paralized! help!

[americana-chick]

one of our already weaned calfs was laying down in his pen and his "herd" got spooked and trampled over him! the vet came and said his 2 back legs were paralized..... the poor thing, i have been watering, feeding, and etc. i feal so bad for him and i dont know what to do for him...? anyone here a vet or has experenced this befor? if so how to make the pain and healing go by faster? if there is any healing.... thank you so much in advance!

 

[Florida chick]

Sorry this happened, What did your vet say? Is he paralized? That means for life, never to recover. No use of his hind end forever. If you can get a horse sling, he needs to be picked up. He surely can't live his life crawling on the ground. Should he be put down?

 

[Katy]

We have a sling that we use on cows when they've had trouble calving and have temporary paralysis from pressure on their nerves. Did the vet say if something is broken....either back or legs?

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

If he is truly paralyzed in his back legs, without hope of recovery, I would recommend just putting him down. Animals like cows and horses rely on their legs for everyday activities. It would be extremely difficult for an animal like this to live on the ground for it's entire life.

Sorry that you have to deal with this. These situations are never easy.

 

[MrsCountryChick]

Quote:
I'd say give the baby a bit to 'try' to recover. It's not uncommon for an animal to have trauma to the spinal column or nerves & have swelling pressing on nerves that cause them to be paralyzed.... so it "might" heal overtime. After a dog's been hit by a car or injured in another similar way even vet hospitals let the animal rest & try to recover from the trauma for a wk or 2. If after that there is no improvement they usually put them to sleep. Although they usually do an x-ray too to be sure a bone isn't out of place or broken pushing on the spinal column or nerves. If it's just swelling causing the 'temporary' paralysis it should noticeably begin to improve in the coming days. Can the calf notice pain the in paralyzed legs -if you pinch the leg- ? Sorry for you lil guy. I'm an animal lover too & would atleast give the lil guy a bit to see if he recovers, then let him be at peace being put down if not. Wishing for the Best

 

[americana-chick]

i was thinking about using a calf cart.... but its to late....... my dad didnt even give him a chance! i told him to give him at LEAST 3 more days but he didnt listen! he took him back to one of the fields and... well... you know... i just about cried my eyes out.... he was such a sweaty and he didnt even get a chance to live!...i am mad and sad at the same time... and i think that he could have recovered but im not sure... and if someone or something gets paralized it doesnt mean that they will never recover, it could mean that but it depends. i dont know how to handle this i am so sad and so mad at the same time. the little guy only had 2 days to live after he got paralized he didnt even get a week.. i just cant believe it... only 2 days after he got paralized he had to be.... ya know... he didnt even get a chance! just in 2 days i already fell in love with that little cow and then... sorry that i keep on mumbling on, i am just so upset. i just feal like he didnt get a chance to live and recover...

 

[arlee453]

Awww...so sorry he had to be euthanized.

Hugs...

 

[americana-chick]

thanks..
see the vet was off work so my dad had to shoot him in the head it kills them instantly.. but there mustles dont shut down... just every thing else, instantly.. its horrible! there legs, tail, head, every thing that has a mustle keeps on moving even though..
sorry i told you that i am sure you didnt want to know!

but i wonder... did he move his hind legs when he died..? i hope so... "in a way" because that means he got to move them one last time even though he was already gone... i am not sure that he did because i didnt go with my dad i was so upset..

 

[Katy]

The vet may have shared more with your dad about the calf's condition than he did with you. I know it's hard, but putting down an animal is sometimes the kindest thing to do. We've had to shoot cows and calves before. it's not a fun part of the cattle business, but it's part of your responsibility as an owner.

 

[texasreb]

I'm sorry for what you and the calf went through. I think your father did the right thing. What if the calf got an extra week and still didn't improve? That's a long time to leave an animal in severe distress, "just in case..." I know you're having a hard time, but at least you know the calf isn't suffering. Don't be too mad at your dad, he might have more wisdom than you realize.