Content
Cattle often suffer from skin diseases. And these are not lichens, although there are plenty of them. Various lumps and swelling in cows occur due to viral diseases and inflammatory processes. Even an oncological tumor is possible. A lump found on a calf in the neck or head area may turn out to be a relatively harmless abscess or a serious fungal disease. There are many options when a cow develops an incomprehensible bloating on her body.
Causes of cones in a calf or cow
A bump is a flexible concept. This word refers to both small hard formations with clear boundaries and soft swellings that gradually fade to nothing. There are many reasons for the appearance of certain “bumps”:
- allergy to parasite bites;
- inflammatory reaction to injection;
- actinomycosis;
- hypodermatosis;
- nodular dermatitis;
- abscess;
- inflamed lymph nodes in infectious diseases.
Sometimes the cause is determined independently if the appearance of the bumps is very characteristic. But more often you have to call the veterinarian.
Allergic reaction
The first cases of the disease are recorded in calves.The manifestations of allergies in cows are as different as in humans. This depends on the individual characteristics of the calves. Food poisoning manifests itself as swelling on the cow’s neck and lumps throughout the body. The latter go away on their own after eliminating the allergen. Edema is more dangerous, since with its further development the calf may die from suffocation. Also, an allergic reaction in cows is expressed in lacrimation and copious discharge from the nasal cavity.
The only truly working way to treat the disease is to eliminate the allergen from the environment. Without this, all other actions will be useless. Since it is difficult to find an allergen even in humans, calves with manifestations of the disease are usually sold for meat. Antihistamines are prescribed by a veterinarian. He also determines the dose for the calf based on its weight and age. Not all “human” antihistamines are suitable for cows. Some of them simply don't work, others can even kill the calf.
Provided that the lump appeared at the injection site. Otherwise, with a high degree of probability, it is an abscess.
It is rare for calves and adult animals to get bumps all over the body; this requires thin, delicate skin, but other signs of allergies are quite common
Actinomycosis
A fungal disease to which cows are most susceptible. The name of the pathogen is Actinomyces bovis. Belongs to the genus Actinomyces. The opinion that this is a fungus is present in Russian-language sources. English speakers indicate that it is a gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium. An anaerobic type of microorganism is pathogenic.
The causative agent of the disease is not resistant to high temperatures: it dies within 5 minutes at 70-90 °C. But at sub-zero temperatures, the bacterium remains viable for 1-2 years. In 3% formaldehyde it dies after 5-7 minutes.
Cases of infection are recorded all year round, but actinomycosis in calves most often occurs in winter and spring due to decreased immunity. The pathogen enters the cow’s body through any damage to the external integument:
- injuries to the oral mucosa or skin;
- cracks in the udder teats;
- castration wounds;
- when changing teeth in calves.
A distinctive sign of the disease is a dense lump (actinoma) on the cheekbone of a calf or adult cow, since the bacterium most often affects the bones and tissues of the lower jaw.
When the lump ripens, it opens and creamy pus begins to emerge from the fistula. With the development of the disease, an admixture of blood and pieces of dead tissue appear in the pus. The calf's general body temperature is usually normal. An increase occurs only when the disease is complicated by a secondary infection or the bacteria spread throughout the body. Animals lose weight if cones “grow” in the pharynx or larynx. The tumors make it difficult for the calf to breathe and swallow food. Self-healing occurs very rarely.
Treatment
An iodine solution is used intravenously. To treat the disease, penicillin is used, which is injected into a bump on the cow’s cheek for 4-5 days. Oxytetracycline has proven itself well. The dose for calves up to one year is 200 thousand units in 5-10 ml of saline solution. For animals older than 1 year, the dose is 400 thousand units. First, the antibiotic is injected into the healthy tissue around the bump on the calf's cheek.Next, the pus is sucked out of the fistula with a syringe and “replaced” with oxytetracycline. Course 2 weeks. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are also recommended. In advanced cases, they resort to surgery and cut out the entire lump.
Prevention
Calves are not grazed on waterlogged pastures. Avoid giving roughage, especially those with thorny plants, or steam it before distribution. The straw is calcined.
Characteristic location of the bump in a cow with actinomycosis
Hypodermatosis
A parasitic disease caused by gadflies of the genus Hypoderma. In common parlance they are called subcutaneous. The most common types:
- Hypoderma bovis;
- Hypoderma lineatum;
- Hypoderma tarandi.
The latter species is also called the deer gadfly. It lives in the northern regions and attacks mainly deer. The first two are bovine subcutaneous gadflies, but bovis is a European species, and lineatum is a North American species.
The genus Hypoderma includes 6 species. Parasites are not specialized. The same species lays eggs on any available mammal, including cats and dogs. But they prefer large animals. Botflies lay eggs on the legs of cattle. The breeding season for parasites is from June to October. Each female lays up to 800 eggs, from which larvae hatch within a few days.
The latter penetrate the skin and begin to move upward. The final destination of the “journey” is the back and rump of the cow. The journey lasts 7-10 months. This duration of the disease is already considered chronic. The last stage larvae form hard cones on the upper line of the animal’s body with a breathing hole in the middle. You can feel the nodules from February to July.The larvae live in cones for 30-80 days, after which they leave the host.
The death of animals is not beneficial for parasites, but during the course of hypodermatosis, livestock lose weight, cows reduce their milk yield, and calves slow down in development. After the larvae hatch and the holes in the cones heal, scars remain on the cow’s skin. This reduces the quality of the hides. Slaughter deadlines are missed, as it is not recommended to slaughter sick calves due to too much meat loss. Cones must be cut out when slaughtered. This way, up to 10 kg of meat is lost.
Treatment and prevention
Preventive treatment is carried out in September-November. Drugs are used that cause the death of the first stage larvae. Next, to prevent the spread of the disease next year, the herd is inspected in March-May. All livestock that was grazed last summer are checked.
It is best to feel the cow when examining. This way there is a greater chance of finding bumps in winter wool. Although the larvae usually “prefer” the back and sacrum, nodules can be found in other places. If, during a spring inspection, a lump is found on the cow’s neck, this may also be a botfly larva.
If nodules with breathing holes are found on animals, you must contact a veterinarian. He will prescribe drugs that destroy the larvae in the last stage and advise after how long you can eat products from treated cows. In case of severe infestation, parasites will have to be removed from the cones manually to avoid intoxication of the body after the death of the larvae
In the end, the larvae will emerge from the cones on their own, but before that they will greatly exhaust their prey
Lumpy dermatitis
A new viral disease originates from southern countries.Widely distributed in Africa and India. The main symptom is flat lumps all over the body of the calf or cow. The disease is caused by viruses related to goat pox. Both calves and adults are equally infected. The main carriers of nodular dermatitis in Russia are blood-sucking insects. It is believed that in southern countries the causative agent of the disease is carried by birds, in particular herons.
Livestock mortality accounts for only 10% of sick animals. But dermatitis causes significant economic damage:
- a sharp decrease in the quantity and quality of milk;
- weight loss in calves fed for meat;
- abortions, infertility and stillbirths in breeding queens;
- temporary infertility of bulls.
The first sign of the disease is the appearance of dry bumps. And anywhere, from the head to the udder and legs. The disease has been little studied. It is possible that the location of the bump depends on where the virus initially entered.
If you do not take action, the cones will very quickly cover the entire body of the cow, forming a kind of hard coating instead of skin. The rapid spread is explained by the fact that the virus spreads through the bloodstream.
Symptoms of nodular dermatitis
The latent period of the disease in natural conditions in cows lasts from 2 to 4 weeks. The acute form of nodular dermatitis is characterized by:
- temperature 40 °C for 4-14 days;
- lacrimation;
- refusal of food;
- mucus or pus from the mouth and nose;
- the appearance of bumps 2 days after the transition of dermatitis to the clinical stage;
- the appearance of nodules throughout the body.
In severe cases of the disease, bumps appear on the mucous membranes of the oral and nasal cavities, vulva and foreskin. They also often appear on the eyelids, scratching the cornea. Due to constant irritation, the cornea becomes cloudy and the cow goes blind.
Typically, nodular dermatitis bumps have a diameter of 0.2-7 cm. They are round in shape and clearly defined. In the center of each cone there is a depression, which turns into a “plug” after 1-3 weeks. Later the tubercle is opened. An unpleasant-smelling mucus oozes from it.
After recovery, the bumps disappear. Where they were, the hair falls out and the skin peels off.
Later they dissolve or turn into dry scabs, under which there is granulation tissue.
Calf with advanced form of lumpy skin disease
Treatment and prevention
Neither one nor the other exists in application to nodular dermatitis. Treatment of calves is carried out symptomatically, treating festering wounds with disinfectants. Cows are given a course of antibiotics to prevent the development of a secondary infection that penetrates through damaged skin.
Live goatpox vaccine is used to prevent the disease. But this does not always have an effect. There are no methods of passive prevention of the disease.
Close-up of dermatitis bumps, visible depressions in the middle of the bumps, which will later turn into detachable plugs
Abscess
Abscesses are common in cows and calves. Most often they occur due to injuries to the mucous membranes when eating roughage. Inflammation is also possible when the skin is damaged. Sometimes this is a reaction after vaccination. Practice shows that a hard, hot lump on a cow’s neck is an abscess in the initial stage. While the abscess is mature or deep, the lump is hard. As the abscess matures, the tissue becomes soft.At any stage, the tumor is painful.
If the pus “goes” to the outside, the skin at the site of the abscess becomes inflamed and hair comes out. But abscesses located close to internal cavities often break through. The latter is especially dangerous for calves, since the tumor can be very large and block the respiratory tract, and the animal can choke on the erupted purulent mass.
With the “internal” opening of suppuration, the inflammatory process often enters the chronic stage. A capsule forms around the source of inflammation, and the abscess lump appears hard on the outside.
The treatment is not particularly sophisticated. They wait until the abscess is ripe and open it, allowing the pus to escape.
The vacated cavity is washed with disinfectant compounds until the solution begins to pour out clean. It is not advisable to stitch the wound, as drainage is necessary. Dead tissue comes out for a few more days. In addition, the cavity must be washed every day. And sometimes several times a day.
Abscesses on the cheeks of calves and cows are often caused by damage to internal tissues when teeth are changed or improperly ground down.
What to do if a cow or calf has lumps on its neck
First of all, find out the cause of the appearance, since the method of treating bumps depends on the type of disease. The abscess is often heated to speed up its “ripening” and open. A lump on a cow's jaw may be an inflamed lymph node: a symptom, not the cause of the disease. And even in the “simplest” case, an animal affected by gadfly larvae, you will have to call a veterinarian. Without surgical skills, it is better not to open the cones yourself.
The only option when it is unlikely that anything can be done is a lump after vaccination. Animals react worst to anthrax. After this vaccine, lumps or swelling often occur at the injection site.
Conclusion
If a calf has a lump on its head or neck, the first step is to determine the cause of its appearance. Since it is unlikely that you will be able to do this yourself, you need to invite a veterinarian. In some cases, treatment of “bumps” must begin as soon as possible.
