Deep wound on weanlings back

patsy_mccabe

I went into the shed this morning to find a young, 4 month old weanling lying down in the passageway, at the door of the cubicle shed. Though it a bit strange, so went in and stood him up.
He had a nasty looking wound in the middle of his back, right over the back bone. It's about an inch wide and maybe an inch deep. You could see the white of the fat underneath. First thing that came to mind was rats. Would a rat do this?
Never seen the likes of it before. I put some of the blue Alamycin spray on it.

_Brian

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I went into the shed this morning to find a young, 4 month old weanling lying down in the passageway, at the door of the cubicle shed. Though it a bit strange, so went in and stood him up.
He had a nasty looking wound in the middle of his back, right over the back bone. It's about an inch wide and maybe an inch deep. You could see the white of the fat underneath. First thing that came to mind was rats. Would a rat do this?
Never seen the likes of it before. I put some of the blue Alamycin spray on it.

I don't think rats would do something like that...

Capercaillie

Keeping it clean is most important thing. Wash it out with salty water. If dirt in it, it will be difficult to heal up. Most likely got cut trying to get under something (ie gate).

patsy_mccabe

It's a completely fresh wound. It's deep, not like a cut at all. There is nothing I can think of in the shed, that could cause it.

RD10

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

It's a completely fresh wound. It's deep, not like a cut at all. There is nothing I can think of in the shed, that could cause it.

Could it be a wound that might been there a while ago that got opened again and gotten bigger without u noticeing it initially? Maybe birds pecking at it?? I'm not sure to be honest.
I dont think another animal standing on him either would inflict that kind of damage.
Main thing as said is to keep it clean anyway, maybe cut back a bit of hair around the wound so as to help it not get infected..u know yourself how dirty and dusty their coats can get inside.
You dont have any picture to get a look?

patsy_mccabe

Ya, it could be there a while. He's a PB Limousin, so dark red hair. What with the dark evenings now, hard to spot it all along.
I'll try and get a pic tonight.

keep going

any chance its a warble hatching or something like that

patsy_mccabe

Seems too big for a warble, buy maybe it started of as one and then got eaten out bigger.
It was dark this morning and I was rushing for work. I'll have a better look this evening.

pajero12

Give him a shot of course of aintibiotics, You certainly don't want an infection or abscess forming anywhere near the back.

Count Mondego

Probably want to be stiched!

idgni

I had the same problem with a Ram here this summer, Couldn't get it figured out,
eventually sussed it, It was a Magpie !!,

Blue spray in the wound and Archangel Tar to keep the flies away sorted the wound,
Lead poison sorted the culprit

Kovu

How's the weanling now Patsy?

annubis

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I went into the shed this morning to find a young, 4 month old weanling lying down in the passageway, at the door of the cubicle shed. Though it a bit strange, so went in and stood him up.
He had a nasty looking wound in the middle of his back, right over the back bone. It's about an inch wide and maybe an inch deep. You could see the white of the fat underneath. First thing that came to mind was rats. Would a rat do this?
Never seen the likes of it before. I put some of the blue Alamycin spray on it.

could it be the latch of a gate or something about that height with a sharp edge, longshot i know, had 2 weaning that got cuts on the lower leg last year, eventually figured out they were shoving their legs out under gap in door and buttom of sheeting was sharp

greysides

I've seen three cows with wounds that sound similar. Two belonging to the same owner, a couple of years apart.

In each case the area attacked was the top of the tail above the anus. Crows would peck at the area and just keep at it, damaging the nerves and opening a huge wide wound, while being ignored by the animal......

Worst one was the third one. The same tail bones at the top of the tail were removed leaving only the lower skin and muscle to hold the limp tail onto the cow.

Wounds tend to wide, deep and necrotic (decayed).

Answer, for cows, is factory after looking after the wound, although I removed one tail surgically leaving a 'bob-cow'.

patsy_mccabe

This is embarassing. You heard about the farmer that should have gone to Specsavers. Turns out it was just skinned, no depth to it. Too early and dark and me too sleepy.

Kovu

Haha sorry for bringing it back up so :D

However we all did learn that these things can happen so not a total loss to us. Glad the weanling is ok after all.