Ringworm or ???

[hucknjen]

We have a Scottish Highland steer calf that is now 6 months old. We got him when he was about 1 month old and raised him on a bottle. Ever since we got him he has had this skin issue. The vet said he thought it was ringworm and to shave the calf and bathe him in Malaseb shampoo. I shaved him in mid-August and started bathing him twice weekly. This helped some but it never went away. The vet said it could take a very long time for it to go away. His lesions are round on his skin when you pull the little "tag" off. The "tag" is sort of finger-like and very hard. Now that it has gotten cold and his hair has grown back it is ALL OVER him again. Does anyone have any suggestions or thoughts on what it could be or a treatment?

This pic is from when I first shaved him. I can take updated and/or better pics tomorrow if it would help.

Thanks!

 

[angie1]

Wow!! Looks like soemthing from a Dr Suess book.
Medicine for yeast infection will work as ringworm is a fungus. Crest toothpaste has also been rocommended.
I am surprised your vet thought it was a viable option to bathe him twice a week, but admire your persistence.

 

[buckmaster33]

Wow...poor guy! We havent seen the actual scabs that the steer has/had...but normally ringworm occurs on the neck and face. Usually is a direct result of lack of sunlight and other than 2% iodine....not alot of treatment options. Back in the day when our Holstein heifers would get it from being in the barn all winter...it would clear up on its own once the heifer got lots of sunlight. I hate to question a vet...but his/her treatment seems extreme...and maybe not even appropriate?!

 

[dun]

If it is ringworm, athletes foot medicine works too. One problem is that anything that he may have contacted could also harbor the stuff and it can be recaught or caught by anything else. Wear plastic gloves, breeding sleeves, etc. while messing with it. Ringworm is horrible easy transmitted.
All I can see is a calf that looks like the neighbors cat after their kids decided it needed a haircut. A close up picture(s) of the actual problem might help.

 

[KNERSIE]

I don't see anything that looks like ringworm, I assume he has bald patches as it looks like there are spots where there wasn't any hair growing prior to visiting the barber?

If so it could be as simple as lice, but more likely its mange. Both are treatable, Ivomec will kill the myte causing the mange, but it may take a few weeks for the hair to grow back.

 

[Bez+]

From what I read, this animal has been sick for the entire time you have owned him - he came to the farm with the problem. You should have left him where he was - but that is now a moot point - hopefully no other animals get sick because of him. Six months.

Here is what you need to do

1. Find a large animal veterinarian that actually knows what is going on and actually does something about it. From what I have read, the veterinarian you have now is running a rather slipshod practise - or not communicating with you properly. Perhaps both.

He THINKS it might be ringworm? A few simple tests would confirm.

A separate opinion never hurts and in this case sounds needed.

Or:

2. Get some blood and skin samples yourself and get them tested at an independant lab asap.

Or:

3. Load that sick little sucker into a trailer and take him to the nearest veterinary college.

Do this soonest - he looks pretty bad and us folks on the site can offer a dozen remedies or home remedies for what WE think might be wrong with him.

The rememdies might or might not work - but you will never know because you cannot start administering all or any of what is suggested until you actually know what the problem is.

If no one can find the problem, shoot him and start over. No one would ever want to eat him as he is. And for sure no one would want him on their farm with a potentially contagious problem that could be serious.

Best of luck and Happy New year

Bez+

 

[milkmaid]

Go to the sticky at the top of the page labeled "cow problems" -- click on that -- scroll down to the pictures of ringworm. Does his problem look like that? If yes, great, you know what you're dealing with. If not, then take some new pics of the calf including closeups and we'll see if there's anyone here that recognizes it.

 

[hucknjen]

Ok to start -- this boy is a pet only and we have no other cattle at this time. Also I worked in a mixed practice veterinary clinic for nearly 8 years before I moved away last year so I'm not completely in the dark here.

We purchased this calf as a cull because he was born with a small growth near his left eye which we had removed when we had him castrated. We contacted the people we bought him from once we realized that he had this skin issue and suggested that they check the rest of their herd but they insisted that there was nothing wrong with him or the rest of their cattle. There was no way for us to notice this before we purchased him because #1 he was buck wild and #2 he had very long hair and no obvious hair loss.

I feel 99% certain it is ringworm because it most definitely responded to the Malaseb and also I have had a couple of lesions myself on my arm. I have asked our current vet (who is a large animal vet BTW) about other options but he says shaving/bathing is it and that it has to "run its course." Years ago I used TBZ paste for one of my rescue horses with dermatophylosis/rain rot but I have been out of the loop on that and see it is no longer manufactured. I questioned the use of an oral antifungal like ketoconazole but the recommended treatment was to shave/bathe so that's what I did.

I will take some new pics today and post them just to show how he looks now. He is healthy in every other way. He grew off very nicely and is very happy. He is not itchy and I have tried a course of ivomec but it made no difference so any type of mange or mite is out. Like I said earlier he's a pet...we don't want to eat him...just wanted a pet...and quite frankly at this point "shooting him and starting over" is not an option for us as he is in no obvious pain or discomfort and I've come this far with him so I will stay the course and do my best to get him well. I'll call around tomorrow and find another LA vet and get an appointment for a second opinion. I'll save vet schools as the last resort since Auburn and UGA are both ~3 hours one way from here. Thanks

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

"IF" it is ringworm - yes, it'll just run it's course & clear up - but - 6 MONTHS???? Never heard of that.
Ringworm is like a childhood disease - once they have had it, they most likely will never get it again.

 

[ctlbaron]

I have seen what ever it is in a couple of smaller calves before. Vets didn't know what it was either. I've never had one to have it that long either. The only thing I've ever had to help was to wash the calf in 20% bleach solution and let it soak about 5 minutes and rinse it good. The hair will usually start to come back in about a week. Having it that long just seem kinda strange to me. It may not be what mine had at all. Good luck with it.

 

[hucknjen]

I have been meaning to post an update...last Monday I took him for a 2nd opinion. This vet thinks that it is dermatophylosis and is doing a fungal plate and culture/sensitivity to confirm his diagnosis. Still waiting to hear back on the results but should know soon.

 

[TexasBred]

Huck...pick out on bad looking place and apply a couple of drops of Ivomec pour on or Cydectin pour on to these spots. I've had pretty good luck with this. Course if it works then this poor calf will need a bath in the stuff.

 

[hucknjen]

I am very excited because he is MUCH better! The scabs/lesions are drying up and falling off! The vet gave him an injection of tetradure last Monday and wow I can really see a difference now! Before if I pulled the scab off it would leave a big, nasty sore but now it's just a hairless spot! Woohoo! After months and months of him looking and feeling so bad now it seems like the vet is on the right track with the dermaophylosis! Still haven't heard the results from the labwork but he's supposed to be getting another injection tomorrow.