Castrated calf and his hock is now swollen

[gocanes719]

I had a heatwave calf that needed cutting, he is dead sound just getting pretty large so we decided to have him cut today.  I normally cut them myself, but with this one being big I decided to take him to the vet.  The vet cuts them the same exact way I cut them and everything looks fine.  We load him right on the trailer and everything seems okay Very little blood just a drip here and there.  I had quite a drive home so I stop to check on him and I have mass quantities of blood.  The steer is laying on his side and his head is laying flat on the ground.  at this point I am hoping he doesnt bleed to death.I rush home another 40 minutes and get him off the trailer and give him some dex and penicillin and notice that his right rear hock which was fine before is now blown up.  The whole hock is swollen up.  I for the life of me can't imagine what could have caused this.  I hydro'd it tonight but I am really concerned that he fell awkward or if something else caused it related to this castration.  I am going to sell the calf for a show steer and I want to make sure he is going to be okay.  He seems like he can move on it fine it is just swollen pretty noticeably.  Anyone have anything they have doen to alleviate anything like this?  I would like to try to get the hock back to its normal size as soon as possible.

 

[Cowboy]

Out checking on cows soI tohught I'd look one last time here too.

Here is a very valuable tip for any one with larger calves to castrate -- for safety reasons .

I am really paranoid about the potential rapid bleed out with the supposedly perfect castration, it happens to the best of them. I as well do my own calves -- I havenever lost one, but came close a couple times for what ever reason. Everything appeared normal as they left the chute, but within a few minutes they just blew out - go figure.

Since then, years ago now, I have never done one without first giving atleast 5ml of Vitamin K a few minutes ahead of the cut. This is the clotting agent needed to prevent abnormal bleeding. If nothing else, I have not had to worry so much.

Theother day I was at the vets to pickup an extra bottle of Alpha 7 -- and out in front of his working chutes was a 400 pound DEAD calf -- there was blood every where. Asking the attendent what happened, she said he bled out from being casatrated -- !! Wow

I also never cut them on an increasing moon phase -- only on a shrinking moon after 1/2 stage, less gravity -- what -- but it works well!

Good luck with your calf -- did you give him a Tetanus shot by any chance??

Terry

 

[inthebarnagain]

Out checking on cows soI tohught I'd look one last time here too.

Here is a very valuable tip for any one with larger calves to castrate -- for safety reasons .

I am really paranoid about the potential rapid bleed out with the supposedly perfect castration, it happens to the best of them. I as well do my own calves -- I havenever lost one, but came close a couple times for what ever reason. Everything appeared normal as they left the chute, but within a few minutes they just blew out - go figure.

Since then, years ago now, I have never done one without first giving atleast 5ml of Vitamin K a few minutes ahead of the cut. This is the clotting agent needed to prevent abnormal bleeding. If nothing else, I have not had to worry so much.

Theother day I was at the vets to pickup an extra bottle of Alpha 7 -- and out in front of his working chutes was a 400 pound DEAD calf -- there was blood every where. Asking the attendent what happened, she said he bled out from being casatrated -- !! Wow

I also never cut them on an increasing moon phase -- only on a shrinking moon after 1/2 stage, less gravity -- what -- but it works well!

Good luck with your calf -- did you give him a Tetanus shot by any chance??

Terry

Every thing he said plus, we don't change their environment immediately after castrating them, if they were on mommy, they go straight back to mommy, no strangers that are going to be loud or upset them and if anyone is getting them riled up they are quickly sent out of the barn.  I don't think I would trailer a calf to get castrated, trust yourself, if you have cut them before without a problem keep it up!  Just pull a little harder ;D

 

[dori36]

<<Every thing he said plus, we don't change their environment immediately after castrating them, if they were on mommy, they go straight back to mommy, no strangers that are going to be loud or upset them and if anyone is getting them riled up they are quickly sent out of the barn.  I don't think I would trailer a calf to get castrated, trust yourself, if you have cut them before without a problem keep it up!  Just pull a little harder Grin>>

Ditto.  I'm also "respectfully" curious that once you found him lying in a pool of blood in the trailer, why you wouldn't turn around and get back to the Vet clinic?

 

[chambero]

We had one calf actually bleed out from being cut over the last 15 years.  He didn't have the clotting agent in his blood I guess and he just didn't stop bleeding.  It was a mess.

Three or four years ago we had a calf that we cut in the pasture have a similar issue as GoCanes described.  Only he had a huge swollen area come up around his navel.  But the calf acted identically.  Took him to the vet and found out he basically broke loose and started bleeding up inside, but instead of draining out the wound it ran down "inside" and collected at the low point of his belly.  Antiobiotics and about a week of time the calf was fine. 

I wouldn't haul the calf anywhere.  At this point, you can do as much for him as a vet can.  His best chance to get well would be giving him antibiotics and other drugs others have mentioned here and just give him time.  I'd be afraid of breaking a clot loose moving him much.

 

[txguy]

Might try putting some DMSO on a bandage and let the DMSO completely soak the bandage and then lightly wrap it around the hock this should help bring down the swelling be sure and check it every so often to make sure it hasn't fallen off or that it isn't to tight , and i would also give some more banamine or bute and another shot of dex.                           

 

[red]

oh no, the dreaded DMSO! That usually starts a good fight. 

Red

 

[txguy]

Guess there is something i dont know about DMSO? Please inform me before this post turns into that darn airing post where the person was just asking a question!

 

[red]

Guess there is something i dont know about DMSO? Please inform me before this post turns into that darn airing post where the person was just asking a question!

it's supposed to be a off use product in animals. I know many use it w/ no problems.

 

[txguy]

Was unaware, but you learn something new everyday, and we will leave it at that.

 

[LN]

How old is the steer?

 

[gocanes719]

6 months.  I had to move him.  He was okay for an hour after being cut.  He broke lose sometime after that.  it was dark when we found it and the vet was closed.  I tried to call him several times with no success.  The best I could do was to keep him alive myself.  He is better today just has a lot of swelling from being cut and his hock.  Anyone with any remedies for the hock?

 

[chambero]

I bet you its equivalent to a hematoma (just a collection of blood) and it will go away on its own in a few days.  If its there a week after it first showed up you could look at getting it drained, but with the uncertainty I'd get a vet to do it versus lancing it myself.

I bet if its not getting worse he's gonna be ok.  If he was going to die I bet it would have already happened.

 

[yousesteers]

Is it hard or soft? Is it warm to the touch compared to the rest of the calf? Lots of things you can do but have to answer these qauestions first to know a little more about the knot if it is soft you can suck it off with a needle and a syringe or put a large needle in it at the lowest point and let it drain itsellf if  it is hard you can sometimes wrap them tight in Vet wrap and get them to go down either way IF I drained it I would then wrap or did not I would wrap it in Vet Wrap pretty tight and give an antibiotic just to be on the safe sde

 

[jbzdad]

It is likely a hematoma versus just some lymphedema, I would wrap fairly snug with vet wrap and change daily, if you wrap to tightly you will get distal swelling.... I usually dont have much luck aspirating clot, it just wont flow until it liquifies..... If it becomes flucutant (like free fluid under the skin) you could drain it ,,, the vet will know how but make sure to drain it dependently(down hill) so the fluid will run down and out... if the swelling is soft I think it will resolve.... Doc

 

[gocanes719]

It is soft.  The vet told me yesterday to run it with all things....DMSO twice a day.