When your cow gets creepy crawlies or other weird things...

First time you see lice or small viral infections on their tiny noses, a lot of cow owners may panic. When BamBam got the little round red ring on her nose, I was convinced she had ringworm or something worse. It started as just a small dot, and grew and grew. I called the vet in a panic and before the vet could come out…. more of the round rings popped up on her nose. I was certain that Pebbles would catch them and what about the horses, could they catch it as well?

Well, good news, most of those random, weird things come and go on their own and need no treatment. Best thing to do here is consult with your vet. At a minimum, give your vet a call and ask about it. They may decide they want to see little fluffy OR they may decide there’s no need and you can treat it at home.

Most of these little creepy crawly things can be treated with over the counter lice treatment. Your calves will be itchy and may have rubbed out big patches of fur. You’ll know the difference between just normal itching and massive itching which results in hair loss. You may or may not see the offending creepy crawly critters, but typically a few doses of pour on lice treatment does the trick. In fact, you may want to consider a regular, preventative lice pour during the winter when lice seem most prevalent.

Calves are also subject to catching some of the one-off viral infections which typically heal up on their own. These may look like small red bumps, red circular bumps, sometimes they may break open and ooze. Again, your vet is the best person to determine if this is something that will just heal on its own or if it needs to be treated.

I’d love to hear / see photos of some of the random little things your calves may have caught. Remember, it’s probably not a big deal, but ask your vet just in case.