# Lump underside of jaw



## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

I have a few two week old bottle calves with a hard lump on the underside of their jaw, one looks like it would be an abcessed tooth, the other resembles bottle jaw like in sheep. 
They don't seem to be getting any larger, and the calves are eating well. Could this be a reaction to vaccines or something else? These are dairy calves who have not been on pasture.


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## Karin L (Oct 5, 2006)

I don't have much advice for that except go talk to your vet about it.

Usually, in most cases, an animal having a reaction to vaccines will have swelling at the injection site, not somewheres else.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

I had an orphan calf show up at the barn with a lump on the right side of the jawbone this Spring and I ended up seeing what appeared to be two fang marks from a snakebite in the center of the swelling. I've had critters get snakebit before and didn't have too many probs. This little heifer calf ended up going blind though. The lump went down after about a month. 

As far as lumps and abcesses go, I've had vets tell me two different things. One said don't worry about them and the other said irrigate it with a needle and syringe filled with iodine. I've had them live both ways and even without treatment. It just depends on what caused the abcess.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

When I lanced it on one of the calves in a few places all I got was blood. This one seems to be shrinking too. 
Wow lucky your calf did ok with a snake bite. 
That's not too likely here, but we do have plenty of spiders. A third calf that came from the same place(belongs to a friend of mine) has the same thing. We picked up seven calves all together. The affected calves are also the youngest.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Wendle, most jaw lumps are from calves learning how to eat hay. Their gums are very soft and that makes it easy for a splinter of hay to penetrate. Lance and flush with iodine. Twelve hours later squeeze and flush again with iodine....Topside
P.S. I forgot to mention if you decide to lance, squeeze the puz into a white cloth and examine it. You may find a thorne, hay splinter or whatever...good luck


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

Thanks Topside, that makes more sense. This morning both lumps have gone down considerably, but are still there, though small. I will try lancing and looking for pus.


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