I have a 7 year old bull that has been walking with a limp since breeding cows 9 weeks ago. His left rear leg has a lump on the thigh and he is hesitant to put any weight on it. His entire left side hip is getting smaller from the muscle losing mass. Local vet says he thinks it is a pulled ligament. Think he will recover? What can I do to improve chances?

I can’t tell you what happened. However, a lameness injury that hasn’t improved after 9 weeks has a poor chance for recovery. Lame bulls don’t make good breeders. The loss in muscle mass is from not using the leg. The lump may be the normal appearance of the hip (femur) on a non-weight bearing leg, or it may be evidence of an injury. Even though the lameness seems to originate from the hip, be sure that the foot is not the problem (for example a nail or sole abscess). There is a likelihood the bull is stifled, which is a ligament injury. Stall rest might help, although I assume he has had that. If he is valuable, consider taking him to a veterinary school clinic for evaluation.