Expert: Karin - 3/9/2011

Question
Dear Karin,
We have an 2-3 mo. old beef calf apparently abandoned by it mother. Unfortunately we found it in very poor condition 2 days ago. It is extremely malnourished and was dehydrated. We brought it inside the barn and he immediately ate hay and drank water but refused the milk replacer we had on hand. It's also been eating calf starter since yesterday, and has an excellent appetite. Our problem is it is unable to get up. We lifted it and had it standing for approx. 1 hr. last night and it ate hay while standing, but it could not take a step, this caused it to collapse. I've changed it's laying position several times, but it exhibits extreme weakness in it legs and makes no effort to adjust itself. Also, at times it will prostrate itself and roll its eyes up, and its neck seems to stiffen in whatever position it curls up in.
Is there something we can do to encourage muscle strength so it is able to try to get up? Also, is there something we are missing that is causing muscle weakness? We would appreciate any advice. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Chris,

The first and foremost kind of advice I would give to anybody with concerns on the health of livestock is to see your local large animal veterinarian, or at least a veterinarian that can help you diagnose what is wrong with this poor calf.  A vet is your best source of advise and information as far as animal health is concerned, and he/she will give you advice on whether it may be best to humanely euthanize it or if there is anything more you can do to help.

A big red flag for me was when you mentioned about how it seems to stiffen up and roll its eyes back into its head at different periods. I think that this calf may have Epilepsy, or some sort of neurological malfunction or brain injury that is causing it to have these seizures.  Now, since I have no idea where you are from (being from the USA comes with a LOT of variables of where you can possibly come from), it seems like the calf has been suffering from this neurological disorder from the very beginning, like within a month after birth. A calf doesn't get very emaciated in a matter of days: it happens over time, from a few weeks to a whole month.  [S]He was on the verge of death when you found it, and probably would have died within a matter of hours if you hadn't found it when you did.

When an animal gets emaciated or begins to starve to death, first the fat in the body gets used up and absorbed as energy.  Then the muscles follow, causing atrophy in not only the back legs, but also the front and those of the calf's body.  By the time the muscles have literally been "eaten" away, the brain tissues are next to be used up.  By this time the calf is already beyond help and too close to death to save it.  All that happens over a matter of several weeks.

I really don't know what to say to help you get this calf back up and moving around again.  At least he's eating and drinking, and your attempting to try to get him up, but I really think there may not be much else you can do except put him to sleep.  Often when cattle are down for days before you actually notice them, it's too late to save them.  

You could try to flex his joints and stretch his legs out to exercise them a bit, and try giving him electrolytes/fluids to combat dehydration via SubQ or IV (IV is best done by a vet), but other than that all you can really do is to let Mother Nature take her course on this little calf. He may show signs of improvement, but there's always chance he may not.

I would also highly recommend you talk to a large animal vet about this calf.  Be aware that the chances are the vet might recommend the same thing: put it out of its misery.

My apologies for not being of much help. And good luck with the calf.

-Karin