9 month old calves dehorned yesterday by vet

countryfied2011 · #1 04/12/12, 08:21 AM

Can you tell me what to expect as far as healing etc. The steer seems to be faring well, he managed to get part of the bandage off the vet put on them. I put another gauze back on and loosely wrapped it with vet wrap. My heifer seems to be kinda of puny, she has ate a little this morning and drank a little. They both got shots and wormed, but the heifer got the bangs and whatever heifers need.

They both were shivering earlier, I covered the steer with hay and put an afahgan over the heifer, it got down below freezing this morning. I am sure part of the shivering could be from pain and the other from it going from high 70's and 80's and with all that happened to them yesterday. You can tell that my heifer just doesnt feel to good today. Would the shots be contributed to this also. I know with horses they are puny for a couple of days. The steer seems to be bright eyed, but I am worried about the heifer, she also has the diarrhea which she didnt have before the vet visit. They both are always so bright and happy...I feel so bad, I hope I never have to go thru the dehorning like this again...told DH if we ever have to do it again, it will definitely when they are babies.

What antiseptic do you recommend to keep on the areas, I sprayed some Blu-Kote this morning on the ones that the bandage came off, the heifer was bleeding a little bit(is this normal). Vet just said use whatever I had and to keep the bandages on there for 4 to 5 days also fly spray. I will be a nervous wreck until it heals. I was sick for a month when I had my stallion gelded in November.

Can you give calves banamine or bute paste to help ease the pain, like you can horses? TIA

TroutRiver · #2 04/12/12, 11:35 AM

If it's getting down near or below freezing at night, you should not need fly spray? Are there any flies?

We just had 3 yearling jerseys dehorned, and yes, it is brutal. We won't be doing it again.

Honestly, unless there are flies around, which there shouldn't be, I would not bandage it. It's important for the wound to be able to stay dry and drain if necessary. Keeping it wrapped up will not allow it to do those things, and it will be more likely to get infected

If you can, you should get some alu-shield spray (can get it at TSC) and use that instead of blu-kote, it gives the wound a protective covering but will allow it to breathe better than a bandage.

As long as they are still eating and drinking, they should heal up within a week or two. If they stop eating, they may need antibiotics, but otherwise they should be ok. If you notice a lot of drainage coming from the wound, you can flush it out with betadine/water, but the best thing to do would be to spray it periodically with alu-shield and leave it alone to heal on its own. Some bleeding for the first few days is normal, even a little bit of pus draining is normal, you don't need to get worried unless there is A LOT. Cows are WAY tougher than horses.

You can give them banamine for a few days to help with pain. I would cut the daily dose in half and give it twice a day.

Breathe

They will be ok.

countryfied2011 · #3 04/12/12, 11:58 AM

Thank you TR, we do have flies, the reason why it got so cold last night is we had a cold front come thru, but it has been hot enough lately to bring out all the flies. I will go to TSC and get the alu-shield. I didnt really like the bandages on there and I know the calves dont either. Do you have a suggestion to keep the flies away. I know they use to make a fly repellant for wounds called Caltron but the last time I was at TSC it didnt look like they carried it anymore. I do have some Swat that you can use on wounds for horses but it doesnt say anything about cattle.

I will take the bandages off just as soon as I get back from TSC. I put them out earlier to get some sunshine, but just as soon as i did the flies started attacking. The vet put some pour on fly repellent on them yesterday but it is not helping around the head. I have put them back in their stalls.

MO_cows · #4 04/12/12, 12:07 PM

Oh, I hate dehorning day too.

We have never had to treat a dehorned animal after the vet left. He scoops the horns out with a big tool like a bolt cutter. He cauterizes with an electric iron for bleeding, and then sprays the holes well with some kind of wound treatment in an aerosol can. Really coats them. We also give a tetanus anti-toxin at this time. We dehorn prior to weaning, this seems to minimize the stress. Never had any get infected or act like they didn't feel OK after 24 hours.

If you can get it done in time, the hot iron on the buds is a good way to de-horn, IMHO. A friend of ours does it this way at a couple months old. It stinks and there is some squalling and bawling, but it is over quickly and the calves bounce back within the hour.

I wouldn't try to keep bandages on unless your vet tells you to. Get a good wound spray and coat them well. This wards off infection and also flies. The shivering and going off feed could be from the stress of it all, but might want to take her temperature too.

Vickie44 · #5 04/12/12, 12:38 PM

There is a paste you can use when just a day or two old , much better then gauging or cutting. Burning isn't to bad .

Just think of the massive headache these babies have ! They will feel ucky for a few days

allenslabs · #6 04/12/12, 12:51 PM

Burnt three today. Guess it's better than the cutting as that is hard on them too. At least with the burning they are good within the day or at least by the next day. I just hate it though...but better than getting their heads stuck cause of the horns I guess.

countryfied2011 · #7 04/12/12, 02:16 PM

Ok, I am totally freaking out here, how do i keep the flys and maggots out of the holes? You cannot believe how much I hate maggots and they literally make me sick to my stomach.

I sprayed them with the alu-sheild, do i also spray it in the holes?

Now they look like aliens! I didn't realize there would be holes like that, maybe this is why the vet bandaged them. He said he normally doesn't bandage them. I gave both of them banamine, the heifer seemed like she felt a whole lot better once I took all that garb off her head. I just wonder if she is going to be like one of my mares who sulks every time you do something to her. She will sulk an hour or two if you ever stick wormer or pain medicine in her mouth. She walks around with her head hung down wont even take a peppermint. You would think you were killing her.

Do the holes close up? It makes me want to stick something down in them to keep them from getting dirty or whatnot. How do keep stuff like hay and dirt out of them?

If I had to do this over, I just dont think I could go thru it again...

I have dealt with some serious wounds with my horses with dying meat, proud flesh, stitches, hand and arms up mares butts etc...but nothing like this.

Cheribelle · #8 04/12/12, 05:18 PM

Yes it is Awful, and Yes the holes will cover over. Usually what I have seen (if anything) is a pat of cotten over the hole. it always falls off, but does offer some fly protection for a day or 2. Trust your vet, that's why they get the big bucks

They will forget it LONG before you do!

Cheribelle · #9 04/12/12, 05:22 PM

Oh yeah, don't put anything In the holes! That is the sinus cavity and will drain. Hope this helps!

Allen W · #10 04/12/12, 06:49 PM

We always stuff a little wad of cotton in the holes when we dehorn, just enough to fill the hole in the skull. It will scab over and peal off later when the horn has healed. Best thing to do now is just leave them alone.

Dad says they only lost one calf from dehorning he ran almost a full mile and died. That was when they just cut the horns and turned them back out with out stopping the bleeding.

countryfied2011 · #11 04/13/12, 01:19 AM

Thanks everyone for being so supportive and for telling me what I need to do. I finally just went to bed yesterday afternoon around 4pm, I was making myself sick with worry..

Quote:

They will forget it LONG before you do

they probably have already except for the aching. I dont think it will be something I will ever forget..lol

I just went out to feed and check on them, they seem to be doing well, they were both laying in their stalls chewing cud. Goober the steer ate his grain all up, Precious the heifer, ate but not quite as robust as Goober. I noticed yesterday that she would eat some and then quit but would eventually eat it all. So she had a little left before I left the barn.

In the morning after the sun comes out and the dew is off, I am going to put them back out, will try to stick some cotton in the holes before i send them out. Might give them a little bit more banamine just depends.

thanks again

Carol K · #12 04/13/12, 06:14 AM

you may be better to keep them in a dark barn during the day and turn them out at night if flies are a problem down there.

Carol K

countryfied2011 · #13 04/13/12, 06:52 AM

Thanks Carol, I was thinking the same thing when I woke up this morning and it is suppose to get up to 70 today so i am sure the flies will be out.

Vickie44 · #14 04/13/12, 11:19 AM

Glad all is getting better!

ozark_jewels · #15 04/13/12, 04:16 PM

We just had 12 of our calves dehorned last week also. Our vet does not bandage and I have to say, the ones I've seen bandaged on other farms had more fly issues than the unbandaged ones here have. We have had her do them on and off for years(ones we bought still horned), never lost one. It is nasty and I cannot imagine *choosing* this over disbudding with a hot iron at a few weeks.
We disbudd all our own and the calves are up and bouncing immediately afterwards.

farmgirl6 · #16 04/14/12, 08:47 PM

I had a four month calf dehorned, and swore never to do that again, I would say it was harder on me than Olivia but not sure, she looked pretty miserable, with Annabelle I went out right after I got her and put some of that paste on her buds, didn't think it would work, worked like a charm! so much easier on both of us...but glad both were done, Norman still has his horns, tipped but he is very destructive on property at times (funny, very gentle with animals, but hellish on a gate!)

countryfied2011 · #17 04/15/12, 03:07 AM

Quote:

It is nasty and I cannot imagine *choosing* this over disbudding with a hot iron at a few weeks.

Quote:

I had a four month calf dehorned, and swore never to do that again

Me either! I am normally pretty good about doing my research on stuff, sometimes I get too "anal retentive" over things. But this time I didnt as so far as too really know what happens in de-horning, (honestly I thought it would be kinda of like trimming horses hooves but a little more invasive) not quite what I had imagined~. I wanted to wait until fall to do it because the flys had already started, but DH convinced me to do it now because the heifer had already accidently poked me about an inch from my eye right above my eyebrow. I went to set her feed pan down and she went to get it at the same time. I have been real careful to watch for the horns but it was one of those moments when you are not thinking and those are the times that could get you killed, or in my case an eye poked out. The vet said i really didnt need to do the steer since he would be going to freezer camp, but since that wont be until next year I didnt want any accidents. Any calves out of this heifer will definitely be dis-budded ASAP.

I have been putting a little gauze in and keeping them in the barn during the day, then when i let them out at night i take the gauze out to let it get some air. They both seemed to be doing ok and the heifer finally starting getting her appetite back yesterday..

I have been on vacation all week, but it sure doesnt seem like it...DH had two upper back teeth pulled Wednesday morning and then the de-horning with the calves that afternoon..then Friday DH's mouth started swelling and he has been in pain since. I think I finally got him all straightened out,yesterday with antibiotics and rinsing with warm salt water. We have spent the last two days planting the garden and I am pooped! Now I have to go back to work.....

fols · #18 04/16/12, 07:30 PM

We had a 5 month old heifer scooped 3 weeks ago, but our vet stretched the skin and sewed the holes up. That seemed to work well. We took the stiches out yesterday and all looks good. It was a little more expensive for the sewing, but worth it.
Of course out of last year's heifers, she's the only one we want to keep AND the only one who grew horns. It figures!
Diane