not hurt him at all. I have seen hundreds of them with navel ill over the years, not only here once in a great while, but all over.

A few years ago out very own "" RED " posted a calf on here she was sure was crippled. She bucked over badly in front and was going to be destroyed. I wrote to her and gave my opinion, which is just that, and she tried it. That fall that hfr was not only completely normal, but she sold it for very good money!

Give it  a try -- my gut tells me it is more navel ill problems than structure!


Good luck -- let us know -- Terry

This works.  Had a calf a while back the same way, used followed Red's instructions & cleared it right up.

 

[leanbeef]

Was this calf bucked over at birth?... Or has this happened since then? I don't think this sounds like navel ill at all. If it's tendons like was being discussed, it has nothing to do with structure, either.

 

[ChristaCheatham]

Well I had a Walks Alone bull calf born today and what do you know? It was bucked over on it's knees! The calf was huge (don't have scales) but he was larger than an Angus calf we had born 4 days ago. He's extremely big boned.... however he has been nursing quite a bit and has been getting around pretty good in the large pasture. So..... time will tell right?

 

[Quick fire]

Out of curiousity, why no on Nuflor?
Thanks

 

[ejoe326]

I was wondering the same thing on NuFlor.  That's what we use since and have had great success rates.  I can't think of a re-treated calf for navel infection since we started using it.

 

[chambero]

My vet sats Nuflor is too strong fior newborns.  That kind of infection is what penicillin is best for.  We save the respiratory disease antibiotics for those cases which hopefully helps aid in the battle against resistance.  My own take is Nuflor will knock older ones off feed and I sure dont want that on a newborn.

 

[ejoe326]

It's funny how differently vets do things.  Our vet is the one that told us to use the NuFlor.  I've noticed for our newborn calves the smaller dose of NuFlor get them going faster than the repeated doses of pen.

I am concerned about the resistance issue as well.  We seem to be using NuFlor for everything from foot rot to mastitis.  The hard part is it's working well enough it's hard not to use it.

Respiratory this year is responding to it when combined with pen.  However in the past NuFlor has not been my drug of choice for respiratory.  Thankfully we haven't had much respiratory stuff until this year for a very long time.

 

[Still Tryin]

A quick update on this calf. I have given the calf 3 shots of long acting penecillin. 10 ML every other day. Due for another shot tomorrow. Didn't notice much change til the 5th day. Calf is really coming around. I already knocked on wood! He still bucks over every now and then but seems to be getting better by the hour. Unbelievable. I never would have thougt it.
Cowboy and Chambero A Big Thank You. I wish you all were close to Ohio I would buy you a beverage of your choice, Water or Whiskey!

 

[Cowboy]

(thumbsup)

Parience my friend -- parience!! Remember, the sooner you see it and react the faster it goes away. The longer they have the problem, the higher the risk of long term damage!! Don't be fooled by early signs of a cure, remember the majic 7 dats!! GOOD JOB -- I am happy for you!

Terry

 

[BTDT]

A quick update on this calf. I have given the calf 3 shots of long acting penecillin. 10 ML every other day. Due for another shot tomorrow. Didn't notice much change til the 5th day. Calf is really coming around. I already knocked on wood! He still bucks over every now and then but seems to be getting better by the hour. Unbelievable. I never would have thougt it.
Cowboy and Chambero A Big Thank You. I wish you all were close to Ohio I would buy you a beverage of your choice, Water or Whiskey!

Passage of time also helps calves that have contracted tendons. The fact that you said the calf still bucks over every know and then tends to confirm the fact that they are contracted tendons and the calf just has trouble keeping them stretched.
Excerise is the best treatment for calves that are born with bucked over front legs.  This is not a structure issue but rather a development issue inside the uterus.

Glad to hear the calf is growing out of it. 

 

[ChristaCheatham]

My calf is also getting better.... he still bucks over but he's walking and standing to nurse. Hopefully he will be able to straighten out his legs soon.