Rotten Wound After Dehorning

[BK9954]

My vet cut some horns off a jersey bull and a cow I gave my daughter. Cut them close enough so the cavity inside the head was exposed. Tons of flys this year. Went today to move him out of the pen and puss oozing out of the hole. Washed it out with iodine and gave hime LA200. Smelled like rotten flesh. Vet just said to keep washing it out. Is this normal? Only had one other bull dehorned last year and this didnt happen. My daughters cows head area looks like its starting to get infected so I gave her LA200 as well.

 

[3LEGGED1]

Seal it with pine tar, and keep sprayed with blue spray. Sounds good, worth a try.

 

[Nesikep]

I had a vet dehorn a cow once with big cloud stabbers.. this was in february and he said it'll heal up just fine, leave it alone... Anyhow.. maggots all over it all summer, I wasn't on the farm at the time, so I made weekly trips here to take care of her since she was very antisocial to other people.. Finally with lots of peroxide, iodine and then pine tar layered with gauze and more pine tar on top I was able to get it to heal.. Once it was clean it healed remarkably fast!

Also had a cow with a horn that grew really close to her skull, and since she always has her head on the wrong side of the fence she ended up snagging the barbed wire with it.. Put her in the head gate and cleaned her up a bit, then doused the whole area with Absorbine Ultrashield.. it kept the flies off and she healed up fine.. hasn't learned any lesson though!

 

[BRYANT]

this is why I wont dehorn cattle with horns that are very big, only tip them, and never in rainy weather or when there is lots of flies. I have had some of the same problems keep it clean and watch for sinuses infection. Next time band the horn as soon as it is big enough and there will be lots less problems.

 

[jerry27150]

I usually put koppertox on them after cutting off horns, but if they are grown cows I cut them about an inch long to avoid the big hole that catches everything. they heal faster & regrowth is real slow so it never bothers. pine tar is my second choice

 

[BK9954]

Still infected, its the second cow, rinsing out with iodine every 3 days, gave her L200 a week ago, anything else I can do for infection. Puss coming out of the big hole in her horn.

 

[Nesikep]

Keep dousing with peroxide and iodine... I have some tetracycline powder thats intended for use as a water additive, I think it's like 50%?.. works wonders on big open wounds mixed as a paste.. I've used it several times now for hoof problems.. Might look into some of that? I prefer topical antibiotics for things like that to injectables.. I really don't think the LA200 is going to do a whole lot unless she's running a fever.