rackranch said:Where are they located? Ie' in the hocks or diffuse over the entire leg?
Also, what is age and weight of your steer amd how long have they been there??
OH Breeder said:My first suggestion is to have your vet come and take a look at them. There are several things that can happen. If your steer was more mature it is not uncommon for the circulation in the extremities to become poor as the weight piles on and cause some stress around the joint causing fluid to accumulate. You can manage the discomfort with asperin bolus and icy hot rubs or liniment like they use on race horses with cool water rinses. You will reduce swelling and may improve the circulation locally in that tissue. But a vet really should examine the animal to make sure there are not other underlying problems.
RankeCattleCo said:We had this same exact thing happen with my dairy steer. Are your pockets right about on either side of the knee joint (inside and outside), and they're a little more noticable from the front?? Are they about the size of golf balls? We had to have the vet cumb, knock him out, (I don't think it was necasary as he would probably just try to reach for the nearest article of clothing on youi to chew on, but he was a 1400 lb dairy steer and she was 5 foot nothing 100 lbs on a good day... (lol) ) and then poke a small hole in each sack, draining the fluid. Sadly, they reappeared after a few days and unfortanutly there was really nothing to do about it since no fluid drained when poked and rubbed.
Sorry about your misfortune,
RCC
RankeCattleCo said:1.) Ours was a dairy steer about 15 days before fair. Do you really think a holstein steer has an abundance of leg hair...?
2.) Our vet advised to drain them. I wasn't the one that said to drain them, and she did it...
3.) DL- Thanks for the comment, but we did have the same thing, as far as water pockets on the hind legs. Maybe not the same location but we had the same problem. Is it now a crime to compare two's problems and suggest a diagnosis...?