With birthing a large calf there is no doubt that she has some form of paralysis in her back legs. This paralysis may last a few hours to a few days. But, the damage could be permanent, especially if the calf should've been taken out via C-section. HOWEVER, don't give up hope yet! You HAVE to try to get her up and give her a chance! Don't give up on her as a lost cause simply because she won't get up right away. Try the methods below. The quicker you get her to stand on her feet, the better her prognosis will be and the faster she may recover. It will be much worse for her if you leave her sitting there, especially if she's in an awkward position (like both hind feet out in front).
It may seem cruel to have to force a tired-looking cow to get back on her feet, but there's a reason this has to be done, as I explained above. Try to get her up by twisting her tail, or startling her (clapping your hands, shouting, or waving your hands and literally dancing madly in front of her). If that doesn't work, put your hands firmly over her nostrils, tight enough so she can't breath (I know this sounds cruel, but it works), and she will have to move away or get up and away from you to catch her breath. If that doesn't work, touch the hairless area under her tail (near her anus and vulva) with a hotshot or cattle prod, giving her an electric shock. This will almost always startle a cow enough to get her up.
If she does get up and is unsteady on her feet, grab on to her tail and keep her from falling. If you can get her to stand for a few minutes, she will almost always have a less difficult time getting up a second time. The longer she stands, the better. You may need a second person to help keep her steady and keep her from falling. She may kick out her back leg a little, but it's not because she's mad at you, it's most likely because it fell asleep on her and it feels funny (like when you get hit on your funny bone or get pins and needles in your foot cause you sat on it too long).
If she goes down again, give her a few minutes, then try and get her up again. Make sure she can stand and walk on her own before you leave her and her calf be; you certainly don't want her to fall on him! If she tries to turn, the leg that's a bit wobbly may give out on her and down she goes again. Keep an eye on her until you're positive she'll do fine on her own. Usually once she's up and around, the leg will soon be back to normal and she can mother-up with her calf with no further issues.
Now, if she ABSOLUTELY cannot get up (like you've tried EVERYTHING mentioned above), make her comfy. Move her hind legs to a more suitable position. Milk colostrum from her while she's lying down, and feed her calf that with a bottle. Either that, or bring him to the udder and keep him lying down so he's level with the udder so he can suckle, if you guide his mouth to the teat. Make a temporary separate pen for the calf nearby to keep him from getting fallen on accidently when she attempts to gets up but falls down again. Don't forget to allow him to nurse every couple hours. Also, it's best to put hobbles on her feet so when she does collapse, she won't do the splits and cause more damage to herself by breaking a leg or pulling tendons.
Keep her well bedded, with a thick bed of fresh straw around her (especially around her udder and rear area) to keep her clean. If she's in an open area, building a shelter around her is a must, even if it means putting a bunch of bales around her against the prevailing winds (North, East and West) while she's laying down. You may even want to put a blanket over her to keep her warm in the colder periods, if she's calved during the winter.
Check on her often to see if she's moved around at all, and try to get her up. Your vet may prescribe Vitamin E and selenium for her and steroids to help reduce swelling and help assist nerve healing. If she still can't get up, find a way to make her stand up, by putting a pair of hip lifters on her and using an overhead beam in the barn or a tractor loader if she's outside to hoist her up. You should be doing this twice a day for 15 to 20 minutes each time. You can use wide belting of some kind as a sling, if you can't borrow any hip lifters from your vet, putting the supports around her front end behind her elbows and her rear end at her flanks. Also, try to turn her a couple times a day to prevent from her getting "bed sores" which happens when she's lying on the same side all the time.
Oh, and don't forget to provide her with food and water all the time, even if it means giving her a nice big pail of water every time you check on her! That's also very important. She'll need something in her belly to help her get the energy to get up again, AND to keep herself warm and alive.
Periodically stand her up if she'll try. The more she'll get up, the faster she'll recover. But, if she's been down awhile since you found her, the outcome may not be as good. If she can't get up after several days, and you have had a check over by the veterinarian confirming permanent nerve damage, you may have no choice but to euthanize her on the spot.
But remember this: ONLY euthanize if you have exhausted all the tips and tricks to try to get her up. And good luck!
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