Post by Prairie Haven on Apr 25, 2015 9:23:21 GMT -5
I have a wonderful cow, Isabelle, who last year gave us a spectacular heifer calf. About 10 hours into her labor, Isabelle laid down and could not get up. We called vet out because we were seeing no progression of the delivery. Vet came and said the calf was large and that it wasn't even in the birth canal. We pulled the calf with the vet's assistance and all was well with the calf. However, Isabelle could still not stand and she was struggling to do so. It took a awhile to get the diagnosis of Obturator Paralysis.
We helped her to stand by using a crane and a lifting apparatus that hooks onto her hip bones. Two weeks of lifting her 5-6 times a day, walking around with her, giving her homeopathics for nerve pain, making sure the calf was getting enough colostrum and milk, etc. was exhausting, but so worth it! Isabelle is an extraordinary cow with quite a history, and this calf, Grace, is just a superb old lines Jersey!
The vet basically said we may have to put Isabelle down or at the very least if she survives this condition to let her finish this lactation and not breed her back again.
We consulted with several other vets who specialize in dairy cows and/or holistic medicine and because this was her 6th calf and the only one with this condition, they felt it was more than likely situational rather than her future. Since this was essentially our exact thoughts, long story and process later, we did breed her back. She is due to calve on May 18th. We've kept her on the bare minimum nutritionally, so as to avoid a larger calf. Her body condition is terrific and she is showing no signs of any nerve problems so far. We are hopeful that this calving will go forward without a hitch just like the other 5 she's done well with.
Any words of wisdom? Anyone ever dealt with repeat Obturator Paralysis?
We helped her to stand by using a crane and a lifting apparatus that hooks onto her hip bones. Two weeks of lifting her 5-6 times a day, walking around with her, giving her homeopathics for nerve pain, making sure the calf was getting enough colostrum and milk, etc. was exhausting, but so worth it! Isabelle is an extraordinary cow with quite a history, and this calf, Grace, is just a superb old lines Jersey!
The vet basically said we may have to put Isabelle down or at the very least if she survives this condition to let her finish this lactation and not breed her back again.
We consulted with several other vets who specialize in dairy cows and/or holistic medicine and because this was her 6th calf and the only one with this condition, they felt it was more than likely situational rather than her future. Since this was essentially our exact thoughts, long story and process later, we did breed her back. She is due to calve on May 18th. We've kept her on the bare minimum nutritionally, so as to avoid a larger calf. Her body condition is terrific and she is showing no signs of any nerve problems so far. We are hopeful that this calving will go forward without a hitch just like the other 5 she's done well with.
Any words of wisdom? Anyone ever dealt with repeat Obturator Paralysis?