naval infection spread to joints, any coming back?

[marthaward]

I have a 7 week old Jersey Heifer who got naval ill from other calves sucking on her. She's been separated for about three weeks and for two of those weeks we've been washing out the infection with iodine and warm soapy water. The infection didn't go away so we took her to the vet and they put her on antibiotics. The infection is cleared up at the source but it seems as if it spread to her joints.

She gets 4 quarts of milk replacer a day and has free choice water hay and calf grower but is still pretty skinny. She's pretty uncoordinated and needs help getting up in the morning to eat her bottle or she just stumbles and falls down again. She didn't have diarrhea until today but I'm not sure if it's because she finally started eating the other stuff after the antibiotics started working or the infection spread more.

My question is if the infection did spread to her joints is there any coming back from it or is she always going to have trouble? Once you get her up she seems fine walking around but in a couple of months i won't be able to pick her up like that anymore.

[gone-a-milkin]

In my experience joint ill calves end up being unsustainable long term.

Even if the infection gets completely stopped, it will have done damage to the cartilage and the swelling never really goes down.
As she a grows heavier those knees will not be able to support her weight.


Please do NOT be tempted to 'drain' her joints.
That only provides another avenue for more infection.

Good luck with her, but don't consider her a 'keeper'.
She could still be harvested for beef, once the antibiotics are out of her system.
Just be sure to finish with her while she can still walk.

I am sorry.

[msscamp]

Originally Posted by marthaward

The infection is cleared up at the source but it seems as if it spread to her joints.

My question is if the infection did spread to her joints is there any coming back from it or is she always going to have trouble? Once you get her up she seems fine walking around but in a couple of months i won't be able to pick her up like that anymore.

Yes, that is what naval ill does if left untreated - hence the name joint ill. Whether you can stop the infection in her joints is going to depend on how soon you caught it and what kind of antibiotics you used to treat it. Navel/joint ill requires high doses of heavy duty antibiotics - Draxxin, Excenel, drugs along those lines. Be very careful with Baytril! Baytril is effective in treating navel/joint ill, but high and/or multiple doses of Baytril has been proven to destroy joint cartilage in young animals. Are this heifers knees or hocks swollen and/or warm/hot to the touch?

[Waiting Falcon]

If she has a high fever she is probably already done for.
The one we had was born on the holding pen floor......
heavy medications did not knock it out she was screaming before she was put down at 8 weeks. That is the first and i hope the last time I ever hear a calf scream in pain.

[unregistered41671]

It usually does NOT turn out well. Only saw one survive and do well. It belonged to a vet and he worked on it daily, flushing, etc.

[G. Seddon]

Here's an article on preventing navel ill in calves:

http://calfology.com/sites/default/f...ll_article.pdf