are my cattle being attacked?

dungfly

A number of my dairy cows returning from grazing have cut and broken tails ends and are bleeding. I tend to notice this in the morning milking. Is this a possible dog attack? This has happened about 5 times in two months. Or are there other animals that may do this? Or is ghee an innocent explanation?

ganmo

Could be crows pecking at the tails.
But I wouldn't rule out dogs

whelan2

foxes?

blackdog1

dungfly wrote:

A number of my dairy cows returning from grazing have cut and broken tails ends and are bleeding. I tend to notice this in the morning milking. Is this a possible dog attack? This has happened about 5 times in two months. Or are there other animals that may do this? Or is ghee an innocent explanation?

Could be a bacteria. I had this before they get this thing like a black ring on their tail and it just drops off. You never really notice it unless you get a smell like mortellaro. Just give it a bit of blue spray and their fine. Like you said they'll come in with tip gone.

dungfly

blackdog1 wrote: »

Could be a bacteria. I had this before they get this thing like a black ring on their tail and it just drops off. You never really notice it unless you get a smell like mortellaro. Just give it a bit of blue spray and their fine. Like you said they'll come in with tip gone.

The tip is gone in some cases but I have seen broken tails with blood on the tip and at about the last 1/3 of the tail.

Definitely Not Kovu

Are the cattle anyway wary or frightened looking in the morning? Because if they're not then I doubt they're being attacked.
On the off chance is there anywhere where they all gather during the night- shaded area or near drinkers- which has barbed wire? Have seen a couple of cattle here catch on them and take the whole tip off, one took half the tail and left blood halfway up the walls of the shed.

blackdog1

dungfly wrote:

The tip is gone in some cases but I have seen broken tails with blood on the tip and at about the last 1/3 of the tail.

Pretty sure you have what I had. If you clip all your cows tail you will spot it fairly easily. If you do this and see nothing and still have the problem I'd think it was something else like dogs.

realtec

Saw it happen with a bull at home, but vet said it was down to sh1t € on his tail drying out if I recall.

Hobby farmer

Surely if it was dogs or similar they would be really off form?

leg wax

keep a eye on the cows during the heat of the day, are they all in a group, if so some cows lie down in the big group and other cows are standing on their tails, simple.....:rolleyes:

jack o shea

It could be a virus call siobhan talbot if you are a glanbia slave worker........

corsav6

If it was dogs I'd imagine there'd be some evidence on their legs too, any scratches or scrapes noticible?

148multi

realtec wrote:

Saw it happen with a bull at home, but vet said it was down to sh1t € on his tail drying out if I recall.

Same here, had to amputate the tail above where the bleeding ulcer was, ring of dried dung during the previous winter caused it vet said. There was a kind of a kink in the tail where the dung was.

FluffyAngel

jack o shea wrote: »

It could be a virus call siobhan talbot if you are a glanbia slave worker........

I really hope thats not a real person ,let explain about the internet
(short version is ,everything comes back to bite you,note i don't mean porn)

_Brian

I'd say dogs.
We had one last year lost maybe 3 inches off her tail and another one with bite marks on back of legs, suspect neighbors dog but no proof.

Some blood when they lost tail.