Hardware in an animal

We had a bull get some hardware in him, so we stuck a magnet down him and loaded him up with antibiotics and he is now back on the mend. Is there any reason we should not keep him? Vet said get him back to normal and send him to town.

Depending on how sick he got, he should be fine to keep around a few more years.  If he was very sick (infection), he probably has some scarring, and it may shorten his life a couple of years.

If he is older, I would probably take your vets advice.  If he is young, I wouldn't worry too much.

HAB

The last cow that we had with hardware-- ended up having her whole repro tract shut down- and would never again breed... She attended the local reducers as well...

If you like the bull keep him and give him a repro. exam shortly B4 you turn him out then watch him for a few days to see if his libido is OK.
Again I will say that I think putting a $2.50 magnet in all breeding stock especially with all of the processed feeds that we use is a very cheap insurance against most all hardware cases. Think about the costs of vaccination programs.

You also have to becareful that when he goes to mount cows that the hardware doesn't move because it could possibly puncture the heart or anyother organ. I would get rid of him if he is back in decent shape.


Zak

Thanks for advice. He's a 3yr old, so we are probably going to keep him and get a semen test before too long.

kkisling1 said:

Thanks for advice. He's a 3yr old, so we are probably going to keep him and get a semen test before too long.

Click to expand...

When is your breeding season/ I would wait until just B4 you plan on using the bull. There's a long time B4 spring breeding season as of now. Things can change from now until needed. The only reason that I can think to test him now would be if you decide to replace the bull, you would have more time to find a suitable replacement.

Our breeding season doesn't start til May

You were pry told to get rid of him because of his relapse.  Good chance of heart damage from the hardware.

kkisling1 said:

We had a bull get some hardware in him, so we stuck a magnet down him and loaded him up with antibiotics and he is now back on the mend. Is there any reason we should not keep him? Vet said get him back to normal and send him to town.

Click to expand...

Hardware is a more generic term for anything related to cattle having a piece of metal (nail, wire etc) in the reticulum - when the reticulum contracts the object may be pushed out - depending on which way it goes it can cause a variety of problems - including peritonitis (infection/inflammation of the abdominal cavity), infection of the heart or its surrounding covering (endocarditis or pericarditis), into a lung (pneumonia) etc. Cattle are excellent at walling off infection so he may appear to be mending but could be a "disaster waiting to happen" or he could appear to be mending

So the questions I would ask are - how much do I like the bull? how much can I afford to have the bull die? How much can  I afford to not have a bull when breeding season starts? You might consider waiting the the withdrawal period is over and shipping him  - I would also suggest putting magnets in any replacement bulls and perhaps your cows - only have to lose one animal to hardware to realize a magnet  is pretty cheap insurance

Good luck