Question

reilig

I have a pedigree Limousin Heifer that I hope to sell at a pedigree sale in 6 to 8 weeks time. Lovely heifer off Millbrook Tanco, but I have an issue. She has started to scratch her head and remove the hair off it. It started several weeks ago and I have removed everything that she can scratch off in the pen. But now her head looks a bit ugly. There are several bare spots on her. Its not ringworm. My vet told me that scratching is very common this year and appears to have come through the ration feed as he says that it only happens with cattle that are being meal fed. He gave me a small bottle of iodine solution for it and I have to put it on once or twice with a paintbrush.

Has anyone any experience of this? I'm worried that the iodine might scald or burn and prevent regrowth of hair?? Is there anything safer that I could put on to prevent her scratching and promote hair regrowth?

Also, what's the policy on clipping a pedigree heifer or bull's head? I think she might look an awful lot better if I clipped it now and let the whole lot grow back evenly over the next 6 weeks. Opinions??

Any advice appreciated.

Shauny2010

I have a heifer the very same, on her forhead she has lost big patches I was putting it down to ringworm though which seems to be very widespread this year

Muckit

I've very limited practical experience, but what I've read up about grooming, giving the head a good clipping now is a good idea.

Clip the face and the big 'mop' on the top of her pole. Also down the the front of the neck (dewlap and brisket) It'I set her wider at the front.

At the back I'd trim the top part of her tail tight and a stripe about 3" each side of the tail on her back end. Trim any stray hairs on the inside of her legs. It'I giving her a 'fuller' look at the back.

You want to trim her so that she's looking as flat along her top line as possible, (as my aul lad says, 'as flat as you'd nearly lie above on her!'):)

Also her underside. Trim all this hair off. Don't come up too fair on the side though and lamke sure to feather into the hair on side as seemlessly as possible! Short hair will have come back on her underneath in 6 weeks, but it'I good well and set her up off the ground.

Best of luck with her Reilig. Where to you intend to sell her, Roscrea? Or is there a mixed PB sale in Carrick coming up?

Edit: As for the losing hair problem, letting her out to a paddock near the house/shed would be the ultimate solution. I found myself, be it a ring feeder or a barrier, there's alaways somewhere for them to be scratching off!

reilig

Muckit wrote: »

I've very limited practical experience, but what I've read up about grooming, giving the head a good clipping now is a good idea.

Clip the face and the big 'mop' on the top of her pole. Also down the the front of the neck (dewlap and brisket) It'I set her wider at the front.

At the back I'd trim the top part of her tail tight and a stripe about 3" each side of the tail on her back end. Trim any stray hairs on the inside of her legs. It'I giving her a 'fuller' look at the back.

Also her underside. Trim all this hair off. Don't come up too fair on the side though! Short hair will have come back here in 6 weeks, but it'I good well and it'I make her look tall instead of stuck to the ground.

Best of luck with her Reilig. Where to you intend to sell her, Roscrea? Or is there a mixed PB sale in Carrick coming up?

Thanks Muckit. I'll try her in carrick. Either in the March or April sale.

LostCovey

reilig wrote: »

I have a pedigree Limousin Heifer that I hope to sell at a pedigree sale in 6 to 8 weeks time. Lovely heifer off Millbrook Tanco, but I have an issue. She has started to scratch her head and remove the hair off it. It started several weeks ago and I have removed everything that she can scratch off in the pen. But now her head looks a bit ugly. There are several bare spots on her. Its not ringworm. My vet told me that scratching is very common this year and appears to have come through the ration feed as he says that it only happens with cattle that are being meal fed. He gave me a small bottle of iodine solution for it and I have to put it on once or twice with a paintbrush.

Has anyone any experience of this? I'm worried that the iodine might scald or burn and prevent regrowth of hair?? Is there anything safer that I could put on to prevent her scratching and promote hair regrowth?

Also, what's the policy on clipping a pedigree heifer or bull's head? I think she might look an awful lot better if I clipped it now and let the whole lot grow back evenly over the next 6 weeks. Opinions??

Any advice appreciated.

Something is making her scratch - are you sure she doesn't have lice. Was she treated for lice.

Scratching cattle have lice until proven otherwise.

I would try a pour-on (maybe you have already, in which case ignore this)

LC

Juniorhurler

The boss man has a limousin pedigree bull eating 26lb a day of redmills 16% protein beef nuts. He is scratching like mad too and has bare patches down his flanks. When animals are eating a lot of meal a heat can come out through them and make them itch. Nothing to worry about but hard to groom them for pedigree sales.

LostCovey

Juniorhurler wrote: »

When animals are eating a lot of meal a heat can come out through them and make them itch. Nothing to worry about but hard to groom them for pedigree sales.

Wonder if its photo sensitization (spelling?).

I don't buy the heat generation theory.

LC

reilig

Juniorhurler wrote: »

The boss man has a limousin pedigree bull eating 26lb a day of redmills 16% protein beef nuts. He is scratching like mad too and has bare patches down his flanks. When animals are eating a lot of meal a heat can come out through them and make them itch. Nothing to worry about but hard to groom them for pedigree sales.

I wouldn't be too worried about the bare patches around the flanks if I was buying a bull. It just shows that the animal was fed inside. I'm sure like myself he has done him with pour on for lice etc. When they are inside they will scratch. Its just a pity that my heifer had to scratch her face, it just makes her look a bit ugly.

My vet had a similar theory about the meal except he said that it was probably a fungal infection (but not ringworm) carried by the meal because he said that he has only seen it in cattle being meal fed.

jeff greene

If your vet thinks it something in the meal, why not try a different meal to see if it stops. I have an automatic brush for my cows and they love it, I see brushes like this in some sheds that work well too, may be worth a try.

Cow%20brush-9%20900x600.jpg

Muckit

LostCovey wrote: »

Wonder if its photo sensitization (spelling?)

Pure pred charolais are definitely prone to this, not sure about limousine though. We'd a big pure bred cow that was off form last summer, she was outside. When we got the Vet he put it down to this, she was running a temp of 105, he couldn't understand how she wasn't dead!

Thought twas a funny phenomenon to present in Ireland, afterall they do originate in France which gets alot warmer temps!

pakalasa

Photo sensitization or UV sensitization - had a cow with it once too, she is nearly all white. She got if in late autumn after a good sunny spell. We didnt have sunshine for a long time before that (wet summer) so I put it down to that. VET blamed depletion of ozone etc. Very similar characteristics to Bluetongue, but udder is not affected.

Tora Bora

pakalasa wrote: »

Photo sensitization or UV sensitization - had a cow with it once too, she is nearly all white. She got if in late autumn after a good sunny spell. We didnt have sunshine for a long time before that (wet summer) so I put it down to that. VET blamed depletion of ozone etc. Very similar characteristics to Bluetongue, but udder is not affected.

I had an old Char x Shorthorn cow get what I thought was photo sentization last August. She was in a terrible state. Eye lids, nose, udder raw red, then turned purple black. Peeling mad, and dribbling from mouth.

Vet looked at her, said it was not really anything to do with exposure to sun or light in the main, but rather a certain kind of weed which can become somewhat toxic in certain weather conditions, and cause this kind of issue in 1 or maybe a couple of animals in the herd.

Took her out of that particular field and she started to improve within two days.

pakalasa

It wasnt a weed in my case, as it happened twice with her in two different fields. I'd just lock her up in shed during the day and let her out only at night. It always cured it. Also udder was fine, shaded from sun, I guess. She was in agony though, swinging head from side to side.