Need Help

Hilltopman

Can anyone give me some help if possible. I bought a few weanling heifers at the local mart on october . around 250kg. all was well for the first day but afterwards one of them started to show signs of being bad on the feet. I thought it was the slats so I did not get to bothered about it. In the next couple of days it got worse and I sent for the vet. he administered some antibiotics . He has been with the heifer twice since and she has gotten worse with swelling around her lower legs above the hooves. she has great difficulty getting up and will only stand for a couple of minutes before she lies down. her appetite is good enough. Does anyone have any thoughts or come across this sort of thing before. Vet thinks she may have had some problem before I got her. Not sure what I need to do now. Any help appreciated.

bob charles

Hilltopman wrote: »

Can anyone give me some help if possible. I bought a few weanling heifers at the local mart on october . around 250kg. all was well for the first day but afterwards one of them started to show signs of being bad on the feet. I thought it was the slats so I did not get to bothered about it. In the next couple of days it got worse and I sent for the vet. he administered some antibiotics . He has been with the heifer twice since and she has gotten worse with swelling around her lower legs above the hooves. she has great difficulty getting up and will only stand for a couple of minutes before she lies down. her appetite is good enough. Does anyone have any thoughts or come across this sort of thing before. Vet thinks she may have had some problem before I got her. Not sure what I need to do now. Any help appreciated.

is it just a general infection or did the vet mention actually what they were treating. If you are wondering if you have a come back on the heifer from where it was bought, no chance. There are so many different type of foot injury its hard to advise not seeing the animals or knowing what the problem is. If she is eating well this is the main thing. creatures take time to heal like ourselves. Make conditions as comfortable as possible and consider housing her on straw or leaving outside where she will be able to find her footing and get up and down with the least effort

freedominacup

Hilltopman wrote: »

Can anyone give me some help if possible. I bought a few weanling heifers at the local mart on october . around 250kg. all was well for the first day but afterwards one of them started to show signs of being bad on the feet. I thought it was the slats so I did not get to bothered about it. In the next couple of days it got worse and I sent for the vet. he administered some antibiotics . He has been with the heifer twice since and she has gotten worse with swelling around her lower legs above the hooves. she has great difficulty getting up and will only stand for a couple of minutes before she lies down. her appetite is good enough. Does anyone have any thoughts or come across this sort of thing before. Vet thinks she may have had some problem before I got her. Not sure what I need to do now. Any help appreciated.

Any chance she has laminitis? Could she have gotten at too much meal either just before you bought her or on the day you bought her? Vets aren't usually great on feet problems unless there's a severe trauma involved maybe a FRS hoofcare operator might be worth a call. Apologies to greysides about the vets and hoofcare comment but it's my experience and was also said to me by a vet who worked in this area but was trained in and from another E.U. country.

locharider

sounds like osteo arthritis.had a bullock with it in the spring (14 months old).bullock started limping on back leg week later could not walk on front leg(looked like joint ill in calf).only cure is a months course of cortesone to stabilise the condition (250 euro).ended up putting him down as he was gone too far.

pakalasa

She isn't a muscley type limousin by any chance? (Just a long shot)

bbam

You need to get her off the slats, if she has a hurt it will heal much much faster on a straw bedded shed. even a sheltered paddock would be better than the slats for an animal with a sore hoof/leg.

I agree with others, there would be no come back on the sore foot.

I'd be thinking of getting some of the hoof guys in to take a look, the longer it goes on the longer she'll be at reduced thrive and not making money.. If there is nothing to see then he'll not be long and the cost will be less..

Hilltopman

Thanks for reply. It is not lloking good now as she cant get up at all now. Looks like end of road.

milkprofit

GET HER OUT INTO A PADDOCK

bbam

Hilltopman wrote: »

Thanks for reply. It is not lloking good now as she cant get up at all now. Looks like end of road.

what have you done for her ??