#beef cattle

The girls are friends

Rectangle about to zoom

Standing surgery to remove an ulcerated wart from a show heifer.

To do the surgery, we restrained her in a headgate with the farmer holding her head as still as possible with the nose tongs, and I did a local block with lidocaine and gave her a shot of banamine for pain/inflammation. I also covered her eye on the surgery side and pet her to help keep her calm (she was used to being handled and enjoyed petting; for some cattle that would make them even more scared). Then Doc prepped the area as best one can in the field and used an elliptical incision to remove the small mass. She closed with PDS, an absorbable suture, so they won’t have to be removed later. She did great!

Cattle warts are a common, usually benign problem that is self-limiting, though recovery can take up to a year. They are caused by several bovine papilloma viruses, which are not transmissible to other species. Surgery is usually reserved for ulcerated warts, as in our girl here, or large warts in unfortunate areas, such as the genitals or udder, that prevent movement or breeding. There is a vaccine available, but it has to be given young, before exposure to infected animals or equipment has occured.