managing naval ill

[angus9259]

Naval ill has become an growing problem here - or perhaps I'm becoming increasingly paranoid about it....

I probably went 15 years without ever seeing a case. Then about 3-4 years ago I see my first case - a bull calf that looked like he's swinging a baseball from his penis. Vet says naval ill. Get's a week of Nuflor and is just fine. The next year I get two cases - but I'm starting to "catch" it earlier. I check the navals pretty close the first week. If I start to see something that is "growing" instead of receding I pull them in for a check. Usually it's hard and I start treatment. Then it goes away in a week. If it's still soft, I leave it be. FF to this year. So far treating about every 3rd calf. In one calf it went straight to the joints. All calves born in pasture. No real "mud" - lots of space. Only open dirt is under the trees where the cows congregate. Doesn't seem to matter if I dip the navals or not. The ones I can catch and dip are just as susceptible.

Question: does the naval get "hard" at some point before healing on its own? I've seen the healthy ones just seem to stay soft and go away. The reason I ask is I've had two cases this year that were CLEAR naval ill - a baseball naval calf and the calf that couldn't walk by a week of age. Both completely healed with Nuflor in a week. The rest I'm trying to "catch early" - as I know that's key to beating it quick - and wonder if I would just leave them be if they'd be fine.

I can't calve in a barn and, it seems to me, that pasture calving would be just as clean.

 

[Till-Hill]

I asked myself same thing. I watch our dairy calves and it does seem they get hard if not infected. Beef calves same problem your having here.

 

[Till-Hill]

I asked myself same thing. I watch our dairy calves and it doesn't seem they get hard if not infected. Beef calves same problem your having here.

 

[talltimber]

I had a case year before last. I had been spraying screw worm on them when I would tag them, but had heard of dipping in an iodine mixture to help dry them up, so I tried it last year. Dipped every calf and had two or three cases of it, so this year I'm going back to just screw worm spraying it. Idk what makes it seem a bigger problem some years. I figured it was rainy weather, ground wet, that was keeping it from drying up. This year cords of the two I have so far are slow drying, but we are very dry here, so who knows for sure.

I had treated with penicillin about a week and had success getting them cleared up.