What is this??

allenslabs · #1 05/09/12, 07:26 PM

This calf is about 8 weeks old and his belly has looked like this pretty well the whole time. I bought him straight from a dairy. He had a couple of bouts with scours to which I treated with SMZ tablets and got him cleared up. He is eating and drinking good and has a decent amount of energy. But he was acting a little lethargic for some time. I gave him some penicillin thinking it was naval ill but am not sure. It kinda feels like it's hard but not terribly hard. Almost has the shape of a large testicle or something if that makes sense. Just wondering if I should be worried....
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Hespa · #2 05/09/12, 07:40 PM

It could be an umbilical hernia. Are you able to gently push it up into the abdominal cavity? If so, can you feel a hole in the "muscle"? If so, it is a henia that needs to be taken care of. If you can't push it up in, then you are probably dealing with a navel infection. If that is the case, you will need to give the calf pencillin for ten days at double the recommended dosage. (This is instructions from our vet when we have had a calf with a navel infection.) A navel infection could also lead to a hernia if left untreated. When our heifer calves have a hernia, we get an elasticon wrap from our vet. After you have pushed the protrudane into the abdomin, you will need to place some like a piece of heavier cardboard against the belly an then wrap it snuggly with the elasticon. Generally after approximately three weeks, the hole should have closed up. Sometime the wrap slides towards the back legs and you may need to re-wrap it again. If it is a large hernia where you can place several fingers in it, the calf will probably need surgery as the opening is just to big. Is your calf running a fever? If it is over 103, I would give it antibiotics. If it is respiratory, pencillin is probably not the best choice. For that, Nuflor or Draxin would be better. If it is from something else, then penicillin may be the drug of choice. More often than not, it seems that scours and pneumonia go hand in hand.

allenslabs · #3 05/09/12, 07:44 PM

No, no temp or scours at the moment.

agmantoo · #4 05/09/12, 09:07 PM

Scroll about 2/3rds of the way down the page here and see the navel ill pic
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Hespa · #5 05/10/12, 09:16 AM

That is good that he is not running a fever. Can you push "it" up into the calf's body? If so and the hole is not larger than one or two fingers big, you should be OK wrapping it and then waiting about three weeks to remove wrap and check for closure.

myersfarm · #6 05/10/12, 09:29 AM

All I can say is pushing it back in

IF the rib bones or the cartilage are sticking out sharp you can cut the guts on the bones by pushing them back in...yes I have looked at two of them after they died and they were sharp edges ....

.vet says to turn them over on back and let the guts FALL back in on there own if they will...

I have tried everything to hold it back in nothing seems to work for me

cartilage takes a long time to grow the calf grows faster and the belly gives one way or the other ...strap would slip to the front or back...hope you find a way and will tell me

the vet can do a operation but cost here $150 thats all the profit so I do not buyone like that anymore why they are cheap

myersfarm · #7 05/10/12, 09:33 AM

here is video of vet fixing it...more than I would do...yes I do most things on my farm to cattle but thats way over my head wife is a RN

allenslabs · #8 05/10/12, 07:04 PM

OK....so looking at that pic from agmantoo...I am thinking naval ill...if that is the case....what do I do? I felt around and stuff and no, it doesn't seem like it goes "back in".

Hespa · #9 05/10/12, 07:19 PM

If navel ill and navel infection mean the same thing, our vet would have us give the calf about twice the dosage of penicillin for 10 days. This will clear up the infection but it will take some time before the belly will look normal.