Help request--keeps cutting teats

[Vere My Sone]

Jersey with large droopy udder
This was the only dairy cow within 3 hours of me for the last 5-6 years of looking....I know it's not what you'd buy if there was a choice
She has a wonderful personality
I was hoping to get a replacement heifer Jersey/angus cross from her before things get too bad for breeding her
Of course, this first calf was a bull...sigh

Anyway, she is constantly cutting up her teats
I'm assuming by getting up after laying down

What's the best way for treating her teats and preventing this from constantly happening

My aim is to be able to turn the calf out with her at least during the day

I suppose there is one upside....he's nicely halter broke

Thanks in advance for all the advice other than sell her and buy a new cow, cause that's out of the question

[Paula]

Is the calf still nursing?

[Tad]

They make foam rings that attach between the foot and the due claw, should solve your problem. Sorry I don't reacall a brand name. We use them on large bagged cows as they are about to freshen. Hope it helps
Tad

[evermoor]

Trim the dewclaws if they are excessively long, toes too. I have heard that thhose rings work. Nasco sells them last I knew. Or you could try one of those udder supports, ie cow bra. as for healing use triple antibiotic creme, zinc bacitracin creme, or some of the stuff for diaper rash. I sometimes miss a concoction of wound heal powder and vaseline, and aloe.

[Up North]

You could also try a cow support (big bra for cow). They sell them in Nasco. They also sell those foam rings that Tad suggested. www.eNasco.com/farmandranch
If she just freshened the problem may just go away on it's own when the swelling in her udder goes down.

Heather

[Paula]

The reason I asked if the calf is still nursing is that older calves, especially bulls, can cut up a cow's teats pretty bad with their teeth. It tends to happen when they butt real hard with a teat in their mouth. With this problem you get vertical cuts in the teat, sometimes just one, sometimes a few, perpendicular cuts if more than one tooth digs in.
This looks different than the cuts made when a cow is stepping on her teats.

[Vere My Sone]

Thanks for all of the replys

Yes, he is still nursing-2 1/2 months old
He does butt hard, which I have been wondering if that would make her udder worse
there are some small vertical slits recently, but those weren't too much of a concern, like the deeper cuts

I've been seperating them at night since the first cut which was just a couple of days after calving

I've been using an udder balm
hydrogen peroxiding the cuts once a day, then using the purple antibacterial, then a non-stick pad and taping her teats--with the udder balm, the tape doesn't stick too tight

if there is a bad cut...
the calf is kept off and nurses twice a day on the healthy teats, which is treated and hand milked twice a day at the beginning, then tapering off to once a day
all 4 teats are taped after nursing, the calf is seperated and Norma is turned loose in the lot at the barn

If all is going well, then jr is turned with her during the day and they both go out to pasture
They both come in at night, jr is shut up, teats are taped for prevention and Norma has the barn lot for the night

[dcross]

You could wean the calf and dry her off if she's not milking real heavy. If you use one of the "bras" be careful where it crosses over their back, they like to rub there and cause a sore.