Why is my one-year-old calf not standing for days but still eating?

Yes, hip dislocation could cause this, but there are many other causes, including falling from a slick surface, muscular disorders, neurologic disorders, or anything that causes weakness. If the cow or calf cannot stand and walk without assistance, it should be examined by a vet.

At his age I would worry there is a injury affected his back or hips that is causing him to be weak and unsteady. If he is overactive and jumps frequently, he may have damaged part of his spine to cause swelling and compression on the nerves. The best thing to do in confine him so he does not continue to injury himself until you can get him to the vet for an evaluation and radiographs

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.

Your calf may have coccidiosis, which is pretty common in bottle-fed dairy calves, especially those who've not received adequate colostrum upon calving. I'd recommend at least taking a fecal sample in to your local vet for analysis and treatment, as the antibiotics you've had him on may not be effective. Pneumonia is definitely a concern in these calves as well.

Hello and thank you very much for your question. Cavs that are not on their mother until fall weaning age of 6 to 8 months are susceptible to infectious gastrointestinal and pulmonary diseases. The scours could be due to a variety of diseases like E. coli, infectious colitis, coccidiosis, other internal parasites, etc. Most likely the cough is due to an acute or chronic calf pneumonia. The coughing may or may not have anything to do with the scours and can be due to Pastorella, IBR, RSV, PI3, etc Both of these clinical symptoms and their associated diseases can cause your calf to become quite sick and in some cases die. I urge you to schedule an appointment with your local large animal veterinarian as soon as possible so that they can do a full physical examination. they also may want to do a fecal analysis to get a diagnosis for the scours also. Your veterinarian will most likely prescribe something anti-inflammatory to get the fever down enough to eat, A strong antibiotic like naxcel/excenel etc, and antiparasitic medication. Thanks for the question.

She needs to be examined by a vet if she doesn't have enough strength to stand. That is very concerning so please call your vet and have her seen as soon as possible. Your vet can run lab-work to help diagnose and treat her problem.

Check her temperature. If she has a fever, call out your farm vet. Potential causes include infection, vitamin/mineral deficiency (namely vitamin E and selenium), parasites (the most worrisome being meningeal worm) or trauma. Keep her warm and as stress free as possible. If necessary, rig up a sling to help her get around. The easiest is a towel slung underneath her behind the front limbs. Without an exam, it is difficult to determine definitively what is happening. If her symptoms are worsening, consider an emergency vet call out or trip to the nearest veterinary ER.