How do you reduce the swelling in a cow's knee?

Question

I just purchased a calf and she had something happen to her knee. We have no idea what happened to her. She can't even stand on it. I was wondering how to reduce the swelling, either with ice or a splint (or both) or maybe even something else. Please help me!!!

Answer 1

You can get the swelling down some by packing it in ice, but it sounds like you have worse problems. I would get her to a vet as soon as possible.

Answer 2

What is the age of the calf?   I agree with JR, banamine will help with the pain.  You still need something to help reduce the swelling.  You may want to contact the large animal vet to request an anti-inflammatory prescription.  If the leg is broken you may be able to splint the leg.  Be careful how much money you put into the animal as you may be better served to critique the situation and either help the calf to mend or have the vet put the animal down.  Get good advice and proceed accordingly. Follow the instructions from the vet and then determine if the heifer is recovering or watch and see if this is a persistent problem.  If it persists you may well be served to feed the calf well to maintain good body condition and then sell it after proper withdrawal periods of the medications.

Answer 3

probably twisted by Gopher hole. Yes all the above, get it not to tight in a tensor wrap

Answer 4

give it a band- aid

Answer 5

from my personal experience I would not splint it unless you know exactly whats wrong and if you have done it before. I would put her in a barn  stall by herself where you could watch her with lots of clean soft bedding and i would hose it down with cold water 3 to 4 times a day and consult your vet about giving banimine and penicillin espicially if you can get transport her to the vet also if that is the case i would ask the vet if they would make a house call or  find a vet that would if she cannot be transported.

hope i hjelped and good luck with getting your heifer back on her feet !!!!!! if you need more info or have more questions let me know.

Answer 6

well you should keep a good eye on her , otherwise it may turn bad , keep her off walking, and the main thing is that you try and make sure she maintains a comfortable position not putting pressure on that knee what so ever , that should help

if in serious doubt after that , just ask a local vet for advise , it shouldnt get too serious if you keep an eye on her ,and if u dont want a vet to come out for a look due to cost , just ask  for a little bit of advise and not an inspection,

hope she recovers

good luck

Answer 7

If it is not milking yet you can give her some penicillin and bannimine, not sure of the cc to give for I don't know the weight, but that should be given for up to 5 days if you don't see an improvement then call a vet, in which you should just do either way, if you want to keep it

Answer 8

If she can't even put weight on it, you've got bad problems.  If she gets down, it won't be easy to get her up!  It would take x-rays or a very good vet (maybe) to know if it's broken.  If broken, and it's not set and won't heal correctly, she may not ever put weight on it -- and that will lead to more problems.

If you can't/won't take her to a vet, provide her very soft bedding and keep it clean.  At least twice daily, preferably 3x daily, apply cold water pressure.  Use a water hose, put your finger over the end to increase pressure, and spray.  15 minutes or so each time.  You can purchase products to help reduce swelling, so check with your vet or local co-op for something along that line and apply it as directed.  I wouldn't splint it unless you really know how to do that, as you can do more damage by splinting and/or wrapping.

With certain injuries, walking the heifer will help it mend.  With other injuries, she'd need to be kept still.  So not knowing exactly what's going on prevents a good recommendation.  Not knowing, you should allow her room to move around as she feels like it but don't force her to move.  Let her lie down to rest, but be sure she gets up to eat and relieve herself at acceptable intervals.

If this is a replacement heifer, DO NOT breed her until she is completely healed, as the weight of the calf will do further damage.  If she's headed to market, be careful what you apply and use, as some drugs are not to be used on beef cattle within a certain number of days from market, so read labels carefully.

E-mail me if you need more help and I'll see what the local vet can advise you by conference only... personally, I think if she's non-weight bearing or immobile she needs to see the vet.  The $$ spent in the beginning will likely save you losses down the road.

Good luck with her.