please..any advice on de-horning healing issues....

[redhen]

i had my pygmy doe de-horned 2 weeks ago..the actual surgery type..not just the hot iron...she is 5 months old... the vet said to keep it wrapped till it scabs over..well...i've been doing that...and also adding swat to her bandages..for fly control...but my question is..when i brought her home from the vet..she had these black crusts(i'm assuming..it was dried blood) over her horn places..which i didnt mess with...but this past week...when i take off her bandage..i notice the black(dried blood) is coming off(not all of it, but some)....and leaving the wound open..but i stopped the bandages 2 days ago..because...when i removed the bandages i had been noticing the wounds seem wet..(not bloody). ..but just moist..and i figured.."how is it going to heal, staying wet from being covered up with bandages?"..dosent it need to dry out?....so in the last couple of days i have kept the bandages off..and it does seem to be drying up a bit..BUT...now..my concern is leaving those wounds open?...please send me any ideas you may have...i dont want her to get an infection..P.S.....i have also been dabbing betadine on the wounds.....thanks, Wendy

 

[beefy]

assuming you dont have a bunch of puss in there and the flies arent getting to it i wouldnt worry about it too much.

 

[redhen]

there was a tiny bit of pus..thats was also a reason i took the bandages off..to try to dry it up...the wounds are pretty open though.. my concern is her getting an infection...so i dont know if i should still keep them covered?..thanks, Wendy

 

[CUDA]

I don't know diddly about goats, but I can say that blue kote spray works very well at disinfecting and protecting wounds. It is a must if you have animals in my opinion.

 

[redhen]

thanks cuda...blue kote spray?....i will call my local farm store and see if they have it..thanks again, Wendy

 

[helmstead]

You must must must keep those wounds covered. The holes are a direct route to the sinuses and can become VERY infected when organic matter gets in there.

www.goattalk.com has lots of posts from people who've done this dehorning method.

The suggestion I like the best is gluing pink eye patches (for cows) over the holes. I think they also advise to use a general systemic antibiotic (like PenG). The patches fall off on their own in about 10-14 days.

The scab you're seeing is dried blood and is like a clot. It will eventually slough off once the bone and tissue has had a chance to grow under the wound. As far as drainage, I believe the ick drains out the sinus cavities and through the nose...but you'd have to double check me on that one.

 

[redhen]

my god...helmsted....thank you so much!!.....i NEVER knew they were connecteed to the sinuses!..(why didnt the dummy vet tell me ANY of this!!)...god!..THATS why her poor face around her eyes are black and blue!!..i kept trying to wash it..thinking it was dried blood on her face...i just(before this post) brought her in and added more swat to her head....my god i am in a tizzy over this baby..she is my heart...and i hate myself for putting her through this!..so...should i being her in and cover it tonight..till i can get the patches?...i pray i didnt do something stupid..and risk her getting an infection...

..wendy

 

[helmstead]

Just keep an eye on her temperature...check it a couple times a day to make sure she doesn't develop a fever (or doesn't have one now).

If you feel like the wound is too wet, just dry wrap it with non stick gauze and skip the ointments. Use a drying spray instead...like Blu Kote.

From what I read - the initial healing takes about 4 weeks (ie the time you need to keep it wrapped up) but can vary by goat. It should be closed enough to leave it open by 6-8 weeks.

 

[Chatychick]

I would go to the feed store and buy Shut eye its basically for pinkeye ...I take the glue in there and a guaze patch and this way it keeps it covered and flys out and super glue burns the skin on goats. This type of glue dont its rubber like. its for cattle to stick over the eye. If its pus you are seeing I would give her some penicillian 2 x a day for 5 days to clear it up.
Changing the patches isnt that hard and it sounds like it is healing. Yep its manditory to keep it covered. I use also what is called Wonder dust ...its for horses and it will keep flys off also and isnt moist like SWAT. Its a blue powder and woks well. Just puff it on over the holes. You want to keep these holes as dry as possible. Like Kate said check her temp if it gets over 103 she is showing some signs of infection and will need either pen or BioMycin shots.

 

[redhen]

thanks guys...just read your posts...i bought blu-kote spray today....i couldnt find the eye patches....the wound still seems wet.(i think from the swat..maybe?)..so i am afraid to wrap it up..i am going to call another tractor supply store tomorrow to try to find the patches..and the wonder dust...i'm going to take her temp tonight also...thanks everyone..Wendy