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Faunsdale, AL | Not necessary to use antibiotics.
Greater than 90% of those can be lanced and will go away faster. Cow hide is tough and it can take a long time for the abcess to come to a head and rupture on its own.
Usually have thick yellow pus in it. If you are hesitant, you can tap it with a big needle on a syringe to confirm it’s pus instead of blood or serum. However if it’s not pus, it will soon be once you stick the needle through the contaminated hide into what was a sterile pocket before!
Young calves very often get those golf ball size abscesses on their jaw. When they’re on the side of the jaw, there’s nothing dangerous to hit as you’re lancing one. Under the jaw or in the inside, there’s arteries and veins etc that are close so caution is advised.
I usually put on an exam glove and grab a sharp scalpel blade with just about 1/2-3/4 inch of the point sticking out between thumb and forefinger. I slap it into the center of the lump. Once it penetrates the abcess I pull it to slash a large opening. You don’t want to make a small hole! | |
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Calf with Lump on Jaw
