Is this mange mites?

[Dahdo]

My four year old cow Tempo has two small areas (3 inch diameter) on each side of her belly, just in front of the udder, where the hair is gone and there are some scabs. The two areas are in almost exactly the same position on either side of the belly. The photo below shows the spot on her left side.

My guess at this point is mites, and it sounds more like mange mites than scabies mites from the description in Heather Smith Thomas book. Thomas suggests Ivermectin injectable or a topic insecticide.

Does any have a better idea what this is? If it is mites, do you agree with the treatment? She is pregnant and should deliver in a few days, so the treatment options might be limited.

Thanks,
Dave

Attachments:

[midhilldexters]

Is the hair missing, hard to tell from the pic as in that area the hair can be thinner. It may be wise to take a skin scraping into the vet. If its something like ringworm, which attacks in a circular pattern, then you will need a topical fungicide for it. Its an odd place to get ringworm though, although if you have other animals that have tried to suckle from her and they had it on the head or face it would make sense she has it both sides. The vet should be able to identify it real easy and it shouldn't be expensive if you take the sample to him.
Let us know what happens,

Carol K

[Gorignak]

I don't know cows enough to comment intelligently, but 40 years of other animals, and some knowledge otherwise has always had me looking for an external causal factor when SYMMETRY is involved.
Left/Right symmetry is more likely resulting from some external action.

That IS NOT saying that mites, mange, fungi, ANYTHING, is not the primary cause.
BUT, try and break the problem down to cause / effect / effect. You may have 2 problems...one a mite, and second, her rubbing on some convenient surface.

My $.02

[wvdexters]

I'm with Mike on this. Watch her and I bet you'll see her rubbing on something. She's scratching. Look for lice/mites and talk to vet. He'll probably recommend a pour on.

[Gorignak]

I HATE THE CHEMICAL SOLUTIONS...but, I use them judiciously. Our cattle were scratching incessantly....everywhere, and on everything.
What matched your problem was that where they could reach with their horns, they rubbed off the fur. Symmetrical patches that looked like matching crop circles on their sides and flanks.

ANYWAY...it is the perfect time of the year to use CYDECTIN...it is replacing the Ivermectins, WON'T kill dung beetles. And, it is effective on the various burrowing fly grubs.

ZERO scratching now...NONE....coats are glossy and the cows are far more content. By the way....I don't really know what they had.....lice, mites . They are cured and happy. Since we were doing this for the first time, we opted for 2 doses 30 days apart. AND, external parasites is a secondary use for Cydectin....it is the broadest spectrum, most effective wormer on the market today. I did our alpha cow a week before she calved with pour on Cydectin. I would abandon the Ivermectins, as they are becoming dramatically ineffective.

I hate the stuff.....but have to build up my natural preventions before I can abandon it.
RESULTS were immediate and dramatic..... Highly recommended

I hate the stuff so much, that I am going to take a second and comment on application.
vimeo.com/11107393

The video has nuggets of gold on ineffective use practices, resistance, and a condemnation of pour-ons. The condemnation is partly based on improper use and application practices.
Only 15% of the medicine reaches the target with a pour on. Proper application is essential. Accurate weight estimation is necessary....and, we add 10% to any weight measurement or estimation. POUR-ON.....in a VERY thin line that rapidly reaches the skin and does not travel down the sides where the animal can lick. The only place that is "lick free" is right in the center of the topline.
We use a 50 CC or 100 CC syringe without a needle, and drag the point tight against the skin as we apply. Effective restraint is essential, and application directly onto the skin is desirable.
If these rules are followed, I bet the effectiveness of the pour-ons is doubled.

[Dahdo]

The hair is mostly gone. She may be rubbing on something, but I haven't caught her doing it and I am out there 4-5 times a day...watching her pretty close anyway since she is due to calve 5/30. She is polled, but I have two yearling steers who are horned and have been brandishing them lately. When I first saw this on one side, my thought was that this was a wound from a horn, but a closer look and finding the same thing on the other side...didn't seem likely it was caused by one of the steers.

None of the other animals seem to have this, but I'll go out and take a closer look at them all this morning.

My vet is out till Tuesday. I am tempted to try the cydectin sooner than later, and just treat everyone at the same time.

Thanks for the help, I will let you know what happens.

Dave

P.S. Mike, just saw your additional info on application. Thanks, very helpful stuff.

[Dahdo]

Ok, quick update: the cow is NOT the only one with this problem....she just has the most obvious case.

All four of the other animals I checked had small spots of fresh blood showing in the same area...just above and slightly forward of the udder, or behind the sheath on the three steers I checked.

And here is the clue, there are small black flies landing on the spots. When I saw them on the cow, I thought they were attracted to the wound. Now I suspect they are causing the wounds and they are attracted to this area because of the thin hair and tender hide.

Are likely to be horn flies? I have put sticky traps, scent traps, parasitic wasps, and move between paddocks every 3-4 days. I usually put out DE in a burlap sack, but haven't got it out yet because I didn't think fly season had really started. What more can I do without going to insecticides?

[Gorignak]

All good preventive measures.....We find one of the synthetic pyrethroids and mix it strong with "Udder Butter" or "Bag Balm".....or just get a pound of Lanolin from a pharmacy and make your own salve.

I realize that the synthetic pyrethroids are not "organic"....but they are only a 2 on the Richter Scale of terrible chemicals. AND, you are spot applying them to a limited area. We nitrile glove up once a week, and rub the salve mix on the base of their horns. Works good.

I'm betting that an organic Pyrethrin could be found.....AND, I just got a 50 lb bag of sulfur to make lime-sulfiur for the fruit trees...I think I am going to mix up a salve with sulfur and try that also.

Keep us posted..... Remember, horn flies lay eggs within 10 minutes of the manure hitting the ground. We have increased our chickens.....AND....again, not a practice that I LOVE.... we give everybody about a cup or two of whole corn each day....MOST passes through intact, and the chickens, ducks, and pot belly pigs disassemble the cow pies fast looking for the gold.

Do a Google review of your fly types....I'm not so sure of horn flies in that mode...Any shift in climate....well, we are experiencing insects we have never seen before. AND, to add misery to discomfort, we have the flies that lay eggs that hatch into larva that bore through various organs, and even the spinal cord....BE Careful there....there is a whole complex protocol for dealing with them.

[legendrockranch]

I'm not sure of what the cause is but in the meantime you might want to look at using something like Screw worm spray to keep the flies off.

Please read all the indications & directions before using. Not to be used on deep wounds.

ProZap Screw Worm Aerosol
Use on wounds to kill and repel pests including files and fly maggots on beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, and horses. Contains 0.5% permethrin and violet color for marking.