What could this be???

[Oakshire_Farm]

My 4 1/2 month old Jersey heifer has a puffy, swoolen vulva this am??? The whole area under her tail is all puffy. She is swooshing her tail lots and is not very happy about me pooking at her. Her vulva has alot of poop on it because the swelling is not leting it fall like it should.

I am calling the vet right now, any one have any ideas???????

She is not exposed to a bull at all, she lives with her mom, older sister, 2 holstein steer calves (4-6 months old) my 2 horses, llama, goats and chickens.

[agmantoo]

You need to wash all the manure off and see if flies have layed eggs and that there are maggots in the flesh.

[Oakshire_Farm]

The vet will be here at 11, I took a good look this am, no fly eggs. I will see what the vet says, and keep you all posted?????

[Oakshire_Farm]

The vet said she had trama to her rectom????? He asked if she has been near a bull, I showed him my 2 steers, he agreed they most likey didn't do it. His only other guess is she was scratching her rear on a tree and got a pook from a branch??? He said there is no cut just a iritation??? He gave her a antiinflamitory shot and a long acting anitbiotic. Said to keep a close eye on her.

I also asked him about my goat, she is a 8-10 year old lamancha, she has been bagging up over the past few weeks?? He expressed milk and said that if I wanted goats milk I could start milking her. aparently it is not uncommon for goats to be "virgin milkers" she has not seen a buck in the 3 years I have had her. But some times their hormones tell them to make milk and they do???? Now I have to keep a close eye on her so she dosn't get mastitis????

[Welshmom]

Oakshire Farm,
forgive me if I sound very crude, but, well.......
Do you have any teenaged boys around?

It's something you should eliminate as a possibility. And it is far, FAR more common than most people want to think.

Again, hope I didn't offend, but if you were talking to me personally, this is what I would raise as a possibiity that could explain both. Perhaps.

[gone-a-milkin]

Not just teenagers, to be fair.

And it (sadly) IS more common than people would like to think about.


THAT ASIDE!
Cows get poked by branches plenty often too. They rub on trees, they get bit by bugs, stung by bees, scraped on fences, etc.

Good luck with your heifer, and your goat too.

[Oakshire_Farm]

no boys around here! I am guessing it was a tree?? the only other option was the steers?

[sidepasser]

Unless steers act like geldings (another reason I don't keep geldings) as some geldings will continue to try to mount mares and act studdish around them. I don't know about steers though.

[Cliff]

Any neighbor boys?

[Oakshire_Farm]

nope, nobody withing a km with cows??

the only males animlas on our farm is my stallion and my gelding, and my llama and the 2 steers. If it was my stud or my gelding, they would have killed her! My stud is a Shire, and the gelding is a ShireX she is just a tiny little 4 1/2 month old jersey. It could not be the llama, because they breed laying down, they are not "built" to get it done from a standing angle. I am guessing that it was a branch??? The vet said that there was no cuts or leaisions, just trama.

The swelling is all gone and she is not puffy anymore. She is happy and lets me pet her again! lol I could not get near her for the rest of that day and most of the next day.

[Ronney]

Are you sure she wasn't in heat? Jersey calves can be sexually mature at a very early age.

Cheers,
Ronnie

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by Ronney

Are you sure she wasn't in heat? Jersey calves can be sexually mature at a very early age.

Cheers,
Ronnie

Kinda what I was wondering.....Jerseys can and do easily start cycling by 4 months old. But surely the vet would know that??

On the goat/virgin milker. She isn't truly a "virgin milker" as she has had kids in the past. I'd milk her if you have any reason to use the milk. Lamanchas make very good milk. Probably dump the first several milkings just like you would if she had colostrum.
But yes, you'll need to watch her close to make sure she doesn't get mastitis if you don't intend to milk her, especially since the vet expressed milk.....he really should have teat dipped her after expelling the plug......
Your neighbors don't have goats do they?? It is possible and does happen that goats can breed through fences.

[PNP Katahdins]

Is your llama an intact male? Llama studs used as sheep flock guardians can kill ewes by trying to breed them and squashing them to death. I would think it could happen to a heifer too (llama trying to breed them, not the squashing maybe).

Peg

[Oakshire_Farm]

I have noticed that she is acting like she is in heat already. My llama was gelded years ago, he used to get down on his nees and try to breed goats, but that was before he was gelded, he has no sexual interest in the goats or the adult cows now, so I cannot see it being him.

Back to the goat thing, I have no interest in milking her, I have jersey milk so no need for the goats. I am keeping a close eye on her for mastis, when I first got her she had a bad case of it that was left untreated. My vet lives about a a km down the road from me so if she starts looking bad I can call her.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by Oakshire_Farm

I have noticed that she is acting like she is in heat already.

Estrus(especially in young heifers) can cause swollen irritated vulvas in cows. Could be your reason and the reason why it went down quickly.

[Oakshire_Farm]

I wish I had of taken a picture... The vet did a internal exam and he said that the inside walls of the retom was very irritated feeling?

The swelling has all gone away now I am going to keep a close eye on her 21 days from the that I had the vet out? She was very irratable when she was swollen. If it sweels up next month I will be sure to take pics to show you all!

I am so glad that I stubbled on this site!!! It is such a great place for help!