Author Topic: Broken horn on ram (Read 21017 times)

Andrea · « **on:** December 28, 2012, 08:11:33 am »

i have a nine month old ram. he has short horns and one has broken ( snapped ) at the bottom, it must have been bleeding hard when i found him. ive cleaned it and put anticeptic on it. what else can i do for him ? thanks for any advise

jaykay · « **Reply #1 on:** December 28, 2012, 08:25:37 am »

That's it really. When you say antiseptic, do you mean something like Dettol, or the blue antibiotic spray? I'd be inclined to use the latter if you can get some (it's usually used for footrot, so it's good stuff to have about anyway)

I've had a tup lamb do the same recently. They bleed alarmingly don't they

But he was as right as rain in an hour or so, eating, curling his lip at the girls etc.

Yours will be fine too.

Andrea · « **Reply #2 on:** December 28, 2012, 09:04:19 am »

thanks jaykay. i was worried when i first seen him. you've put my mind at rest. i did use the purpel spray. thank you

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #3 on:** December 28, 2012, 10:11:56 am »

Awww, no, jaykay - your lovely boy lost a horn? Ah, well, I suppose it'll give him a rakish air, will it?

Fleecewife · « **Reply #4 on:** December 28, 2012, 11:24:21 am »

Just to clarify, there are two ways a horn can break off: either the outer covering comes off but leaves the living core behind, or that core is broken off too.

With the first option, the horn will eventually recover itself and grow, although it will never be the same size as the other one. While it's bleeding profusely, you can use (clean) cobwebs to help the blood clot (or a proprietary blood-stop powder) then spray with purple spray. In fly season you would also treat the area with Crovect or similar, once it had scabbed.

However, if the whole horn, core and all, breaks off, you have a potentially more serious situation. The horn core contains a major artery, which can stop bleeding on its own, but applying pressure for 5 mins will help. Then, the horn core is attached to the skull and sometimes a section of skull comes away with the horn core, leaving the animal with brain exposed. If this was serious it would need to be put down, but especially for a meat boy it may well survive. We had a Jacob tup lamb who did just that - broke his horn and we could see brain pulsing away through the hole. We applied pressure and rushed to the vet, who identified the artery and left my OH holding it tightly until the bleeding stopped. The tup was then bandaged up with a wonderful purple affair diagonally across the area - he was called JimLad, or aargh JimLad until he went off for slaughter some months later. The possibility of infection to the brain was always there, and of course further damage or flies, so he did need extra care.

Anke · « **Reply #5 on:** December 28, 2012, 03:02:30 pm »

Cornflour does the same thing, and you usually have some in the cupboard. I think it was Ballingal who originally told me... useful for goat kids too...

Plaster tar spray is also good in the middle of summer, seems to repulse the flies for a while.

Calvadnack · « **Reply #6 on:** December 28, 2012, 03:10:45 pm »

I use Elastoplast spray plaster - it's easier than cobwebs and very quick to apply.
My Shetland wether was mostly upset by the blood dripping into his eye - my OH just stood looking in horror at the amount of blood!

jaykay · « **Reply #7 on:** December 28, 2012, 10:28:14 pm »

It wasn't my tup Sally, but my not-properly wethered home-bred katmoget lamb.

That sounds pretty dreadful FW. Although I've had tups break their horns into the core and therefore bleed horribly, I've never had one actually break the skull too

Fleecewife · « **Reply #8 on:** December 29, 2012, 02:09:01 am »

There's something about Jacob sheep - we learnt just about everything we know about sheep from keeping Jacobs

Lostlambs · « **Reply #9 on:** December 30, 2012, 12:44:08 pm »

Had a borrowed billy goat that broke his horn right at the base. Ghastly sight to see first thing in the morning, thought he might bleed out as vet is an hour away. Got him there and he removed the dangling horn after sedating him(he gave him gas first because we couldn't get the intravenous line in) It was a holiday so I was the vet's assistant. The goat was having none of it and fought valiantly till he was knocked out. The examining room looked like a bloodbath had taken place, even on the ceiling. He also put antibiotic right in the open cavity. The goat recovered well, and is now the the single horned billy.