Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 7:42 pm
Feeling very bad about this!
When we got the Dexters from Beryl in February, the older one had some warts which spread pretty quickly. Nothing too serious - just unsightly. We researched and were told that all would be well and given time they would disappear of their own accord - which they have done, mostly.
The younger one had no warts but given their proximity I expected her to get some but that they would fall into the same process of 'give them time and they will disappear'.
About the time of our TB test in May I thought that the younger one had a supernumary teat so got the vet to have a look while she was here. Her diagnosis was that it was a small wart and that it would disappear in time. I kept an eye on it and there seemed to be little growth.
They were due to go to the bull in the summer but we decided that they seemed a bit small so would leave them until next year.
Business called and I have worked abroad in 2 week chunks since August, (away for 2 back for 1) coming back a week ago to find a large warty mass hanging from her udder. Large as in 4-5" x 3" in diameter.
They are running with other cows from a local farmer and so have become harder to get close to for a good look so got them all in for the vet to look at her today.
Once in the crush it became clear that her whole udder is covered in warts whith the large warty mass hanging from the back half. We could only find one teat (which gave off a clear liquid) but could see what we thought was a teat in the middle of the warty mass. Vet diagnosed viral papilloma and what is far, far worse is that the middle of the mass is necrotic (the smell was terrible) so it is rotting from within.
She is now on three large doses of antibiotics two days apart to try to stop things getting worse and the rot spreading north as he says the next stage will be mastitis.
She seems well enough in herself and they are both back in the little barn where they acclimatised when I first got them and are happy on fresh straw and lots of hay. Happy to have head scratches etc.
The outlook is fairly bleak according to the vet. Give her about 1-2 months to see if she improves and the warty mass drops off otherwise, as it is inoperable, we would have to make the big decision. He udder is so covered in warts that even if they ut off this mass he felt that another wart could grow rapidly to a similar state. I have asked about taking some of the wart and making the special injection but their opinion is that it is no better than 50/50 and they can come back very quickly as well.
I am very, very upset about this - one of Beryl's and I have let her down by not acting in time - thinking that it would come right. Pure total inexperience.
The vet says that her udder is unlikely to be able to suckle a calf. I guess if she got through this we could bottle feed her calf.
All the glib comments about livestock and deadstock don't count for much when you feel you have let them down - something I have never done for any animal before.
So to all of you who may be newer to cows than me (not that hard as we have only had them for eight months) and have waded through the story. DON'T WAIT - ACT.
When we got the Dexters from Beryl in February, the older one had some warts which spread pretty quickly. Nothing too serious - just unsightly. We researched and were told that all would be well and given time they would disappear of their own accord - which they have done, mostly.
The younger one had no warts but given their proximity I expected her to get some but that they would fall into the same process of 'give them time and they will disappear'.
About the time of our TB test in May I thought that the younger one had a supernumary teat so got the vet to have a look while she was here. Her diagnosis was that it was a small wart and that it would disappear in time. I kept an eye on it and there seemed to be little growth.
They were due to go to the bull in the summer but we decided that they seemed a bit small so would leave them until next year.
Business called and I have worked abroad in 2 week chunks since August, (away for 2 back for 1) coming back a week ago to find a large warty mass hanging from her udder. Large as in 4-5" x 3" in diameter.
They are running with other cows from a local farmer and so have become harder to get close to for a good look so got them all in for the vet to look at her today.
Once in the crush it became clear that her whole udder is covered in warts whith the large warty mass hanging from the back half. We could only find one teat (which gave off a clear liquid) but could see what we thought was a teat in the middle of the warty mass. Vet diagnosed viral papilloma and what is far, far worse is that the middle of the mass is necrotic (the smell was terrible) so it is rotting from within.
She is now on three large doses of antibiotics two days apart to try to stop things getting worse and the rot spreading north as he says the next stage will be mastitis.
She seems well enough in herself and they are both back in the little barn where they acclimatised when I first got them and are happy on fresh straw and lots of hay. Happy to have head scratches etc.
The outlook is fairly bleak according to the vet. Give her about 1-2 months to see if she improves and the warty mass drops off otherwise, as it is inoperable, we would have to make the big decision. He udder is so covered in warts that even if they ut off this mass he felt that another wart could grow rapidly to a similar state. I have asked about taking some of the wart and making the special injection but their opinion is that it is no better than 50/50 and they can come back very quickly as well.
I am very, very upset about this - one of Beryl's and I have let her down by not acting in time - thinking that it would come right. Pure total inexperience.
The vet says that her udder is unlikely to be able to suckle a calf. I guess if she got through this we could bottle feed her calf.
All the glib comments about livestock and deadstock don't count for much when you feel you have let them down - something I have never done for any animal before.
So to all of you who may be newer to cows than me (not that hard as we have only had them for eight months) and have waded through the story. DON'T WAIT - ACT.
