Diagnose This - Fluke?

SoJoMo

Has anyone seen this before?
Basically 5 heifers on a restriced diet to calve next month.
They each have various degrees of swelling at the brisket/bottom of the neck between the front legs.
It could be fluke but I always thought that fulke would show up under the jaws.
They were done with Closomectin at the end of August and I did them with Zanil at the weekend

mikeoh

SoJoMo wrote: »

Has anyone seen this before?
Basically 5 heifers on a restriced diet to calve next month.
They each have various degrees of swelling at the brisket/bottom of the neck between the front legs.
It could be fluke but I always thought that fulke would show up under the jaws.
They were done with Closomectin at the end of August and I did them with Zanil at the weekend

What kind of a feeding barrier have you ......wondering is is some sort of trauma/friction

bbam

mikeoh wrote: »

What kind of a feeding barrier have you ......wondering is is some sort of trauma/friction

Thats what I was thinking too..

Justjens

Are they carrying a lot of flesh? Had a few autumn calvers looking like that myself, seem to have reduced a bit now they are feeding a calf. I also have a few spring calving heifers that are a bit heavy and they have large dulaps.

To me it was a sign of a well fleshed animal, never seen one on a hungry beast!

Dont be daft

I've heard before that if the brisket is rubbing to much against the feed barrier this can cause heart failure.
With a swollen brisket like that I'd say they are rubbing a lot more than usual so maybe thats something to be wary of.
Maybe someone knows more about it, cos I'm not up to speed on it meself.

As for the cause I'd be thinking along the same lines as the rest, maybe a roughness or something protruding around the barrier.
We have had that before, but always isolated cases and never really hampered the animal. Unusual that they all have it.

dar31

Heard somewhere alright that it can be a sign of fluke
Ring your vet and ask him what he reckons no need for a call out.
Doubt it has anything to do with feed rails as the is no sign of any rub marks or hair removal on any of the animals
Closmectin is pretty useless, and the zanil will only be starting to work

Farmer Pudsey

I go along with the rest may be a hematoma that is bleeding inside the hide. Is it hard or soft. Put them up the crush and feel them to see if tender. Are they having to reach for there feed.This is one if you are unsure that it may pay to call the vet. If they had that much fat in the lap they be mud fat. Was the lap full of fat when they were housed or did this swelling arrive since they were housed.

SoJoMo

Thanks lad, so it's either -
Fluke:
Showed a young vet the fotos and he said that it could be a combination of Fluke and that they are on a restricted diet resulting in less protein and so retaining fluid.
Fat:
They're fatter than I'd wish hence the restricted diet - I didnt notice the swelling before they were housed (not saying it was not there)
Friction:
The barrier has angled uprights about 20 inches off the ground, I didnt think of the feed barrier as it has not changed over the years, but then again because they were\are getting feck all food I suppose they are stretching more than usual through the barrier.

Aye I'll crush them and check how hard\soft swelling it and maybe use a needle to puncture one of them, a quick check in the shed and one of them seemed more firm than soft but not hard

Closomectin - useless? - FFS - expensive crap so!

MfMan

SoJoMo wrote: »

Thanks lad, so it's either -
Fluke:
Showed a young vet the fotos and he said that it could be a combination of Fluke and that they are on a restricted diet resulting in less protein and so retaining fluid.
Fat:
They're fatter than I'd wish hence the restricted diet - I didnt notice the swelling before they were housed (not saying it was not there)
Friction:
The barrier has angled uprights about 20 inches off the ground, I didnt think of the feed barrier as it has not changed over the years, but then again because they were\are getting feck all food I suppose they are stretching more than usual through the barrier.

Aye I'll crush them and check how hard\soft swelling it and maybe use a needle to puncture one of them, a quick check in the shed and one of them seemed more firm than soft but not hard

Closomectin - useless? - FFS - expensive crap so!

It could definitely be friction; I had an animal with that last year, had swellings on several parts of his body, i.e. shoulder, back hip. Vet said it was haematoma and advised to leave him on his own without contact from other animals. He came right after 6-8 weeks. He was fairly tight in a pen with diagonal bars on the barrier which probably was a major contributor to the condition, what with others constantly rubbing against him. A pen with a horizontal barrier wouldn't be nearly as severe I'd say.

pakalasa

Years ago when we had a feed barrier in the silage slab, all the bullocks would get lumps on the front of their shoulders from trying to push it in to get silage.