Sore on calf- any ideas?

[CWT Angus]

Hi All,
I have a 5 month old Angus bull calf that has a dry, scaly patch between his front legs, it runs lengthwise along the underside about 5" long by 2-3" wide. Can't quite tell if it has been there a while & is an old scab or what. When I pick at it it seems to be sore rather than itchy & what comes off in my hand almost looks like dried up serum- like it has been oozing. There is some hair comming through the dry patch, but I can't tell if is sloughing off & healing or just beginning. He's a rather large boy for his age & it seems to be right where the ground or his front hooves would rub when he's lying down. I have anr obese cow that has a small "wear" spot in the same place- (I would expect that on her!)

I'm wondering if anyone has ever seen anything like this? My instinct tells me to scrub the heck out of it when he's in tonight so I can ge ta good look at it & treat it topically with either blu-kote, furacin spray or an ointment. Any ideas???

 

[msscamp]

Possible ringworm? Have you tried iodine on it? If it is ringworm, the iodine should kill it (I think).

 

[Farminlund]

Scrap it first - remove all loose scale then apply the iodine. Usually one treatment works. Other things that work are athletes foot treatments as it a fungus much like that. It can be transferred to human so do this with disposable gloves. There are may posts on this subject - do a search & will find more treatments than you could imagine - I think used motor oil was one suggested.

 

[msscamp]

Thanks for the clarification, Farminlund. My experience with ringworm is rusty at best! You are correct, I remember the used motor oil recommendation also.

 

[3MR]

athletes foot spray works very well and is multi purpose :lol:

 

[CWT Angus]

Thanks for the info everyone, but I don't think it's ringworm. If it is it's like nothing I've ever seen before and I don't know where he would have picked that up- and in a wierd spot too. I'll treat it somorrow & get a better look- I figure it can't hurt. I'll call one of my cattle friends to look at it too. Can anyone tell me if I need to treat the chute & surrounding areas as well after I have him in it?

Has anyone ever heard of cows/calves getting sores in that area just from lying down? Right about where the bottom of his brisket ties into the area between his front legs.

 

[msscamp]

Has anyone ever heard of cows/calves getting sores in that area just from lying down? Right about where the bottom of his brisket ties into the area between his front legs.

No.

 

[CWT Angus]

Thanks everyone, I have the vet comming this afternoon before I start scraping on this thing. It really does look like ringworm, I'm just in denial. I'll post the diagnosis later. Thank you for all the input, at least I know what to do to treat it now. Have a great day.

 

[Farminlund]

I will agree that ring worm will usually go away & have used that treatment option myself. What seems to kill it off is warmth & sunlight - the times my herd were infected were mid to late winter & once the sunlight grew longer & more intense, it just dried up on its own. Having said that, if it ring worm (which now that I think about the time of year am wondering about), maybe the hands off approach would not not work in this case.

 

[Beefy]

yes they will sometimes get calluses on their underline but not in the brisket area as far as i know. what you describe doesnt sound like roundworm, however it is going around right now. there is no reason why it couldnt get ringworm in that area, its just not as common there. also ringworm is contagious so now you probably have it. the only way to get rid of it now is to eat the ringworm scab. just kidding!--thats warts. lol.

 

[Lammie]

Forgive my spelling. Impetigo? We used to get it as kids. It would start as a bug bite or something and would get infected and weep and get bigger and bigger until we had to get a shot of anti-biotic. I was in my 20's the last time I had it, from a burn on my arm. It gets a crusty yellow scab on it.

If that is what it is, you need an anti-biotic. You are supposed to wash it every night to remove that scab. And it is highly contagious! Kids get it picking their noses and stuff.

Just a guess. Got a way to post a pic?

 

[Beefy]

i'm leaning toward some sort of infection as well. mostly from the size and the puss discription. in that area i would imagine it might take a while to heal.

 

[CWT Angus]

Well...... it's not ringworm (sigh of relief).
Just a wound from rubbing that has scabbed over. One of the other cows has a small spot in the same place, just not as bad. The field they were in a couple of weeks ago has a few very large down trees & they were rubbing on them like crazy. As far a spending the $$$$ on a vet call, our vet is very reasonable around here, it's all worth it for my piece of mind since I have to go out of town later this week.

Thanks again everyone.