The description of lumpy jaw in cattle.

Hello friends, you already know I am about pets and animals in general on this page. Today, I will be talking about a disease that has a strong effect on cattle. Having the resemblance of what we call goiter in humans is what is termed lumpy jaw in cattle.

Lumpy jaw is a jawbone disease caused by a bacterial infection, it is caused by Actinomyces bovis, this causative organism penetrates the soft tissues of the mouth through open wounds which can be created by foreign bodies or rough coarse feeds, this bacterium can be found even in the mouth of a healthy cattle.

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A cattle affected with a lumpy jaw would have symptoms of permanent hard swelling on the jaw bones of cattle. The moment an infection is established, the bacterial by-products begin to break down the bone, and in response to the bone infection, the body then tries to repair itself to create new bone. This process then creates a honeycombed bone structure with tiny abscesses that are filled with pus.

With the progression of the disease, large cavities can open up, draining grainy pus, and due to the nature and the location of the disease, affected cattle may find it very difficult to eat and drink, with an eventual case of death.

The disease is a chronic one, with the clinical symptoms slowly developing. Initially, the swelling of the jaw bone is often painless, and the animals begin to show few clinical symptoms. Once the disease gets to an advanced stage, the lesions may start to affect the teeth and jaw positioning, leading to emaciation and inappetence.

The goal of treating actinomycosis is to destroy bacteria and then stop the spread of the lesion, but the size of the hard mass created will not regress suddenly. Sodium Iodide is the treatment of choice in ruminant actinomycosis, Intravenous sodium iodide is administered once and then repeated several times a day often at a spread of 7-10 days intervals.

When the clinical signs of iodine toxicity begin to develop, in the form of diarrhea, anorexia, coughing, diarrhea, and excessive lacrimation then the administration of iodine should be discontinued instantly. Sodium iodide has shown to be safe even for pregnant cows, presenting only very little risk of abortion. Consistent administration of antimicrobials which include penicillin, oxytetracycline, and florfenicol is a great recommendation. There is currently no vaccine to treat lumpy jaw

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In the case of handling an individual animal that has a lumpy jaw or disease outbreak, it is important to practice;

• Slaughter-affected animals if the case is an advanced one.

• If the animal cannot be slaughtered for welfare reasons, clinical conditions should be assessed by a vet and treatment should commence instantly.

• Try to identify predisposing factors and get rid of them instantly, even when it is only one animal that is affected.

• Examine animals with mouth symptoms and contact a vet if a lumpy jaw is a suspect.

Meningitis can develop in rare cases, meningitis is a severe infection of the membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord, this membrane is called the meninges.

References.

msdvetmanual.com/generalized

gov.mb.ca/agriculture/animal-health

farmhealthonline.com/disease-management

mountsinai.org/health-library