Cow leg dragging, swollen after injury. Is it nerve damage? Prognosis?

Her front leg looks very swollen. This cow needs to be seen by a vet asap to ascertain what is wrong with her leg and get appropriate treatment. It is important to let a vet treat her as the wrong medication could kill her calve, likewise if she is in pain the stress could effect her calve.

Without seeing Milly in person, I can't say if her leg can be fixed in any way. Surgery may be an option for her, but her vet has to evaluate if that can be done. I suppose the other option would be to put her to sleep if this can't be fixed, as she cannot stay in this condition.

Hello. If she has been down for several weeks, it is going to be very tough to get her back up. If she slipped on ice or snow, she may have suffered catastrophic nerve damage, & the longer she is down the more severe the nerve damage will be. The same goes for if she fractured something in her leg or shoulder. Hopefully, you have had your vet out & started her on a course of anti-inflammatory medications. If no fractures were found, you could try assisting her up in a sling, or at the very least you have her propped up with hay bales. Make sure she is shifted off her downside every 4-6 hours to prevent pressure necrosis. All you can do is keep working with her unless you can transport her to a major facility ( university veterinary center ) that can do the specialized diagnostics, surgery & rehabilitation that she may need. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

She may have had an injury that happened during calving, inflammation, insect bites, hormonal problems. You should have a veterinarian examine her, as she will need a vaginal exam, he needs to check whether the uterus has involuted properly or has fluid in it or a mummified fietus (even if she gave birth to a calf two months ago), take her temperature and check her udder for mastitis. Her vulva looks like there is some inflammation or infection going on.

I would recommend taking her back to the vet right away to be checked out. She could have laid on the leg in the funny way during surgery and have some temporary nerve damage or could have pain from an infection related to the IV that is making her not want to walk on it. In any case, that's not normal and her vet can help figure out what needs to occur next.

There are many possible reasons - spinal abscess, hip/pelvis injury, nerve damage, muscle weakness and even toxins such as lead can lead to such signs. A full neurological exam and blood tests to rule out infection and poisoning can be helpful to assess the possibility of recovery

Poor Georgia! Unfortunately it is possible that she may have permanent damage due to her accident, especially since her injury occurred while she was a puppy and still growing. However, there may be a few things that may help her, including acupuncture, massage, chiropractic treatment, rehabilitation exercises and physiotherapy, as you mentioned. It's also important that you keep her at a lean body weight and don't let her get overweight, as that would put extra strain on her joints. Talk to your vet about joint supplements to help support her joints, as the rest of her joints and legs will be taking on extra strain due to the fact that she cannot use her left front leg, which can make them more prone to injury and arthritis. Your veterinarian may also want to prescribe pain medication, as the fact that she cannot use her leg properly is likely causing pain in the affected limb and other limbs, as described above. Some types of pain medications are particularly good for nerve pain, and may be a good option for Georgia. The links below can help you find rehabilitation and acupuncture therapists near you that may help. Good luck, and I hope Georgia feels better soon! http://www.tcvm.com/Resources/FindaTCVMPractitioner.aspx http://www.caninerehabinstitute.com/Find_A_Therapist.html