old farmer, new problem(s) black tongue & magots

[cathied]

Hi Cattle Pals,
I have been a long time reader of this site, however this is my first time participating & seeking help !
I have farmed beef cattle for over 40 years, & never had any problems of any kind . . . not so much as a cough. ( no bull )This is the 1st time I've come accross the following 2 problems.

1) newborn bull calf, healthy, hardy, happy & no sign of injury or iritation, at 3 days old his back is covered with magots ! Re checked him & can't find any injury or reason for this infestation. Is it common for flies to lay eggs on a new calf ? There are other calves, but he is the only one the flies like.

2) 11 year old cow, some what lethargic, but still eats, drinks, roams, etc as normal. A few weeks ago noticed her tongue is very white, today her tongue (top surface) is black !
I was blaming this on the heat & maybe her age, but the black tongue blew me away . . . otherwise she seems fine.

Any ideas as to what is going wrong here ???
Thanks for any help

 

[cfpinz]

Welcome.

We've had a few over the years with maggots. We clean em up with alcohol and peroxide. Take a brush and scrub em down with both to make sure you got them all. Wife brought some fancy aerosol home from the vet office where she works that is supposed to kill them but I've never used it yet and can't remember the name. After you clean the calf up it wouldn't hurt to spray him with some permethrin to keep off the flies. That's what works for us, I'm sure there are other/better methods though.

As far as the black tongue, you've got me there. I'll have to take a seat and wait for the experts on that one.

Good Luck
cfpinz