# Newborn Calf with Bad Back Legs



## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

My Black Jersey just had a heifer calf. Both back lets are severely turned back towards the body and are very rigid. Haven't encountered this before. Will they straighten out on their own? I don't see how it can get up, much less nurse like this.


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

This sounds just like the baby goat that someone had, a few weeks back. I think the goat made it.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

They can straighten but you'll have to work at it....and bottle feed her and separate her completely as she'll not compete well. Bandage the feet to the right position if you can..I use popsicle sticks on goats but you might need like strapping wood for metal roof seams....same as people not too tight and not too lose...

Sometimes in goats it can be a Selenium issue others times its just how they cooked in the oven.....


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

I tried straighten them out by lifting the rear end (which seems to be paralized). Virtually no flexing in them. Almost seems like there is a tight tendon on what would be the front of the knees keeping them from straightening.

Got through to vet on emergency call. He recommended putting it down and trying to find a calf to put on the Jersey. Neither of two dairies in county have a calf. Will be a week until next livestock auction.


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## NWMO (Jul 26, 2005)

Had to put the calf down.....vet indicated that the calf's legs were positioned wrong while being carried.....I do remember the old cow almost acting lame....hobbled around, favoring one back leg. The calf was never able to stand on it own....and no amount of working the legs would have been able to correct this defect. Hopefully the cow will deliver a normal calf this time around. The vet indicated it was just a freak deal.


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## Terre d'Esprit (Aug 31, 2004)

I had a goat born with similar symptoms about 6 weeks ago, and he actually had nerve damage from a difficult birth. 

You will think I am nuts (and I probably am), but since he has excellent bloodlines, I sent a limit for how much I was going to invest in him, and I have not reached it. That being said, I found a vet that uses chiropractic, and she worked on his hips. He was able to regain some mobility in them, and is now able to stand for long periods of time. We are now working on getting him to be able to stand up from a lying down position. As I said, it has been six weeks, and he is inside (a bottle baby, of course), and we have to do "therapy" as many times a day as we can. We are optimistic that he can recover, though he may have a limp. Time will tell if he will be able to breed. For all of the work it has been, I am not sure that it was the right decision, but if he ends up siring great babies, then we might be able to say it was worth it.

There was also someone that posted a few weeks after me that had a malpositioned kid, and it was able to stand on its own in a few days. There didn't seem to be any nerve damage, just muscle dysfunction since the kid had developed improperly from being malpositioned in the dam.

I realize you have a calf and I am talking goats, but I just thought I would throw in my experience. Hopefully it will at least give you something to think about.

For goats, we would give Vitamin E & selenium for the muscle issues. For the nerve damage, we are giving him B complex.

Best of luck. It's hard when you have waited so long and invested so much energy and feed, and then you don't have anything to show for it. That's why we gave it a go.

Keep us posted!


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

I put the calf down. When giving it a more thorough inspection I found an open wound on top of the spine over the start of the hips. Feeling along spine there was a dip there. Back seemed to be paralized. Suspect spine didn't form normally and back legs were doomed from the very young fetus age. Also, the vigina opening was quite loose and red. Will leave it in the field overnight for the cow to get use to it being dead and haul up to the woods tomorrow AM.

Odd though, the only white hair on it was around that wound. 

I asked vet if it might be a mineral or nutrition deficiency. He said perhaps, but it should happen elsewhere in the herd if it was. He indicated they don't really know the cause.


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

Oh, I'm so sorry...and a heifer calf too....


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

in humans, it sounds like a condition called spinal bifida, where the spine doesn't fully close during fetal development. it is believed to be a folic acid deficiency.


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## robin f (Nov 26, 2007)

sorry about you loss Ken, but i think you did the right thing. now if you keep the cow milked out, you can still put calves on her next week, maybe not as easy,, but it can be done.
I would never, ever keep a calf. lamb, pig or sheep that was adnormal, and no way would i let any of my animals be bred to an animal that had been born with a deformity........... survival of the fittest and best has worked for years and that has what has given us livestock that is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ahead of even 50 years ago


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## Terre d'Esprit (Aug 31, 2004)

I realize the point is moot, but in my case, I make a clear distinction between deformity and injury. Ken's calf was deformed, but had it just been injured, it might have had a chance at recovery (and would not be a risk for breeding).


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## de Molay (Sep 23, 2006)

If it happens again, I would begin to suspect white muscle disease. Lack of selenium in the diet.


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