Expert: Karin - 4/2/2011

Question
I have this baby calf that is just now 9 days old. I got here when she was two days old. Prior to me getting her, the mom died and they only fed her once or twice three times a day by feeder tube. When I got here I went right to a bottle and after a few hours of trying she took it. Then today at 8 days old I go out to feed her. She gets up and falls down and has a seizure like act. I go in to help her and get her up and she continued to fall. Then after I got her stood up she drank her bottle really fast then walked around and had another seizure. I rushed her to the vet and they said she has pressure on the brain and that is making her have seizures. This afternoon she drank her bottle fast and when she was done she panted like she was out of breath. I was just wanting to know what you thought it was and what should I do?  Some symptoms are runny eyes, stiffness ( like muscle cramps, appears kind of blind, she pees a lot, but does not go poop.

Answer
Hi Jason,

This is quite something here, with a calf that is suffering from high levels of dehydration, constipation, eye discharge, and muscular stiffness, and gets these seizures...I think you should get the vets to take a blood and urine test on this calf, as well as her temperature to see what's truly wrong with her.  It could be anything, really, but nothing that I know or am familiar with.  I don't think it's pressure on the brain, it most likely could be something nutritional or some bacteria or virus that is affecting the calf.  Hypomagnesemic tetany in young calves has the kind of symptoms you're describing (except the part about being dehyrdated and lack of mention of being constipated), from what I read in the Merck Veterinary Manual.  Here's the link for calves: http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/80403.htm  and for adult cattle (with the symptoms included): http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/80402.htm

But I suggest going to a large animal vet that is familiar with sick calves and get a blood test done on the calf.  Take her temperature too, as a high or subnormal temperature can be indicative of an infection of some sort.

Good luck with her and I hope you find out what she has.  If/when you do please let me know!

-Karin