Broken Penis vs snake bite in Angus Bull??

rn71953 · #1 09/04/07, 07:08 PM

Hello, writting for a friend, over the weekend she noticed her 6 yr old angus bull with his penis swollen and unable to retract she has been putting antibiotics in his feed but it's day 4 now and no obvious improvement, she called the vet and the local sale barn and was told it could be a snake bite but from the sounds of things his penis could be broken and she should just make hamburger meat out of him. The biggest problem now is trying to find a way to contain him to be really checked, the vet only sees them if they are already secured ,no tranqualizer gun available either so anybody got an idea?

Sunraven · #2 09/04/07, 07:10 PM

Put him in a chute. If you don't have one most large animal vets have portable ones...

Jan in CO · #3 09/04/07, 07:39 PM

Does she have the bull in with cows at the present time? Otherwise, how would the injury have taken place? I'd not put him down before he could be checked further, that's for sure. Maybe a check of local ranchers would have someone with a portable chute. Jan in Co

travlnusa · #4 09/04/07, 08:26 PM

Compare the value of the bull to the cost of treatment.

tinknal · #5 09/04/07, 08:27 PM

Does the swelling appear to be in the sheath, or in the penis itself. If it is in the sheath I would say it was snakebite, though I have never seen them snakebit there. Every snakebite I ever saw in a bovine was on the face or head.

I have seen a broken penis, and it's not a pretty sight. Also tends to make them mean. At 6 years old it might be best just to cull this bull, but that's just my opinion.

#6 09/04/07, 08:31 PM

I think tinknal has hit the nail on the head. While I have never seen an animal with snake bite, I have seen a broken penis and that sounds more plausabile to me. I don't believe it is fixable, and even if it were a snake bite there, I doubt that is good for the future of a breeding bull either. At 6 years old it is probably not worth the time or money you would have to put into him to get him better, especially when the odds are against it happening. Take your loss now, either eat him or take him to the sale barn.

Oxankle · #7 09/04/07, 09:56 PM

Only experience I can relate goes back many years. Bull got cut pretty badly trying to serve a cow across a fence. Vet cut it off short, it healed and the bull sold well at auction.

A bull with a badly swollen penis, obviously disabled, will not bring much at the sale.

Up North · #8 09/04/07, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rn71953

... she has been putting antibiotics in his feed but it's day 4 now

Do not send Bull to auction until the drug witholding period has elapsed.
Asto restraining him for vet, the following may be of interest to your friend:
www.palmercap-chur.com

rn71953 · #9 09/05/07, 08:00 AM

Thanks everyone, last night Lisa was able to get a hold of someone from the Cattlemans association and they are coming out today to see what the problem is and help her and the bull out.

JeffNY · #10 09/05/07, 10:09 AM

Could make for some comedy. Perhaps the snake was threatened by the bulls "snake", a battle insued. Or perhaps as bulls do, extend their genatalia, perhaps the snake felt threatened that way?

Broken penis sounds like the ol bull needs better target practice.

Jeff

ozark_jewels · #11 09/05/07, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffNY

Broken penis sounds like the ol bull needs better target practice.

Jeff

We once sold a nice 4 year old Jersey bull to a dairy. They made the mistake of introducing he and another bull into the hiefer herd at the same time. Our bull was breeding a heifer, the other bull got mad and shoved him off sideways while he was still inside.......broken penis was the result. He was hamburger.

tinknal · #12 09/05/07, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffNY

Could make for some comedy. Perhaps the snake was threatened by the bulls "snake", a battle insued. Or perhaps as bulls do, extend their genatalia, perhaps the snake felt threatened that way?

Broken penis sounds like the ol bull needs better target practice.

Jeff

It happens. This is near and dear to me because I (along with a very good cow horse) once possibly saved a mans life from a bull with a broken penis. I remember the event like it happened yesterday, even though it happened in 1982. We tried to drive the bull to a corral in a very large pasture ( 6000 acres) . He balked up on a side hill. I roped the bull and my ranch foreman went to get the truck and trailer. He parked facing uphill. We were tryin to get the bull in a position where we could pass the rope through the trailer to pull him on board. I lossened my dally at the same moment the boss decided to slap the bull on the rump. The bull ( hurting, angry, and frustrated ) turned on my boss. I was uphill from the bull, horse standing sidehill, bull and boss running downhill. I dallyed with the knot of the rope against my thumb. The bull hit the end of the rope, the horse ( being an incredibly astute specimen of the specie) knew what was coming. I held, the horse held. I thought the horse was going to go over. He didn't. We trailered the bull.

Great memory.

ericakc · #13 09/05/07, 11:10 AM

My parents have a bull that had a swollen, extended penis. "Looked just awful" according to mom. Dad took him to the vet. The diagnosis was an abrasion. Give him a couple of months off and he should be good as new. I would guess he got a dose of antibiotics but don't know for sure. Hopefully you get lucky with your situation too.