Infection on a Dehorned Calf
Answered by: Kerry Hackett
Question from: Yoges
Posted on: February 26, 2007

My 7 month old calf was dehorned several months ago and the wound healed and the hair grew over it. Recently I noticed a foul smelling pus like drainage from the dehorned site. I opened the wound and washed it out with water,then used hydrogen peroxide to clean it and applied a betadine drenched gauze to the wound. What herbs can you recommend to treat the wound and to clear up the infection?

I am not an expert in the ailments of calves but you could try a combination of herbs such as St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and Plantain (Plantago major or P. lanceolata): equal parts of all three and then one handful infused in two cups of boiling water. Let steep fifteen minutes in a covered vessel and then let cool to lukewarm. Strain and dip a clean cotton cloth into the tea and apply to the infected area. Leave cloth on for as long as possible and repeat three times a day. Once the infection has cleared you could make an infused tea (same proportions as above and same schedule) of Calendula (Calendula officinalis) and Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) to speed healing.

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