Does she have lump jaw?
- Thread starter Moo05
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Welcome to CT. It's probably just an abscess. Benign neglect - watch and wait. If it gets larger, you can stick a needle in it and see if any pus comes out, in which case you could lance it and let it drain. I prefer to follow up an abscess with an antibiotic, but that's not always the case and they will eventually heal on their own.
Buck Randall
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That's a very common place for abscesses to form in calves that had an infection circulating in their blood stream at a younger age. If that's what it is, it will eventually break open and heal up without treatment.
What does an absess feel like?
Buck Randall
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They start out very hard. Eventually a soft spot will begin to form where the skin thins. That's where they break open. Think of it like the head on a pimple.
bird dog
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Hey Buck, Do young calves ever get lumpy jaw or woody tongue? I have had a couple cases of both but they have always been on older cows.
Ok, thanks for letting me know
as of right now it's very hard.Buck Randall
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I've never seen lumpy jaw or wooden tongue in calves, though it is theoretically possible. Both are caused by injuries to the mouth from eating coarse feed. Calves are usually picky enough to avoid that.
Or it could be due Actinomycetes infection. It requires treatment with iodine IV by your vet. The jaw is bone hard, they still eating , loose weight. It will not respond to drainage alone.
Buck Randall
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Actinomycosis is just a more scientific name for lumpy jaw. Same disease.
Agree, what I am trying to say, drainage alone may not be effective as opposed to an abscess caused by bacterial infection.
