3rd ill heifer

[Coldbrook]

This is my third heifer this year with this problem. The vets have never seen anything like it. Mostly occurs on one side of the face, swelling and possibly blindness. The white skin on nose and face comes off. The heifers were in different goups but adjacent fields. Any ideas?

 

[serf]

Snake

 

[Blue.]

Very localised for photosensitisation caused by St John's Wort,never seen it,but as posted snake bite?

 

[milkloss]

Creosote off a telegraph pole causing sensitisation? Seems localised.
We’ve got Snort. Caused by runuculus (type of buttercup). Pretty much fixed now though.

 

[Abacus]

We had a horse with something like that, the vet seemed to think it was a snake bit

 

[Jdunn55]

This is my third heifer this year with this problem. The vets have never seen anything like it. Mostly occurs on one side of the face, swelling and possibly blindness. The white skin on nose and face comes off. The heifers were in different goups but adjacent fields. Any ideas?View attachment 1140809View attachment 1140810

Adder bite, we've had 1 this year and 1 3-4 years ago. As the warmer temperatures become normal, the more likely we will encounter this sort of thing.

 

[choochter]

Creosote off a telegraph pole causing sensitisation? Seems localised.
We’ve got Snort. Caused by runuculus (type of buttercup). Pretty much fixed now though.
View attachment 1140812

how did you fix it?

 

[Jimdog1]

Not had one with a snake bite before but plenty with St John's Wort poisoning. Always just white haired parts affected. Horrible.

 

[Cuckoo's nest]

St Johns Wort, get one or 2 a year very painful to start with, give pain relief, skin will peel off but will recover.

 

[ollie989898]

Missus found this interesting. Reckons that might be due to an odd infection of the eye, possibly mycoplasma(??). Note how skin is peeling off where tears would run- down the face (+/- nose). Spread by flies so would explain more than one animal. Cows possibly immune but heifers naïve. Some possibly carriers??

 

[Whitewalker]

Poor animals, that's horrific to deal with, hope you get to bottom of it very soon.

 

[Bald Rick]

One getting a snake bite possible but three I would have thought unlikely as the bite is more likely to be on the cow’s nose and adders are reluctant to bite in most cases being shy creatures.

 

[David1968]

Photosensitivity. 100%

Caused by allergic reaction to something she ate (not necessarily St Johns Wort)

Give them a big multivit injection (40ml+, you can't OD them) and keep them out of the sunlight. If it's really bad, antibiotics as well to prevent secondary infections.
Main thing is get them out of the sun till they get over it. As dark a shed as possible.
Mild cases will heal and you'll never know it happed. Severe cases will still recover but can be left with bad areas of skin.

Be careful if they get temporary blindness as well. I've seen them become very aggressive.

 

[David1968]

Actually, looking at it again, I read down too quick and didn't realise the 2 pictures were different posters

My money's still on photosensitivity but it's unusual to be as bad on the nose and eyes but nothing elsewhere

 

[Jdunn55]

One getting a snake bite possible but three I would have thought unlikely as the bite is more likely to be on the cow’s nose and adders are reluctant to bite in most cases being shy creatures.

Normally yes,

However with the temperatures being up and down. Like they have been it confuses them, as rheure cold blooded they come and synbath in the sun.

With the frequent changes in temperature it makes them aggressive and irritable and they will strike at anything that crosses their path. Under the neck in both of our cases but legs aren't uncommon neither are faces and noses like you say.

 

[Jdunn55]

I would be happy to day with over 90% certainty the original post is from an Adder bite.

We usually have atheist 3-4 every year at dad's that suffer with photosensitivity, this year it was 7. They will be different to Adder bites and unfortunately I can distinguish between the two now with fairly good accuracy

 

[FarmerWasty]

Very localised for photosensitisation caused by St John's Wort,never seen it,but as posted snake bite?

Exactly this. Every year we seem to get a heifer that does this. Skin never cures, end up culling in the end.

 

[glow worm]

Photosensitivity. 100%

Caused by allergic reaction to something she ate (not necessarily St Johns Wort)

Give them a big multivit injection (40ml+, you can't OD them) and keep them out of the sunlight. If it's really bad, antibiotics as well to prevent secondary infections.
Main thing is get them out of the sun till they get over it. As dark a shed as possible.
Mild cases will heal and you'll never know it happed. Severe cases will still recover but can be left with bad areas of skin.

Be careful if they get temporary blindness as well. I've seen them become very aggressive.

+ generous application of Sudacrem on raw areas. We had one plant st John's want in field and all heifers teats peeled. Lucky they were dry and had time to heal before calving.