Content area
Full Text
There are two kinds of "lump jaw" in cattle - soft-tissue abscesses arising from wounds in the mouth, and bone infections (bony lump jaw).
Soft-tissue abscesses often result from foreign objects embedded in the mouth, such as sharp grass seeds, which are easily treated by lancing, draining and flushing. A bone infection, however, takes diligent effort to eradicate, says Geof Smith, a North Carolina State University ruminant specialist.
Smith says bony lumps are caused by Actinomyces bovis . The technical term for this bacterial infection is Actinomycosis.
"Since the Actinomyces bovis bacteria live in the soil, we think some kind of penetrating wound in the mouth is needed for it to enter the bone. It isn't transmissible between animals," Smith explains. And it usually involves a deeper wound than what typically causes a soft-tissue abscess.
A mouth wound may be caused by wire or other sharp material baled up in hay, by chewing on sharp sticks (as when browsing on trees) or eating abrasive feed.
"In instances of multiple cases on one farm, it's usually due to coarse feed (poor quality or stemmy hay) or sticks in the feed. Typically, however, it's sporadic and you only see a case every 4-5 years on a farm," Smith says.
Some people speculate bacteria enters via the dental sockets when young animals shed baby teeth, which may be why the condition is often seen in two- and three-year-olds. Smith says he's not aware of a reported case in an animal under two years old.
Smith points out that a penetrating wound into the bone needn't...