What is this?

[Stihlpro]

Had a question from the neighbor and can't answer it from the picture she provided.  She was combing her steer and found a scab near the flank.  Squeezed it and puss came out.  Squeezed again and this popped out.  Anyone have a clue what it is?  It's solid and attached, it now hangs down.

 

[knabe]

a teat?  just kidding.

 

[FutureBreeder2013]

When i checked the new calves at the dairy I often noticed calves with male "junk" with 4 small teats.

 

[Stihlpro]

I thought it might be a teat when they explained it but the location looks to far forward for that and they said it popped out of the skin when they squeezed.  It just seems weird.

 

[TYD]

any chance it was a worble but i have never seen one leave a sheath but the puss and it popping out sounds like one

 

[farmboy]

any chance it was a worble but i have never seen one leave a sheath but the puss and it popping out sounds like one

thats what I thought

 

[Stihlpro]

I'm gonna try and take a look at it.  Haven't heard of anyone around here (Western WA) getting warbles but it's worth a shot.  Thanks for the info!!

 

[jbw]

Not trying to sound dumb, BUT, what is a warble?????

 

[CAB]

From what I can see of it from the picture, it looks like a grub, but they usually exit the host along the topline of the back. Use to see them all the time B4 wide use of todays pour-ons. I haven't seen any for decades. Use to take a pop bottle and put it over the bumps on the cattle's back and hit on the top of the pop bottle to get them out.

 

[chambero]

We still get grubs every once in a while.  We worm our bred heifers in early June when we PG them, and apparently sometimes we are a little early and miss a heel fly episode.  We always worm them again in December and if they have grubs - it makes them come on out.  We had a few heifers this winter have grubs erupt.  Pretty gross popping those things out.  My guess is this is some kind of variation on them - whatever kind of bugs they have in that part of the world.

 

[Stihlpro]

It's a grub!  Thank for the replies! 

 

[chambero]

Tell them there is probalby more than one.  They need to put pour on wormer on all of their cows and within a month any still in the system will start coming out.  The grubs that don't come out basically start decomposing just under the skin and can cause some nasty abscesses that will need to be cut open.

 

[farmboy]

Not trying to sound dumb, BUT, what is a warble?????

like worms that get embedded in the skin and muscle. Squirrels get them a lot up here.