injection site swelling

[kwebb]

I worked my cattle two weeks ago to get some steers out for sale. While I had them caught, I vaccinated a few that I'd missed in February.

One of them has a knot where I injected her with Ultrabac the size of a grapefruit.

One other one has a knot a little larger than the rest.

I've always had a golf ball sized knot that will sometimes persist up to a couple of months. But this one with the grapefruit on her neck is bothering me some. Doesn't seem to be bothering her at all.

Input from the experts?

Thanks!

Kevin

 

[Sundancer]

If it is soft, lance it. Force out the "cottage cheese", give a little antibiotic and it will heal nicely. I've not experience a hard knot before.

 

[Kato]

Good advice.

If you stick a fairly large guage needle in it first, you can see if there is pus in it before you lance it. If you lance it, make sure the hole you make isn't so small that it seals up again. If so, it will just fill back up again. The idea is to get it to heal from the inside out, so it doesn't re-form. It doesn't hurt to flush it out with a syringe or two full of water when you are getting the pus out either.

I wouldn't bother with a small lump though, unless it was an obvious abscess.

Do you see this happening a lot? I know some clostridial vaccine is just terrible for bumps and lumps, but they are usually reactions, which go away on their own, not abscesses. Ultrabac usually isn't as prone to bumps as some other ones though.

 

[Faster horses]

In the back of my mind, I seem to recall the bumps have to do with
the adjuvant of the vaccine.

I know that Ultrabac leaves more bumps and knots than Vision 7 and it is
because of the adjuvant. Vision 7 boasts *SPUR*
as theirs so that may be part of it.

Hope this helps.

 

[sic 'em reds]

I use Ultrabac and have never had a bump. Not to say it doesn't happen because of the adjuvant,

Might need to make sure you stay under the hide and not in it when shots are given.

 

[kwebb]

Yes, I see small knots everytime I vaccinate or the vet does. Don't know what causes it.

I will catch her and mess with it a bit to see what it feels like. She seems to be doing fine with no ill effect and I am apt to let it work itself out if it doesn't bother her or change much. If it's obviously full of pus I will drain it and give her some L200.

 

[Jeannie]

I worked my cattle two weeks ago to get some steers out for sale. While I had them caught, I vaccinated a few that I'd missed in February.

One of them has a knot where I injected her with Ultrabac the size of a grapefruit.

One other one has a knot a little larger than the rest.

I've always had a golf ball sized knot that will sometimes persist up to a couple of months. But this one with the grapefruit on her neck is bothering me some. Doesn't seem to be bothering her at all.

Input from the experts?

Thanks!

Kevin

I would leave it alone unless it ruptures, in which case I would flush it out with iodine on a regular basis until healed, possibly give an antibiotic(depending on how the heifer is acting), and watch for infection.

 

[Ben H]

Our State Vet likes to lance it in a cross pattern.