What would you do?

[Rafter E]

Our calf has a bump on his nose, just above the nostrils, slightly to the right side. I have watched it for a week, bearing in mind snakebite, kick-type injury, wasp sting...??? No change in its size. Question is...do I grab him and lance it with a 20 ga needle? Do I give him 5cc of LA200...??? Stumped here. Thanks

 

[frenchie]

I would definitely lance the bottom of it so it drains.I can,t see how LA200 would hurt.

We used to lance abcess,s with a scalpel and then flush them out with penicillin .but I,m sure not too keen do make that big a wound in fly season .

Hope that helps

 

[Crowderfarms]

If it were mine, I'd lance it.And Give it LA-200.

 

[Bama]

Make sure its "puffy" before lancing it. I have also saw this after being kicked by a cow that they were trying to steal milk from. That time it wasn't puffy but more of a lump. It went down in about 2 weeks. If you do lance it this is one place I may use a ear fly tag. If your worried about the flys.

 

[Rafter E]

Thank you Frenchie, Crowder and Bama. I will probably cake him into the corral tomorrow. I have been wondering how to deal with the flys this year, eartags and rabon blocks sound good to me. If his bump is soft, I'll lance it and hopefully drain it. He weighs about 150, do you all agree 5cc LA200?

 

[preston39]

Our calf has a bump on his nose, just above the nostrils, slightly to the right side. I have watched it for a week, bearing in mind snakebite, kick-type injury, wasp sting...??? No change in its size. Question is...do I grab him and lance it with a 20 ga needle? Do I give him 5cc of LA200...??? Stumped here. Thanks

=============
rafter,

We have had three-four with snake bites over the past few years. After a week ..I think that can be ruled out..without treatment ....by now I think he would be dead or it would have gone down in size. With his color the skin over the area would be discolored/black.

Ours have been water moccicans(?s)/copper heads/rattlers...i think the area would be swollen much more...if this is the size it has always been.

If a kick thing..should have gown down is size by now. Bee/wasp sting should have been smaller by now.

Have you palpated it? If so is it firm inside or...kinda squeechy?

If it is firm/solid...may suggest a cyst/tumor. If squeechy...may be an infection.

Is he acting normal or? He looks alert and perky.

Just some thoughts . Maybe Doc Harris will weigh in on this.

Nice calf...good luck. Share the outcome with us.

 

[jerry27150]

personally, i wouldn't do a thing but watch it. most bumps usually disappear in time.

 

[Ryder]

personally, i wouldn't do a thing but watch it. most bumps usually disappear in time.

Makes sense to me.

 

[dun]

There is a lot to be said for benign neglect

dun

 

[Rafter E]

Thanks Jerry, Ryder and Preston and Dun, I'll watch him for another week and go from there. Thank you all for your input.

Preston, palpating it to see if its hard or soft is the first thing I'll do, a.s.a.p. We have lots of rattlers around here, and just the past week or so they have been stirring from their winter nap. We have too many mesquite trees/THORNS. When I get stuck by mesquite it swells up...you made me put on my thinking cap. I will post a followup, hopefully it disappears.

 

[Ryder]

Could a thorn still be in there and need to be pulled out?

 

[jerry27150]

had a thorn in my one finger two years ago. straight in & could not get it out. swelled up clear to my wrist ,but it went down in time & now there is just a little bump where it was

 

[Chuck]

Jerry- Glad you came out all right, but I wouldn't recomend benign neglect for everybody. Ran a little sliver in my hand a few years back I couldn't get out. Thought it would work its way out in a day or two to where I could get it. Ended up with blood poisoning- pretty quick too. Not good. Doc had to cut it out, then I still had the infection.

 

[cowgirl580]

i noticed this was asked, but just for clarification for me... do you have russian olives or any sort of tree with spines or thorns on it? we had a calf with a similar bump one yr, he got into the russian olives along the river. poked a needle in it and drained all the puss then poured peroxide over it. fit as a fiddle a few days later. hope whatever you do works.

 

[Rafter E]

I will palpate the bump and look for a possible thorn, sliver or whatever, thats one thing I have kept in mind. More thorns here than anywhere I have ever been. Prickly pear cactus, mesquite, goatheads, the works. I'll disinfect it with iodine or peroxide after I figure it out.

 

[jerry27150]

thanks chuck, i don't have a lot of faith in doctors. seen to much of their not so good work( lost my father that way& almost one granddaughter if i hadn't figured it out myself) . if you can't diagnose it yourself you are out of luck anyway. dug down as deep as i could with nail clippers & then kept icthamol on it for a while. i figure i'll live or die on my own