infected umbilicus in calf

[Anonymous]

We bought a 5 week old calf 2 weeks ago. the day after we bought her, she looked sick. I bought her to the vet and he said her umbilical cord area was infected. She was treated for 10 days with penicillan. We have been putting a benedictine solution (about 6cc bendictine to 100 cc water) into the umbilical opening via a syringe to clean it out. It is still weeping pus and she is still running a temp. She is eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, running, etc excellently. The vet put her on a differnt antibiotic that she gets evering 72 hours IM.If this infection doesn't clear up, he wants to do surgery as he is concerned it has gone into her belly. I want to avoid this and need advice on anything we can so that we aren't doing. I am squeezing the stump and even around it on her abdomen. every now and then a larger amount of pus comes out, but it mostly just weeps a little. Thanks for your help.

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[Anonymous]

Generally these infections will encapsulate and not spred, but, if they do you are looking at BIG problems. Listen to your vet, if he/she/it feels the best course is surgery I would go with it. It can be a simple process of opening it up, fleaning it out and sewing it back up, or complicated and following the infection to it's source within the body.

dunmovin farms

> We bought a 5 week old calf 2
> weeks ago. the day after we bought
> her, she looked sick. I bought her
> to the vet and he said her
> umbilical cord area was infected.
> She was treated for 10 days with
> penicillan. We have been putting a
> benedictine solution (about 6cc
> bendictine to 100 cc water) into
> the umbilical opening via a
> syringe to clean it out. It is
> still weeping pus and she is still
> running a temp. She is eating,
> drinking, peeing, pooping,
> running, etc excellently. The vet
> put her on a differnt antibiotic
> that she gets evering 72 hours
> IM.If this infection doesn't clear
> up, he wants to do surgery as he
> is concerned it has gone into her
> belly. I want to avoid this and
> need advice on anything we can so
> that we aren't doing. I am
> squeezing the stump and even
> around it on her abdomen. every
> now and then a larger amount of
> pus comes out, but it mostly just
> weeps a little. Thanks for your
> help.

 

[Anonymous]

I am
> squeezing the stump and even
> around it on her abdomen.

Not a good thing to do. You can force infection further into the animal. Just as he is trying to wall off the infection you come along and squeeze and break the walls that are forming allowing more to spread.

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