Hi everyone, I have a question about our Highland herd. Recently, we have had a issue in four of our cows in which one hip at a time has begun to stop working as well - usually the right hip. The cows appear otherwise healthy, but it proceeds to the point at which the cows can no longer bear weight on that hip.
The issue begins with the cows swaying a little and seeming less coordinated when they walk. They cannot pick the affected leg up as much, and it almost seems to swing more when they walk. Eventually the muscles in the hip atrophy because they simply stop bearing weight on it. The hocks do appear to be somewhat painful for the cows.
We are baffled because this has happened in four cows in our herd now, so it does not seem to be an individual or isolated issue. Has anyone seen this before? The cows never seem to die from it, they just can no longer walk normally. This makes me think it might be some sort of neurological or musculoskeletal problem possibly related to a transmissible bug, but I am just not sure. Any brainstorming would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!
The issue begins with the cows swaying a little and seeming less coordinated when they walk. They cannot pick the affected leg up as much, and it almost seems to swing more when they walk. Eventually the muscles in the hip atrophy because they simply stop bearing weight on it. The hocks do appear to be somewhat painful for the cows.
We are baffled because this has happened in four cows in our herd now, so it does not seem to be an individual or isolated issue. Has anyone seen this before? The cows never seem to die from it, they just can no longer walk normally. This makes me think it might be some sort of neurological or musculoskeletal problem possibly related to a transmissible bug, but I am just not sure. Any brainstorming would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!
