Many things contribute to the way a bull performs when he exits the bucking chute. Much like any other athlete, conditions must be right: he should be rested, should have adequate abdominal fill and be free of any musculoskeletal pain. This can be most difficult to assess when presented with the bull that is off in his performing ability. Lameness is easily diagnosed when bulls are trying not to use a limb. Usually, the magnitude of the injury will intensify the lameness response.

Old Dog, New Tricks
As we progress in our knowledge of bucking bulls and lameness issues affecting them, we have found that the subtle lameness (when you look at a bull during movement ,something doesn’t look right but you cannot pinpoint it) is the most challenging problem presented to us. Much time must be dedicated to a step-by-step process of evaluation to identify the painful area. Sometimes, an educated guess, followed by a good series of radiographs, is enough to identify the problem. Other times a step-by-step process, including a good physical examination, followed by local and regional anesthetic nerve blocks as well as the occasional joint injection may be required before the lameness is isolated. Soft tissue injuries are even more difficult to identify and isolate, particularly when they involve the large muscle groups of the upper body. Unfortunately, current technology limits our ability to evaluate large muscle injury, with such equipment as thermography available but sorely lacking in its ability to pinpoint exact location and extent of damage to affected areas.

Sometimes, we are presented with a case that makes us reach back to our earliest experience looking for answers to the most difficult of questions. Such was the case of Diamonds S Bucking Bull’s Avalanche, a stellar performer for their program that just had not been right for some time. A routine haul resulted in a subtle injury that reduced Avalanche to the occasional subpar performance, something totally out of character for him. After examination on a couple of different occasions several problems were identified. Each on their own would be a reasonable explanation for his lack of overall performance. Yet, with adequate treatment and rest, the bull still did not perform as he should. Critical evaluation of his stride gave no indication of any painfulness he might be experiencing. Conventional radiographs were taken of the entire rear limb, showing no evidence of gross abnormalities except for a questionable area in the fetlock (ankle). Follow-up radiographs (x-ray) with digital radiography revealed a substantial bone fragment that was broken off from the upper most portion of the first phalanx (upper most portion of the toe).

This chip fracture would act much as a rock in our shoe; you can get around, but it is most uncomfortable. Obviously, it had been there for a bit, probably at first firmly attached and then as time and use occurred, becoming looser and more aggravating with movement. If you watch these bulls as they come down from their kick, you can see the force applied to the fetlock and better understand how they sustain such an injury, commonly called a kissing injury as the two bone surfaces comprising the joint “kiss” each other as the joint hyper-extends.Although this particular injury occurred as an accident, we now realize this may happen occasionally during a performance, much as we see with the equine athlete in various events such as racing.

Desirable Results
Avalanche was subjected to surgery to remove the P1 chip from his ankle. General anesthesia and an arthrotomy were performed, the bone fragment was identified and removed, and damaged cartilage was removed with a very successful recovery. After the bull was allowed to rest and recuperate, he was given exercise and the opportunity to condition for performing again. Post-operative examination and radiographs revealed excellent healing at the surgery site with very little tissue reaction or joint damage evident. Avalanche was given the green light to enter competition, and had a very successful out at the Albuquerque PBR event.

I use Avalanche as an example of how we as practioners must question our approach to cases and thoroughly understand and evaluate our recommendations. Sometimes, we must be willing to concede that conditions change, that problems we assumed were correct may require a different approach after further evaluation. New treatment modalities are constantly being developed in other species and sometimes these may be modified for use in the bovine athlete. Knowledge must continually be updated and sources queried in order to provide optimum care for the bulls.

A case was recently reported of the successful repair of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture in a mature bull. Five years ago, this common injury in the bull was thought to be a career- ending, and often, a life-ending injury. Now, it is quite possible to be able to save the bull for semen collection or even breeding. The technique was always available to repair the defect but we had no material that was strong enough to hold the repair. Recently, the discovery of an existing material with the strength to hold these injured structures together was brought to our attention. Thus, the opportunity presents itself that was not available a short time ago.

Change is Good
We hope that our opportunity to learn continues in order we may help those folks that care for their stock. Many of our colleagues are committed to finding new ways to deal with the problems presented from injury during performance. We continually learn from the cases presented to us as each presents a different challenge and requires a different approach.