Crooked calf disease!!!! Please read.

Hi,

We have a Calf now 8 weeks old. Born with chronic crooked legs, both front legs feet and the hooves pointed and turned up facing the cow while standing..She can only walk/Stand for a few mins and feeding from her mother. Legs are crossed while standing.. She also has torticollis,scoliosis,Brain damaged and we think blind, turned eyes.. Now the thing is around the 3 week make she developed pneumonia, we though she was gone on us, Vets out they gave her Antibiotics/pain relief etc, we nursed her for days and nights and she bounced back, We had hope then that she would survive. The Vet explained she wouldn't live too see the 6 month mark esp if she puts on weight etc..Today 8 weeks old she is putting on weigh but rapid heartrate, legs seem too be growing at the back not front..The Vet is leaving it up too us too euthanized as we don't know how much pain she's in.. She is still with her mother in the shed, mother is out on grass and we bring her in a night to stay with calf. Poor calf spends her days in the shed only as she cannot walk.. we do let her out in the sun sometimes and she enjoys it.. What can we do now?

farmerjj

andy7 wrote: »

Hi,

We have a Calf now 8 weeks old. Born with chronic crooked legs, both front legs feet and the hooves pointed and turned up facing the cow while standing..She can only walk/Stand for a few mins and feeding from her mother. Legs are crossed while standing.. She also has torticollis,scoliosis,Brain damaged and we think blind, turned eyes.. Now the thing is around the 3 week make she developed pneumonia, we though she was gone on us, Vets out they gave her Antibiotics/pain relief etc, we nursed her for days and nights and she bounced back, We had hope then that she would survive. The Vet explained she wouldn't live too see the 6 month mark esp if she puts on weight etc..Today 8 weeks old she is putting on weigh but rapid heartrate, legs seem too be growing at the back not front..The Vet is leaving it up too us too euthanized as we don't know how much pain she's in.. She is still with her mother in the shed, mother is out on grass and we bring her in a night to stay with calf. Poor calf spends her days in the shed only as she cannot walk.. we do let her out in the sun sometimes and she enjoys it.. What can we do now?

Sorry to say, but you might be better off putting her out of her misery, But maybe someone here have experience of this.

Mad4simmental

Shoot it,

larrymiller

Best thing to do would be to put it out it's misery.

Kovu

I'm afraid I also echo the comments above, the kindest thing would be to put it out of it's misery. It's already lived a difficult life and I commend you for giving it the best chance you could to have a decent sort of living while it was here.

Nekarsulm

Even if the feet/legs improve to the point of it being able to get about and eat, with the brain damage and poor eyesight, its almost a certainty that you will find it drowned/dead in a ditch some morning.

Kindest thing would be to shoot it, I'm afraid.

Farmer Pudsey

Life is sweet but unfortunately this little animal needs to be put down. While at present it suffering is small as it get a bit older it will suffer more and more,

Sympathy and farming make poor bedfellows. I would also fatten the cow and sell her.

yellow50HX

My dad has a saying when comes to calves when they are in a spot if bother "to them have their chance" but hearing what that poor thing is putting up with then it may be time to put it down. However if they little thing is hanging in and not suffering then it's very hard to let them die.

We had a one a few years ago who mother slip and fell while she was calving and fell on the calf. When we found her in the morning the cow was still down and the calf was alive but only just. He had a dislocated hip and the crows had got to his eyes but he managed to survive. Anyway we brought him into the shed and cleaned him up and got some bee stings into him while we waited for the vet. Vet was tied up on another job so it was a few hours before he came. Calf managed to pull himself up and was drinking the mother when he came. Little was fighting his corner so much we couldn't bear to put him down so " let him have his chance". Let him and the mother into a small paddock next to house and said we would see how it went. Little fella was hardy out and survived and hobbled along with his mother. We were a bit worried about when we had to wean him but he was used to us by then and would follow our voice. He sent the rest if his life between that paddock and the one next to it. Kept him till he was about 20 month then off to the butcher he went.

raypallas

Would agree with the rest of the posters, put the calf out of its misery!

greysides

I think your best guidance would come from those who have seen her as we haven't. It does sound pretty grim and at least with animals the decision process can be rational.
If the mother was exceptionally compliant you could consider trying to foster another calf on to her. It sounds like, either a random genetic assortment (highly unlikely to happen again), or a touch of Schmallenberg Disease (again unlikely for lightning to strike twice) so if you wish to there's no compelling reason to get rid of the mother, IMO.

High bike

I'd have to agree with everyone else the kindest thing would be to get the vet to put her to sleep

_Brian

Another vote here fr having the vet in and put the poor creature down.

Farmer Pudsey

_Brian wrote: »

Another vote here fr having the vet in and put the poor creature down.

You will have to get Knackery to collect most of them have a humane dispatcher with them as well. It will save the price of the vet. You will have to pay them to collect the calf anyway.