VETERINARY NOTES

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 71, Issue 1, 16 July 1945, Page 71

VETERINARY NOTES

The Dehorning of Calves

A T this season, when a new crop AT this season, when a new crop Ik of calves is being reared on many dairy farms, the question of dehorning frequently arises. The majority of' the dairy breeds of cattle in the Dominion are horned, and if a dehorned milking herd is desired, the horn development in the young calves must be arrested or destroyed, or else the animals require to be dehorned at a later age. There is no question of which is the better procedure, and again there is no question about the advantages to be gained from dehorning in the management and'general production of a dairy herd. It is remarkable how the hornless beef breeds have been developed in recent years, so that today there are Polled Shorthorns and Polled Herefords, in addition to the longrecognised Polled Angus and Red Polled animals. There is a distinct need for the development of polled dairy breeds, but, if these cannot be developed, there still remains the necessity of dehorning adult animals or of preventing the horn growth in the young calves. The large amount of damage to hides from goring, injury to udders, injuries from barbed wire indirectly due to goring, restlessness, nervousness, and lower production in such animals makes dehorning a necessity in a well-managed herd. The horned dairy bulls frequently become bad tempered with age, and many cases of injury to owners are recorded. There is some reason for objection to dehorning in the case of pedigree animals, but there can be no objection in the case of grade herds. The best time to dehorn is to begin with the young calf. The Operation There are several methods of preventing the horn growth, and any one of them may be used with equal success. When the calf is a few days old the horn buds can be easily felt with the fingers. The hair should be clipped off around the bud, and the rubbing of a moistened caustic soda or potash stick over and around the base of the bud will effectually destroy the horn-secreting tissue and prevent horn growth. In wet weather the caustic may be weakened and may run over the face; otherwise the operation should be quite successful. If there is any doubt of the success of the first treatment, a second application should be made at the end of a week.

If the calves are allowed to grow older before the operation, is carried out, the removal of the horn bud by means of a sharp surgical knife is recommended. First, clip off the hair around the horn bud, then raise the bud and skin with strong forceps and make a clean incision, removing the entire bud at its base. An application of Stockholm tar will prove useful in preventing bleeding and subsequent infection. After a few years’ treatment of heifer calves to be used for replacements, in the herd the entire herd will be polled and the necessity for periodical dehorning of milking cows will be avoided. ■ . '• ■ '< Castrotion of Pigs IN order to avoid the formation of castration abscesses, strict cleanliness should be observed in the piggery when this operation is being carried out. It is necessary to clean the site of operation, to use a clean, sharp knife, which has been sterilised by boiling for a few minutes, and to

place the pigs in a clean sty or a clean pasture afterwards. The incision should be made sufficiently large to ensure good drainage from the wounds, no pockets being left ( where clots or infection may be imprisoned when the skin wound heals up. The incision should be made at the lowest point when the pigs are in the standing position, or at the highest point if the pigs are being held on their backs during the operation. This will assist drainage from the wounds. : , It is advisable to castrate the pigs at the age of three weeks, as the wounds heal quickly in young pigs. Strong antiseptics, such as iodine, salt, kerosene,' or sheep dip, should not be applied to the fresh wounds, as the burning effect causes the young pigs to endeavour to remove the irritant immediately, which in too many cases leads to direct contamination of the wound. Use. either a non-irritant antiseptic (chinosol, or boracic in water) or none at all, or simply apply a dressing of Stockholm tar. Post-castration abscesses should be avoided when these 'suggestions are followed. i . ■’ . : ~ [Bulletin 230, “Castration of Pigs,” is available free from offices of the Department of Agriculture at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. It is a well-illustrated and invaluable guide to this very important aspect of pig management.]

Ringworm in Calves Z~XNE of the skin diseases frequently ONE of the skin diseases frequently encountered among our domestic animals is that known as ringworm. Although the disease may attack man or any of the domestic animals, it is . most commonly seen among cattle, the condition being most prevalent among young stock, such as calves and yearlings, and in cattle in poor condition. Ringworm is a contagious disease. Animals become infected by . direct contact with others suffering from the disease or indirectly from contaminated shelters, bedding or posts against which infected stock have rubbed themselves. The spread , among , animals is gradual, but it is much more rapid if a number are confined in a single pen. . Patches of various sizes may make their appearance on any part of the skin. The most common area for the lesions to develop is on the skin around the eyes and ears, and similar patches are frequently seen on the skin of the neck. The surface of the skin on these patches is greyish in colour and . presents a dry, scaly , appearance. - ’■ The cause of ringworm is a variety of fungi which lodges around the hair roots, the hairs becoming brittle and breaking off. The irritation brought about . by this parasite produces a thickened and wrinkled condition of the skin on affected areas. Many remedies are used in the treatment of ringworm, but before . any are applied the skin should be thoroughly washed with warm water,

soap and washing soda, the scabs being scraped off. This is done to allow the dressing to come in contact with the causal parasite. After removal of the scabs each patch should be dressed with tincture of iodine, applied with a stiff brush, making sure that every patch is thoroughly ' dressed. The treatment should be repeated twice further at intervals of five days. Immediately after handling animals affected with ringworm or dressing the skin the attendant should thoroughly wash and disinfect his hands, being careful that he does not touch any other part of his skin before this has been done. If this precaution, is not carried out there is a considerable risk that he may contract the disease. Marking and Tailing of Lambs IN the tailing . and castration of lambs strict cleanliness should be observed in the use of the knife. Very serious abscesses in the purse have followed the use of a dirty knife or the making of too small incisions, which do not provide adequate drainage. In this respect the removal of the, entire end of the purse, rather, than making two incisions, has much' to commend it. • It is said that such lambs do not provide a good cod when fat, but the removal of the end of the purse has much to commend it in regard to the reduction of scrotal abscesses. and tetanus infection. Tetanus infection is rarely seen in a large, gaping

wound; it is more commonly seen, in punctured or healing wounds, when the infection is protected from the light. It is a wise precaution always to use a fresh site for the marking of lambs. A few hurdles or a roll of wire netting should be used to provide a temporary enclosure for the operation. Old stockyards used year after year soon become heavily infected, and serious wound and joint infections have been contracted from such yards. Serious outbreaks of lameness and swelling of joints a few days after marking have been seen when old stockyards have been used. Strict cleanliness and the use of temporary yards will do much to avoid lameness and thereby prevent a check in the lambs.

Answers to Correspondents Dog with Throat Trouble “8.R.F.,” North Auckland: " Could you give me a cure for a dog which has thick saliva in the mouth, with quantities dripping out? He can’t seem to swallow anything; he picks food up and tries to throw it down his throat, which seems to be the trouble. He can’t keep still very long. . . LIVESTOCK DIVISION:— The symptoms described in connection with your cattle dog indicate the presence of a bone or similar foreign body . at the back of the

throat. A gag should be placed in the mouth and a careful examination made to locate the cause of the trouble; something in the nature of a forceps or long-handled pliers would be necessary for operating. Due care should be taken to avoid being bitten in the process.

Dairy Cows with Fractures “W.P.,” Riverton-Gummies Bush: About four weeks ago I had a purebred Jersey cow injured while in season. The injury is apparently in the hip, and it looks. to me as if a small piece has been knocked off the top of the bone. This piece can be seen and felt as a hard lump, about the size : of, my own knee-cap. No sharp edges can be felt, and the part can be moved about under the skin quite freely. The parts do not appear to be tender to the touch, but the . cow can scarcely put her foot to the 'ground. After four weeks there is very little sign of any improvement, and,l. am wondering if the cow will ever recover. . ' A second cow, also purebred Jersey,, slipped and fell in the cow-yard some two weeks ago; and exactly the same thing has . happened with her. Both cows are getting up in years, and were in good condition and milking well on G.O.H.T. I topdress and lime fairly heavily, and have been using plenty of boneflour and salt lick. Never in all my 20 years of dairying have I had a similar case. If there is a chance of recovery, I could dry them off for the season. If not, they may as well be destroyed now. I may add that the lick used is my own mixture, as recommended by the Department of Agriculture. Up till recently I have managed to get the bone-flour, but lately it has been impossible to procure. LIVESTOCK DIVISION: The injury you describe is quite a common one, but the piece of bone which has been knocked off and which can be felt movable under skin is hardly likely to cause the more serious result that you state. It seems likely, therefore, that there is some additional injury in the vicinity of the ball and socket joint. Nothing of any real value can be done for it, but it is surprising what result sometimes follows in the course of time, say three months. The result, of course, will depend on the severity of the injury, but even bad fractures sometimes make reasonably good recoveries, and the cow is eventually able to get about satisfactorily; sometimes there may be a slight limp, and

as the result of restricted activity some muscular wasting may be noticeable. If you thought fit, you should have the animals examined by the club veterinary surgeon. The fact that you topdress and lime fairly heavily and that you have been using plenty of bone-flour and salt lick is all to the good, but it is unlikely that the condition of either of the two cows has anything to do with a deficiency, because the accidents you mention would be liable to cause the injuries described, apart from the existence of a deficiency condition.

Scabs on Cows' Udders “D.A.J.,” Papatoetoe: I have two cows this year which have scabs (dry) upon the cavity where the udder joins the , middle of the belly. I have put on a teat ointment, but this did not avail. I have been washing twice a day with strong disinfectant, but the scabs are still coming and going. One cow seems to have an intermittent suppuration, right in the deepest part of the hollow on the udder. What is the cause or cure? LIVESTOCK DIVISION:— The part should be thoroughly syringed out with , a warm, solution of bicarbonate of soda and ' water until

the scabs can be removed. This

should be followed by dressing daily with the following powder:— Permanganate of potash, 1 dram. Boracic acid, 2 ounces. Animal charcoal, 2 drams. When using this powder a proper “blower” should be used to avoid any danger of the powder blowing back into the eyes.

Skim-milk to Calves Through Galvanised Pipe “J.5.G.,” Morrinsville:— Would you please let me know if you think it safe to pump skim-milk to calves through two chains . of fin. galvanised pipe, the branch to. be taken off a fin. line of pipe going to pig-sties about 3ft. behind pump. Water to be pumped -through after separating is finished, the calf pipeline to be dipped along wall of dairy and then underground, and up to iron drum. The pipeline would lie full of water until next milking. Number of cows milked, 100; number of calves reared, 30. * LIVESTOCK DIVISION:— The safety or otherwise of the pipeline in question would depend entirely on the degree of cleanliness in which it is kept. It would be advisable to clean out thoroughly this line before and after using, the water used for such purpose being directed into a drain and not into the milk drum.