The five-legged bovine Zoey
Every life is worth living
From the perspective of an Aiderbichler
(written by Gisela Pschenitschnig)
At just under a year old, the cow calf Zoey was taken in at Gut Aiderbichl’s Moosfeldhof. Zoey had a fifth leg and could not be kept in the herd of cows at the original farm. Zoey’s owner had received a large vet bill for his dog, and so the financial means to help Zoey seemed to be exhausted. An animal-loving lady wanted to help and asked Gut Aiderbichl for rapid assistance so that Zoey would not be sent to the slaughterhouse.
Numerous calves born with multiple legs could be helped at Gut Aiderbichl. The aim now was to give Zoey a life free of physical and psychological pain.
Animals with deformities are slaughtered, but Zoey was lucky
The problem is that the herd of cows immediately sensed that Zoey had a handicap. The natural instinct was working at full speed and it could have been that the cows would attack Zoey.
So Zoey was marginalised to protect her. Zoey was also kept separate at Moosfeldhof, but “…. Zoey was able to run freely around the farm and around the house, which she liked. Cows are curious and want to get to know everything around them. It was also the case that Zoey’s fifth leg didn’t really bother her. The leg was attached to the side of the rear left healthy leg and just swung around. But the animals sensed that Zoey was different.
She is a very sweet and gentle cow, Zoey …” – enthuses Christian Kögl, enamoured of his Zoey.
Zoey's fifth leg was to be surgically removed
Some clinics did not want to carry out the operation. At Schierling Veterinary Clinic, there is a vet who wanted to perform the operation on Zoey.
Dr Ranner and his team explained exactly what the x-rays showed and how the operation would be performed.
The analysis of the x-rays revealed that the fifth leg was only attached to Zoey’s body with tendons and muscles. There were no bone inclusions that would have had to be removed separately. This fact made the operation easier.
The operation itself took about five hours – with all the preparatory work, the anaesthetic and the careful removal and closure of the surgical wound. During filming, Dr Ranner commented on all the procedures at the operation site, and after a few hours, the last stitch completed the successful operation. Zoey should have a good, “free” feeling after waking up from the anaesthetic.
Happy ending for Zoey?
After a period of special care and wound treatment, Zoey lives in the herd of cows and is completely happy. The “psychological” stress with the herd of cows has come to an end and everyone now accepts Zoey as a fully-fledged cow.
A cow carries her calf in her belly for 9 months. Calves like Zoey, which are born with several legs, are born “normally”. The calf itself does not really feel affected by an extra leg on its back or hip. In Zoey’s case, thankfully, the extra leg was not attached to the body by bone, but as already mentioned, by tendons and muscles.
In general, supernumerary limbs in a calf indicate that a twin wanted to develop but did not finish forming. The leg of the dead embryo may, as in Zoey’s case, be connected to the healthy growing embryo. It can be helped surgically, it does not have to be slaughtered.
The animal has a feeling heart like you, the animal has joy and pain like you, the animal has a tendency to strive like you, the animal has a right to live like you.
~Peter Rosegger
We wish Zoey a wonderful, happy life in the large herd of cattle at Moosfeldhof. A big thank you for the respect and love that Dr Ranner from the Schierling Veterinary Clinic has shown our Zoey. Yours sincerely, Gisela
