Can a cow be sunburnt??

The Cuban

I have a cow that I noticed isnt right with a few weeks, her calf is has gone back too. I noticed that see tends to be alone from the herd and on Hot days like the last few she goes in an old cow cabin I`m thinking she must be effected by the sun but shes being doing this before the hot weather we are getting now. Her nose does seem like it has sunburn and blistered but surely a cow which is ment to be outside cant get sunburn ??
I had asked the vet about her a few weeks back and he more or less dismissed the idea but now I`m not sure.
Any ideas what else it could be ???

greysides

Picture?


Cows do get an ailment colloquially called 'Sunburn'. But it's not. And it can be serious.

einn32

The Cuban wrote: »

I have a cow that I noticed isnt right with a few weeks, her calf is has gone back too. I noticed that see tends to be alone from the herd and on Hot days like the last few she goes in an old cow cabin I`m thinking she must be effected by the sun but shes being doing this before the hot weather we are getting now. Her nose does seem like it has sunburn and blistered but surely a cow which is ment to be outside cant get sunburn ??
I had asked the vet about her a few weeks back and he more or less dismissed the idea but now I`m not sure.
Any ideas what else it could be ???

We had a suckler cow few years ago with similar symptoms. Her nose was like sunburnt skin and peeled. She went a bit mad! Kicking the calf off when trying to suckle. Very flighty. Not really aware of her environment. Got the vet out.im not sure if he gave her anything but we did have to house her making sure she got no sun for a few days. She was fine after. Forget what he called it but could have been something like sunstroke. She was part Saler breed.

Milked out

Photosynthesisation I'd guess, would need a vet to see it, could take her off grass and inside given the week we look like getting

Liam McPoyle

A bull my uncle owned a couple of years ago that died of sun stroke so it is entirely possible.

ferger1

The Cuban wrote: »

I have a cow that I noticed isnt right with a few weeks, her calf is has gone back too. I noticed that see tends to be alone from the herd and on Hot days like the last few she goes in an old cow cabin I`m thinking she must be effected by the sun but shes being doing this before the hot weather we are getting now. Her nose does seem like it has sunburn and blistered but surely a cow which is ment to be outside cant get sunburn ??
I had asked the vet about her a few weeks back and he more or less dismissed the idea but now I`m not sure.
Any ideas what else it could be ???

Sounds very like photosynthesisation, have had a couple of cases over the years. Cows tend to dry up a bit and this may explain her calf going back. She should probably be kept in a dark shed as u said she tends to go into. It normally affects the white parts of an animal plus the nose and teats of a cow. My vet suggested I paint <MOD Snip> on the white parts of the animal, as the skin eventually goes hard and peels.

Im very surprised your vet dismissed it.

Oldtree

[MOD]

ferger1, if you wouldn't do it in the presence of a Department of Agriculture Veterinary Inspector or record it in your Animal Remedies Record, don't post it here.

[MOD]

onyerbikepat

Yep photosynthesisation. I had a cow with it once. Vet said to keep her indoors in the darkest shed possible and only let her out during the night.
I have to keep an eye on her during fine weather as it tends to flare up again and again.

heavysteer

very likely photosensitization. Basically something has probably happened to your cows metabolism making the light coloured areas of the skin and or mucous membranes (typically the nose and eyes) senstive to sunlight giving the appearance of sunburn with accompanying peeling of the outer layer of skin if untreated. In the few cases I've seen the animal will appear quite sick with this and should be seen by the vet to alleviate its discomfort. Generally the disease can be caused by either the animal eating some unusual plant that causes 'photodynamic elements' to be present in the skin which will cause the inflammatory reaction you're seeing. Alternatively it may be due to somesort of liver malfunction or damage (eg from eating ragwort). Either way your vet on seeing the animal would normally prescribe some sort of anti-inflammatory treatment, and please don't take my word for it as I'm not a vet; have your animal seen by a vet and with appropriate treatment a quick recovery should be possible.

freedominacup

We had a heifer that got photosynthesisation a couple of weeks ago. Vet reckoned she got access to a plant called st John's worth. We treated her white areas with spray on after sun for a few days. She was in for a week as well. Large dose of anti-inflamatories, iv antibiotics and painkillers.

milkprofit

freedominacup wrote: »

We had a heifer that got photosynthesisation a couple of weeks ago. Vet reckoned she got access to a plant called st John's worth. We treated her white areas with spray on after sun for a few days. She was in for a week as well. Large dose of anti-inflamatories, iv antibiotics and painkillers.

Have one or two every year if not too sick keep in dark can let out at night
If back is raw sudocream is best llidl or aldi
Sometimes have large tubs

_Brian

Lost a calf last summer, vet reckoned he fell asleep in sun and just lay there too long.
Had plenty if shelter where other calves had moved to.

agriman27

Is that not the same thing as brown snout I had a yearling heifer with it a month ago?

_Brian

agriman27 wrote: »

Is that not the same thing as brown snout I had a yearling heifer with it a month ago?

That's my understanding.

Base price

Over the years we have had cows and weanlings suffer from photosensitisation.
It is not uncommon.
In my experience they were either Simmentals or offspring of the same crosses.
Vet used to give an injection of some sort of antihistamine (I think) if we caught it early enough in the year and it would cover them for the summer and they were ok for the year.
Other than that the treatment was - in a shed by day and out to graze at night - with additional application of factor 30+ sun cream to all the effected areas - muzzle/nose, neck/withers, topline etc

Greengrass1

I remember gearing before if they have a bad shot of liver fluke they are more pron to sun burn

Charliebull

Yes they can get it, had a cow get it in 2012, and there was no sun that summer, take the calf off her as her teats are prob burnt too and she won't let him suckle, dark house for a few days and out at night and treat her, she will come right, it's a plant she ate that causes it

Oh and sack your vet ASAP

solorpower

Does sound like a sun problem alright, had 2 bullocks with something similar, vet treated them and put the in out of the sun.
also had a ewe with it, and her daughters had the same issue. A lad in kildare chilling sorted them out very quickly, no need to keep breeding the problems....

alex64

Brought a heifer in this morning due to this. Skin starting to peal off her back. Vet gave a few injections said leave her inside for next 2 weeks. Had this issue twice before over the years. Usually happens if they eat some dark green plant like doc leaves or ragwort etc..

The Cuban

Well here she is, I made a video of her shes constantly licking the sides of her mouth. er nose looks sore.Vet agrees its sunburn now :mad: 3 weeks later. Doesn't know if it will return in the future he recommends culling her

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6ZBw2d8VxI

onyerbikepat

Was she done for Liver Fuke during the winter? I often wonder is a weakened liver from Liver Fluke that causes it.

tanko

onyerbikepat wrote: »

Was she done for Liver Fuke during the winter? I often wonder is a weakened liver from Liver Fluke that causes it.

I had two black whitehead cows in the last few years with it. Vet gave them drugs which I can't remember the names off and I put them in a dark house for a week. They never recovered fully and wouldn't go back in calf. I sold them.

If a cow hasn't been treated properly for liver fluke it makes the effects of photosensitisation worse. The cow in the video looks like she is scouring but dosing her for liver fluke now might do her more harm than good. I think I'd be putting her in a dark shed out of the sun this week at least. Eating St. John's wort is usually the cause.

greysides

Cuban, that looks like Photosensitisation to me too. The cow seems annoyed by it. Check the skin of the nose and the skin high on the ribs on both sides for hardness and thickening. Hard to tell but it looks a bit like it from the clip. Cow needs housing.

Pasture looks a little on the boggy side. Check out Bog Asphodel Poisoning and the effects of eating Buttercups. St John's Wort is more of a woodland plant.

jt65

was she dosed for worms & fluke is she a bit dirty behind , eventhough the grass is quite strong


best get her indoors by day & get the vet , the cow looks to be stressed

whelan2

used to be a plant in the garden here will orange berries/flowers on it that would be out at this time of year. Would get 1 or 2 cows each year with a reaction to it after they had been in paddock beside garden, nose would go red and they would be irritable. We got rid of the plant and havent had any cases sine, must ask my mother the name of it

Charliebull

The Cuban wrote: »

Well here she is, I made a video of her shes constantly licking the sides of her mouth. er nose looks sore.Vet agrees its sunburn now :mad: 3 weeks later. Doesn't know if it will return in the future he recommends culling her

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6ZBw2d8VxI

My vet told me the same, I kept her and it never came back, last year she was out in that heatwave for 3 weeks and it never came back

greysides

It all hinges around eating a plant of a sort that will cause it as it is essentially a plant poisoning. Some cows won't repeat but a rare one will. I can only presume they develop a taste for a particular plant and repeat offend.

The Cuban

I don`t know if was caused by a plant, the farm (like an awful lot in the west) is infested with buttercups. I put it down to the wet winters we got. Other than that I didnt see any of the other weeds lads mentioned.
As for dosing, I changed my regime this year and waited till they had calved before injecting with trodax for liver fluke. I suspect that may have had an effect on her.
Anyway shes in by day and out by night (see goes into the shed in the morning herself!!)
Its a nasty thing for a cow to get though, My Vet is a bit hopeless and the cow thanks lidl for their aftersun lotion

greysides

Certain drugs can bring it on by acting on the liver but unless the dose barely preceded the affliction then I doubt it directly caused it. Some diseases have been implicated as causing it too. Theoretically, Leptospirosis (suspected with forms not in this country), Ragwort Poisoning (not the most noticeable effect), Malignant Catarrhal Fever (it won't be the photosensitisation you'll notice though) and heart failure (Endocarditis). There is also a congenital form possible.

Usually plants are the cause of the problem either through containing large amounts of the photodynamic agent(PDA), or indirectly by damaging the liver and reducing it's neutralising ability (as normal plants contain small amounts of PDA) and allowing the PDA to accumulate to levels where effects are seen.

sheebadog

greysides wrote: »

Certain drugs can bring it on by acting on the liver but unless the dose barely preceded the affliction then I doubt it directly caused it. Some diseases have been implicated as causing it too. Theoretically, Leptospirosis (suspected with forms not in this country), Ragwort Poisoning (not the most noticeable effect), Malignant Catarrahal Fever (it won't be the photosensitisation you'll notice though) and heart failure (Endocarditis). There is also a congenital form possible.

Usually plants are the cause of the problem either through containing large amounts of the photodynamic agent(PDA), or indirectly by damaging the liver and reducing it's neutralising ability (as normal plants contain small amounts of PDA) and allowing the PDA to accumulate to levels where effects are seen.

Malignant Catarrahar fever?

Thank. .

greysides

Don't worry it won't be MCF. It's very, very rare but there was a major outbreak where one farmer had a lot of losses which was reported in the IFJ, about 25-30 years ago. It's usually a sporadic disease and the other signs are hugely more dominant. Photosensitisation may not occur in every case.