Help - calf with ear infection

We have an 8 month old heifer with an ear infection.  Noticed this evening with 1 ear droopy and a purulent discharge seeping from ear.  Got her into the chute and was able to clean the ear out and clip the long hair in and around her ear to let some air get at it.  Being the long weekend having trouble getting the vet on the phone for advice.  I have Oxytetracycline on hand...
Any one have a similar issue and what did you treat it with? 
This is a nice quiet heifer, good to work with.  I wondered about instilling some of the Oxytet into her ear...suggestions?

Give her an injection of oxytet at the recommended dose.  If you have Nuflor, that might be better since it won't leave such a bad knot.

Not sure where you are, but what did you find in the ear?  Infections don't start over night, and here it is ear ticks, by the ton.  The antibiotics are on track.  Careful about the hair clipping, it. Keeps rain water out of the ear. I'm betting you have a tick way deep,  work on the infection but a little mineral oil down the ear will usually take care of ticks.

Found this on a vet cite.  It should help
The most effective treatment of otitis is antibiotic therapy to treat the underlying bacterial infection, however gross examination of the ear should be completed before pursuing treatment, as the observation of mites would dictate a parasiticide treatment (ivermectin) in conjunction with an antibiotic. Drugs that are known to be effective against mycoplasma and are capable of penetrating into the ear include tetracycline, spectinomycin, tylosin, and fluroquinolones. Note that enrofloxaxin (Baytril) has been successful in treating otitis, however this drug is only FDA approved for use in respiratory disease. Effective treatment regimens range from 5 days to 2-3 weeks, and success is highly variable depending on the length of the infection and the pathogen involved. Flushing of the ear canal with dilute iodine or chlorhexadine is also recommended, particularly if the tympanic membrane has been ruptured. Treatment with anti-inflammatories such as flunixin meglumine may be beneficial in resolving the cranial nerve symptoms.

If you have the ear cleaned out well I have had good luck by mixing two cc's each of Dex and Penicillin in a syringe (no needle) and squirting it down into the ear. First dig around with your finger to clear any "gunk" from the inside of the ear. Good luck

.... ??? :-\ ???

stumpy said:

If you have the ear cleaned out well I have had good luck by mixing two cc's each of Dex and Penicillin in a syringe (no needle) and squirting it down into the ear. First dig around with your finger to clear any "gunk" from the inside of the ear. Good luck

Click to expand...

Well this could potentially be much worse than just an infected ear.  A culture has been sent to the lab today to determine if we are dealing with Mycoplasma bovis.  Pending those results we may need to look into BVD in the herd also.  The heifer has developed bilateral nasal and ocular discharge so very likely we are looking at a Mycoplasma respiratory infection    :'( 
There is lots of info out there, the vet is looking into things at this point.  Treating with Draxxin and watching the rest of the herd really closely...
Thanks for all your words of wisdom everyone.
Keeping my fingers crossed this isn't the "tip of the iceburg"!

So sorry to hear!    Keep us posted on how things turn out and on anything you learn.  Hopefully it will turn out all right for you and your herd    Good luck!

Maybe I'm missing something or setting myself up for ridicule here, but this type of "ear down with discharge" is quite, quite common with any type of respiratory issue with calves.  See it often.  Have never, ever treated the ear, as it seems more of a secondary issue. 

I would compare it to a common cold in people, and sometimes you have ear issues along with that. 

My treatment protocol involves either Nuflor, Baytril or Draxxin, along with Banamine.  Works nearly everytime and the ear issue should be gone within 24 hours....am I missing something?

husker1 said:

Maybe I'm missing something or setting myself up for ridicule here, but this type of "ear down with discharge" is quite, quite common with any type of respiratory issue with calves.  See it often.  Have never, ever treated the ear, as it seems more of a secondary issue. 

I would compare it to a common cold in people, and sometimes you have ear issues along with that. 

My treatment protocol involves either Nuflor, Baytril or Draxxin, along with Banamine.  Works nearly everytime and the ear issue should be gone within 24 hours....am I missing something?

Click to expand...

Yeah - a little bit - but not much  Mycoplasma pneumonia was first identified in dairy calves and one of the hallmarks of the disease is droopy ear(s) with discharge - since 2000 it has emerged as an issue in beef cattle. Mycoplasma also causes mastitis (dairy calves can get infected by drinking waste milk from infected cows), joint infections (arthritis) as well as pneumonia. In beef Mycoplasma infection is commonly associated with immunosuppression from BVDV or stress (ie comingling). Early intervention is the key to success - infected animals will harbor the bug in their nose for months, may require repeated treatments, and can develop chronic pneumonia. So basically the droopy ear and the ear infection is a sign that the calf has pneumonia - the eustachian tubes connect the nasopharynx to the middle ear - the infection goes down the tube, into the middle ear - not from the outer ear in, so the treatment involves systemic antibiotics (because the problem is systemic) not local ear treatment