abces/superficial bacterial not in the bone

[MAGONZ1969]

Hi friends; can someone help me out a bit here. I have a couple cows that have an abcess, one on the right side of the jaw and the other one on the left side. Is said to be a superficial bacterial that is not in the bone. Just don't know what to do for them. If anyone has had similar problem, your input will be greatly helpful. Thanks!!!

 

[rockridgecattle]

If you can not do this, call the vet.
Put her in the head gate, feel if it moves. Then it is superficial. Secure her head with the Larrette or halter. Find the soft. Spot, lance and drain, squeezing out all the puss. A 14 gauge 2" needle works ok but is slow. Flush with weak tea strength iodine. Open the jaw, secure the mouth and look inside for a puncture mark or hay or a stick stuck inside, absessed tooth. Flush again with tea strength iodine. La 200 and an anti inflam. Check on her daily, drain again if needed and flush as well as anti inflam. 3x flushing and anti inflam. Follow both the withdrawal times and dose times
Be careful when working in her mouth. An unsecured animal can sever some digits or more when they close that mouth.

 

[MAGONZ1969]

Thank you rockridgecattle. We'll have to separate them from the other ones we have and treat them. Now, this two cows are preg and should be calving in a month or two. Will any of this affect their pregnancy or can we wait till after they calf? Just wondering what my options are.

 

[cross_7]

by MAGONZ1969 » Wed Mar 27, 2013 6:53 pm

Hi friends; can someone help me out a bit here. I have a couple cows that have an abcess, one on the right side of the jaw and the other one on the left side. Is said to be a superficial bacterial that is not in the bone. Just don't know what to do for them. If anyone has had similar problem, your input will be greatly helpful. Thanks!!!

Thank you rockridgecattle. We'll have to separate them from the other ones we have and treat them. Now, this two cows are preg and should be calving in a month or two. Will any of this affect their pregnancy or can we wait till after they calf? Just wondering what my options are.

I'm going to say you have waited too long and the lump is hard(I have one that developed a lump and treated the first day I noticed it and it wasn't very soft)
so it being hard it won't drain.
Sodium Iodide IV will soften it in a few day but you don't have that option being bred.
Best you can do as rockridge instructed and the longer you wait the worse it will become and chances are it they won't recover.

 

[rockridgecattle]

If you sodium iodine, huge risk to the pregnancy. So weight it carefully with your vet.
To lance and clean, always a risk. But you need to get it done or it will swell and burst causing more damage. If you just inject her, it will help but it does better to cut out the infection. Then again, if you are going to head gate her, inject her, might as well clean her.

I don't know your herd, or your cow's health. I don't know how far along or body condition or age off cow. So the risk is yours to take or not. Call your vet if you need to.

If it was my cow, my herd, would be my risk. But then your are talking to a woman who just lanced and flushed a quarter on an udder for the same reason in a near term cow...so

 

[milkmaid]

Rule of thumb for abscesses: if it's soft, lance it. If it's hard, leave it alone.

Most of the abscesses that aren't in the bone will break open on their own eventually. I do prefer to help them out if possible though. Where on the cow's head is the lump located?

 

[MAGONZ1969]

I want to thank everyone for their info so far. The abscess on these two cows is on their jaw right below their mouth/neck. One is on the left side of one cow and the other has it on the right side. Had the same problem on a different cow last year. Took it to the vet and all she did was poke the abscess with a needle/syringe but it was hard and not soft. So, she left it alone and did not lance it. She did give her a shot of LA 200 and that was it. I still have that cow and the lump/abscess went away by itself. Matter fact she calved a couple of weeks ago and gave birth to a nice bull calf. With work and all the chores having a hard time to put them in the head gate but planning on doing it this weekend to see if its hard or soft and will give them a shot of LA 200. Any other information is greatly helpful. Thank you all.

 

[MAGONZ1969]

Did finally find time to put them in the head gate checked the lump on their jaw. They both feel very hard and are staying the same size. The lump on them are not getting any bigger, cows are eating like usual. Their appetite is good and I haven't notice them being down or away from the other cow. Their head is not down nor is their ears. Did give them a shot of LA and will keep an eye on them to make sure they stay active as usual. They should be calving in the next few days so hopefully the lump ruptures on its own and the LA takes care of any infection that they might have. We'll see and keep it posted.