Post Surgery Infection

[Anonymous]

My mini Holstein calf who had the infected umbilicas was operated on last Fri. On Tues night we could see some ooze. The vet gave us directions to get betadine in it with a cotton tip swab. We saw the vet yesterday. He took out 3 stitches and cleaned it out. We are supposed to flush it with 25% betadine solution. We tried covering it, but she tries ripping the gauze pad off and eating it.

Any previous experience with this type of situation? I really want this infection cleared up so if someone has had great luck with flushing it out with other things, let me know. She is on penecillan (IM). What about keeping the open part cleaner (especially when she is laying on clean, dry, straw (her bedding). I'm flushing it 3-4 times a day....should it be more? Thanks, She's a cuties and a real joy to have, so I really want this to go well.

[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

> This is just a suggestion- we had a calf with joint ill-septecemia- and all the antibotics werent working. One vet told us to give the nuflor right above the infected joints- which we did. Her infection cleared up. You might try giving the antibiotics right near the infected area.It worked for us. good luck.

My mini Holstein calf who had the
> infected umbilicas was operated on
> last Fri. On Tues night we could
> see some ooze. The vet gave us
> directions to get betadine in it
> with a cotton tip swab. We saw the
> vet yesterday. He took out 3
> stitches and cleaned it out. We
> are supposed to flush it with 25%
> betadine solution. We tried
> covering it, but she tries ripping
> the gauze pad off and eating it.

> Any previous experience with this
> type of situation? I really want
> this infection cleared up so if
> someone has had great luck with
> flushing it out with other things,
> let me know. She is on penecillan
> (IM). What about keeping the open
> part cleaner (especially when she
> is laying on clean, dry, straw
> (her bedding). I'm flushing it 3-4
> times a day....should it be more?
> Thanks, She's a cuties and a real
> joy to have, so I really want this
> to go well.

 

[Anonymous]

Whenever I've had to irrigate an abscess or other site on an animal, I've found it helpful to attach the plastic catheter from an 18 gauge IV needle to the syringe and irrigate with that setup. Discard the needle and use only the flexible plastic catheter! The 18 gauge size will give you a bit of force when doing the irrigating, without being so much it damages the area. The length of the catheter allows you to get closer to where you need to clean out.

The antibiotic should take care of any internal infection, and the irrigation should allow the area to heal from the inside out, rather than allowing an abscess to form.

I wouldn't try and cover the area.

Also, there is more than one strength of betadine - make sure what you are using isn't too strong. Some vets even recommend diluting the betadine half with clean water so it doesn't cause added irritation to the site. I would go with your vet's recommendation here.

> My mini Holstein calf who had the
> infected umbilicas was operated on
> last Fri. On Tues night we could
> see some ooze. The vet gave us
> directions to get betadine in it
> with a cotton tip swab. We saw the
> vet yesterday. He took out 3
> stitches and cleaned it out. We
> are supposed to flush it with 25%
> betadine solution. We tried
> covering it, but she tries ripping
> the gauze pad off and eating it.

> Any previous experience with this
> type of situation? I really want
> this infection cleared up so if
> someone has had great luck with
> flushing it out with other things,
> let me know. She is on penecillan
> (IM). What about keeping the open
> part cleaner (especially when she
> is laying on clean, dry, straw
> (her bedding). I'm flushing it 3-4
> times a day....should it be more?
> Thanks, She's a cuties and a real
> joy to have, so I really want this
> to go well.