AmandaS101
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Registered: 07-2013
Posts: 62
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Newborn calf with broken leg
Just wondering if it is worth getting the vet out to fix a newborn heifer calf with a broken front leg? We called the vet to calve out a cow, and it was a hard pull. Likely sometime during the birthing process the calf rope broke the calf's leg (broken between the knee and pastern). I'm going to assume the vet would put a cast on it. The calf is on pain killers right now, and makes attempts to stand. She is drinking great, and otherwise is bright and healthy.
Is the prognosis good for this little calf if I invest my time and money into her? Any advice/personal experience would be helpful.
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9/6/2014, 17:40
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Brackenhill
GP81
Registered: 05-2014
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I'd get her done. She might never be 100% but for the sake of the effort you've put in to get the calf its got to be worth it. Seen them knuckled over, be splinted and come right.
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9/6/2014, 18:15
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Buckeye
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Registered: 03-2005
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Re: Newborn calf with broken leg
I once found a newborn calf with a broken rear leg in the morning. I suspect the mother stepped on the leg. The first step was to isolate the calf in deep bedding for safety. Then call the vet for advice. In our case we had to splint the calf's leg, using a couple pieces of split pvc, and coflex bandage. The vet came out a day later, after the swelling had gone down, set the leg, and put a cast on it. The cast must remain dry. We removed the cast several weeks later, and the calf was just fine. We just sold her a few weeks ago, as a 5 year old cow. You couldn't even tell. Her name was Break.
--- Buckeye seems like a one man wrecking crew out to rid the world of injustice. ----- Mayjay
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9/6/2014, 19:09
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AmandaS101
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Registered: 07-2013
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Well, I went ahead and called the vet out. He put a fiberglass cast on, and told me to continue with the painkillers for a few more days. He told me not to worry too much about the calf, that she should be healed in 4-5 weeks. Although the vet mentioned not to do anything special for her, is there any supportive therapy that I can give her to ensure a proper healing of the bone?
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9/6/2014, 23:13
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mitchmast
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Registered: 08-2013
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We had a bull calf once who had a similar break on the front leg. We put it back in place and put a pvc pipe splint on it with a towel underneath that was held in place with vet wrap. Every once in a while we would unwrap the leg and change the towel then rewrap it. Other than that we just left him be a normal calf and gave him plenty of room to exercise. We ended up using him as a herd sire and he was a very large bull and never showed any adverse effects from from the broken leg.
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10/6/2014, 2:15
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