Physiotherapy is not only useful for dogs or horses – it can be beneficial to any animal. We asked Veterinary Physiotherapist Danielle McMahon about one of her more unusual patients – Bruno the calf who was born with a few drastic problems.
I first met Bruno when a farming couple in Heathfield contacted me in August 2020 to say they had a bit of an unusual case on their hands. They had a two-week-old calf who had never stood up and was unable to move any of his limbs.
It started two weeks prior to my first visit where they had a cow who was unknowingly in calf, so Bruno was very much a surprise birth. He was found that day lying on a bed of straw, where at first everything appeared to look normal. However, as time started to tick by, Bruno was still lying on his side with his head flat on the ground. Within one hour of being born calves should be standing up and within four hours they should be nursing from their mum to gain maximum benefit from the colostrum. A couple of hours later the owners became concerned that something wasn’t right as Bruno was throwing his head up into the air, as if to try and propel himself up, only to land with a thud. Furthermore, there was no movement in his legs.
The vet was called out to administer a colostrum replacement through tube feeding and to give supplement injections. He examined Bruno head to hoof and could not find anything abnormal and suggested fluids and supplements for the next few days to see how the calf would respond.
With no improvement after 10 days, Bruno’s owners were at a loss and could not bear seeing this calf with so little quality of life. At two weeks I received a call and was asked to see if there was anything I could do.
On examination, Bruno presented not only with quadriplegia, but deep pain was also present. There was very limited muscle development globally, little to no joint range of motion and swelling was present in both carpal joints. On the plus side, he was drinking and toileting normally and was bright and alert.
Treatment Session 1
I started with Class IV LASER therapy to the swollen joints and the surrounding soft tissue to improve blood flow, extensibility and to reduce tension. This was followed by soft tissue massage and myofascial release, starting with the forelimbs, working our way down through the epaxial muscles stimulating spinal reflexes and through to the hindlegs. After warming up the tissues I then proceeded with passive joint range of motion. At first it was like trying to manipulate thick set cornflour, but once you start to move the synovial fluid and lubricate it around the joint you can start to extend and flex with much more ease and comfort. Tactile stimulation through squeezing/light pinching in between the hooves was used to utilise neuromuscular reflexive responses and muscular facilitation.
This treatment allowed us to place Bruno’s legs into a flexed position and sit him up against a padded wall mat. I left the owners with instructions for massage, passive joint range of motion and turning to prevent further pressure sores.
Treatment sessions 2 – 4
Passive joint mobility had greatly improved, and Bruno had gotten used to, and rather enjoyed sitting up and seeing the world from a different angle. I wanted him to learn to do this on his own.
Our next exercise was to encourage weight-bearing and muscular activation. Bruno was placed over a physio ball and straight away he tried to take his weight onto his front legs. The hindlegs needed vigorous rubbing of the quadriceps femoris, m. to maintain stifle extension. Cranio-caudal and lateral weight shifts helped stimulate proprioception, balance and active isometric muscle contractions. We started with 10 reps (holding for 3 seconds) for 3 sets with rests in between. He would tire very quickly at that stage.
The owners were left with instructions for massage, PROM, lateral abdominal lifts, weight shifts on the physio ball and baited stretches (lateral and ventral).
Treatment sessions 5-7
At this stage we had Bruno sitting up on his own and when standing he could support his own weight on his forelimbs and had improvement in balance, coordination, and strength. He was able to stand for longer without tiring. Bruno decided to take the lead on this session and was determined to take his first steps. We still had reduced proprioception in the hindlegs with cross-over and buckling so we had one person supporting and placing them in the correct position and another rolling the physio ball. We soon found ourselves on the other side of the barn with only a few stumbles!
To challenge Bruno’s musculoskeletal and proprioceptive abilities we added in turning in a walk (left and right), 3 leg stands, backward stepping and walking on different surfaces e.g. grass, straw and concrete (mainly to the bottle). I left the owners with these additional exercises for the following three days.
It should be mentioned that Bruno was with his Mum throughout and was happily feeding from her as best he could. Luckily he was also interested in feeding from a bottle so this doubled up as a treatment tool to encourage him to move!
Treatment sessions 8-9
Once again Bruno excelled and was walking, tentatively, with only an abdominal sling for support. The hindlegs had the occasional cross-over but there was a noticeable improvement.
We now had a calf who could sit up by himself and stand unaided once he was helped to his feet, so now it was time to work on him physically standing up by himself. We were racing against his growing clock as he was quickly becoming too heavy for the three of us to lift. As in treatment session 2, we placed Bruno back in lateral recumbency and allowed him to sit up.
I flexed both the fore and hindlegs under him and sat two feet away with his feed. Cows naturally stand up with their hindlegs first and then push up from their fores. Bruno decided to do this backwards and try his forelegs first which immediately ended with him flat on his side. With a second person, we restarted and rubbed the quadriceps femoris, m. to encourage muscle activation. With a bit of a wobble and a few stumbles, Bruno pushed up from the hindlegs, rested and then gave a big final push up with the forelegs. It was such an emotional sight to see. We repeated this five times every feeding time before Bruno became tired. With three days of repeating this exercise and increasing our reps, Bruno’s persistence paid off and he stood up on his own.
Maintenance sessions
Day by day Bruno grew bigger and stronger and was soon running about! I now visit for maintenance sessions about once a month to monitor muscle, joint development and movement as he continues to improve and grow. The owners are incredibly proactive with his physiotherapy exercises and we increase the challenge of every session with him e.g. walking forwards and backwards up hills, three-leg stands on an incline and walking over unsteady terrain whilst still maintaining our original treatments such as massage, joint range of motion and tactile stimulation.
There’s no stopping him! 
Teamwork and dedication pay off
Bruno is extremely fortunate to have such hands-on and dedicated owners that are focused on giving him a full chance in life. We are still unsure of what the primary cause was for such a delay and his quadriplegia, but seeing Bruno run in the fields with the rest of the herd and enjoy his life makes the time and effort of everyone involved completely worth it for this one little life.
Useful links
Farm animal blogs
Physiotherapy blogs
Danielle McMahon
Danielle McMahon, BSc (Hons), PgD (VetPhys.) MNAVP, AHPR registered
Danielle is a fully qualified and insured Veterinary Physiotherapist working through Veterinary Referrals and freelance, covering Kent, Sussex and the South East of Surrey and London.
Having a great passion for animal welfare and a natural take to science, in particular anatomy and physiology, led her to an undergraduate degree in BSc (Hons) Bio-Veterinary Science. Danielle’s dissertation on canine facial anatomy and auditory perception was also used for the purposes of a BBC documentary. Eager to learn more, she then went on to qualify as a Veterinary Physiotherapist PgD, accredited by the National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists (NAVP).
Since qualifying, Danielle went on to work in various Veterinary Practices including ParkVets as the Head Physiotherapist for 7 hospital branches. Here she furthered her physiotherapy knowledge by working with a wide range of cases, both common and unique, alongside specialist orthopaedic Veterinary Surgeons.
After gaining invaluable in-practice experience, Danielle went on to start up her own business, McMahon Veterinary Physiotherapy (tel 07545296642). Danielle also uses Class IV Laser Therapy in her treatments when appropriate. She works with a wide range of clients ranging from Crufts and agility dogs to Newmarket race yards to everyday pets. This has led her to meet some amazing people in the horse, dog and farming worlds.
When she’s not working, Danielle enjoys playing competitive tennis and going for long country dog walks.
Disclaimer – Where blogs have been created by a guest author, CAM4Animals has reproduced this in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies of information in it or any use you make of this information.
This blog may also contain an element of consumer opinion. Whilst CAM4animals welcomes positive recommendations for holistic healthcare products, we don’t necessarily endorse the product or the author’s opinion. We acknowledge that each animal is an individual and may react differently to the highlighted product/s. There may also be other products available that produce similarly positive results.
The veterinary Surgeon’s Act 1966 restricts the treatment of animals (usually other than your own*) by anyone other than a qualified vet. Always consult a veterinary surgeon if you are concerned about your animal’s health. *For full details visit the RCVS website
Disclaimer – Where blogs have been created by a guest author, CAM4Animals has reproduced this in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies of information in it or any use you make of this information.
This blog may also contain an element of consumer opinion. Whilst CAM4animals welcomes positive recommendations for holistic healthcare products, we don’t necessarily endorse the product or the author’s opinion. We acknowledge that each animal is an individual and may react differently to the highlighted product/s. There may also be other products available that produce similarly positive results.
The veterinary Surgeon’s Act 1966 restricts the treatment of animals (usually other than your own*) by anyone other than a qualified vet. Always consult a veterinary surgeon if you are concerned about your animal’s health. *For full details visit the RCVS website