calf with swollen naval

[braunvieh]

We have a month old bull calf that looks like his naval is swelled. So, we caught him and the issue is with the naval. It has a hard area about the size of a ping pong ball  (all inside) and a little tissue exposed on the end that looks like an "outie" belly button. Is this a herneated naval? We were considering this bull calf as a show prospect, should something be done? The rest of the area seems fine, peeing normal, etc and the calf does not seem  bothered by it at all. Please help if you can!

 

[vet tech]

Try Nu-Flor

 

[randiliana]

That sounds more like an infected navel than a hernia. A hernia should be soft, and you should be able to squish the contents back into his belly.

What you have is basically an abscess, there should be a soft spot, or one should develop. If there is a scab, you can just pull it off and squish out what is in there, and then rinse with an iodine solution. If there isn't a scab you will have to wait until the soft spot develops (think of it as the head of a pimple) then you can open it there (cut it open) and clean it out and rinse with iodine. You cannot do anything until it develops a soft spot, and if you are really concerned that you don't know for sure that it is an abscess or infection you can stick a needle in and see what you can squeeze out of that before you cut it. If it is an abscess you will get pus.

 

[Freddy]

Hard to tell when I'm not there to see it  but sounds like what we call navel ill ,an that is infection from the navel cord an the cord will be hard part way into stomach.  We used Genocin at one time an would work real well, but if there is a scab where navel was open it an see if any infection you can squeze out, then put iodine in it, but if no infection in the navel cord it would be like the other post mentioned a abcess.  That bell button your talking about sounds like where the navel cord broke off. If real bad this can go into the joints an kinda cripple them, also have seen some that infected so bad an the vet had to cut them out an this can ruin them as being a bull.  If  this is what it is the way to stop it while calving is to put iodine in plastic gatorade bottle an put navel in it when new born an slosh it up against the belly an will stop infection.  w e do that with all our spring calves but we have a water table close to the ground  an seem's to help cause this.

 

[braunvieh]

Thanks for the replies. We got him in last night and gave him some penicillin so we will see what happens. It was not hard down at the naval, a little higher up. I think my hubby poked it with a needle to see if anything would come out and none did. Hopefully he will improve, doesn't seem to bother him at all right now.