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Abscess
Aug 19, 2019 17:39:44 GMT -6
Post by tcranch on Aug 19, 2019 17:39:44 GMT -6
How many of you treat your cows with abscesses? Either lancing/flushing, etc. yourself or taking them to the vet? Or doing nothing - benign neglect?
Here's my latest situation: 9 year old cow that's never been doctored for anything - perfect health. Developed an abscess just above the jaw, hard as a rock. Decided to watch, feel & wait for a while to see what happened. Fast forward a week and I could tell it was ripe, finally burst like a piñata. Sprayed Wound Kote each day, primarily to keep the flies off, and it healed beautifully - could barely tell. Which is what seems to happen 9 times out of 10. But I'll be darned, all of the sudden she developed a huge abscess just below the jaw. Next day the previous abscess that I thought had healed was back in business. Time to take her in, my fear was Lumpy Jaw or some sort of systemic infection. Naturally she wasn't remotely close to any of the corrals, the barn or pens but you do what 'cha gotta do and eventually loaded her up. Abscess was super deep and the amount of pus the vet got out was surreal - but no tumors/growths attached to the jaw bones, temp was normal, nothing some serious flushing & Excede won't cure.
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Abscess
Aug 19, 2019 18:01:37 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by M-5 on Aug 19, 2019 18:01:37 GMT -6
Did vet feel it was Puncture from something that caused it to begin with?
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Abscess
Aug 19, 2019 18:07:09 GMT -6
Post by tcranch on Aug 19, 2019 18:07:09 GMT -6
Did vet feel it was Puncture from something that caused it to begin with? Most likely from a thistle or something sharp she ate because it was so deep, punctured internally. Superficial abscesses are quite often caused simply by rubbing against something (tree, thorny bush, wire, anything that can splinter). |
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Abscess
Aug 19, 2019 19:35:33 GMT -6
Post by highgrit on Aug 19, 2019 19:35:33 GMT -6
If it's hard you leave it alone, if it's soft and mushy drain it or lance it? I think that's the way it works. On the couple we had I've just left them alone and they'd burst or go away.
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Abscess
Aug 19, 2019 20:40:41 GMT -6
Post by the illustrious potentate on Aug 19, 2019 20:40:41 GMT -6
If you get a lumpy jaw infected animal, because it is an infection of the bone, how quickly it gets treated affects the success rate.
Besides abscesses and lumpy jaw, you can see cancer pop up.
Or if the skin has fluid accumulated in it under the jaw, it's called bottle jaw.
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Abscess
Aug 20, 2019 6:06:35 GMT -6
Post by hook on Aug 20, 2019 6:06:35 GMT -6
Had a cow with one on her hip. Lanced it once and it came back. I didnt do anything and it went away. It came back once again after 2 or 3 months, and went away again. Sold her when it was gone
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Post by tcranch on Aug 20, 2019 6:08:58 GMT -6
If you get a lumpy jaw infected animal, because it is an infection of the bone, how quickly it gets treated affects the success rate.
Besides abscesses and lumpy jaw, you can see cancer pop up. Or if the skin has fluid accumulated in it under the jaw, it's called bottle jaw. Precisely why I probably act too quickly when it's really nothing more than an abscess. Had one case of lumpy jaw & she was successfully treated with sodium iodide. Kept her 7 more years, finally sold her when she was 12 with only 3 teeth left and not maintaining condition. |
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Abscess
Aug 20, 2019 6:12:24 GMT -6
Post by ebenezer on Aug 20, 2019 6:12:24 GMT -6
Have had mixed results. On the jaw, they need to have a bottom slit or drain to have a chance to go away 100%. On a leg or neck, the same thing but legs seem to be slower to recover or have a better chance to return. On or near a hoof I never got those whipped. I assume that it is harder to get the foreign body out of certain areas such as the hoof area.
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Abscess
Aug 20, 2019 6:54:34 GMT -6
Post by tcranch on Aug 20, 2019 6:54:34 GMT -6
Have had mixed results. On the jaw, they need to have a bottom slit or drain to have a chance to go away 100%. On a leg or neck, the same thing but legs seem to be slower to recover or have a better chance to return. On or near a hoof I never got those whipped. I assume that it is harder to get the foreign body out of certain areas such as the hoof area. Couple years ago I had a bull that was limping but couldn't figure out why. Leg looked swollen but not like a definitive, round abscess. Vet shaved the leg and discovered a scar. Evidently the bull had suffered a cut that healed but became infected internally. Opened it up, flushed, and because of the location of the wound, made another slit and threaded rubber tubing through both slits/holes so they would stay open & continue to drain. I kept him in the barn & flushed the wound daily plus penicillin and he was good to go. Just recently I had another bull with a abscess on the bottom of his foot, looked like it was due to a puncture wound from a honey locust thorn. Vet dug out a pretty big hole for it to drain & a hefty dose of Draxxin; so far so good. So I agree, it has to completely drain in order to fully heal. |
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Abscess
Aug 20, 2019 18:03:37 GMT -6
Post by backhoeboogie on Aug 20, 2019 18:03:37 GMT -6
Flushing is what I do too. You drain it after the lance. Then I flush it with peroxide. Much more comes out while you flush. I just load 100 cc syringe without the needle. Put the tip in the drain hole and squirt it in. I've gone thru the whole bottle. If I find foreign objects I remove them.
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