# BROKEN GOAT HORN!



## Abby (Feb 24, 2015)

hello!

So I got home today and found my younger goat with a bit of blood (not that much) on her head, where her right horn was. It was a short one anyway, only about 1/2inch, so it didn't bleed too terribly. 

I washed it out with some water (as much as I could, she didn't like that very much at all!), but since it looked like the injury had happened a few hours prior to me finding it, there wasn't much I could do. 

Is there anything in particular I should do? Wash it with rubbing alcohol? Wrap? neosporin? 

Thanks!


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## jjaazzy (Feb 24, 2015)

Let me first say I know nothing about goats but have done quite a bit of vetting for other type animals.  I would not use alcohol cause OWE!  Try some peroxide to clean out, then goop it up with a triple antibiotic then pack with gauze and wrap if you can.  You will have to wait and see what others who have dealt with this type injury before. If they rather have it open to drain and dry or not.  I just seen no one had come in yet to help you and thought I'd try.


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## Abby (Feb 24, 2015)

jjaazzy said:


> Let me first say I know nothing about goats but have done quite a bit of vetting for other type animals.  I would not use alcohol cause OWE!  Try some peroxide to clean out, then goop it up with a triple antibiotic then pack with gauze and wrap if you can.  You will have to wait and see what others who have dealt with this type injury before. If they rather have it open to drain and dry or not.  I just seen no one had come in yet to help you and thought I'd try.


Wouldn't hydrogen peroxide (the stuff in the brown bottle right?) hurt more? I always thought that as a kid myself lol
And thanks for the reply anyway!!


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## Sweetened (Feb 25, 2015)

It looks like a scurr horn. When my boy cracks his butting heads, theres honestly not much i do unless it actually breaks off. If it breaks off i put oregano oil on it (which also hurts) and leave it close up, keeping an eye out for swelling or illness.


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## ragdollcatlady (Feb 28, 2015)

I agree with Sweetened, looks like a broken scur. I personally would leave it alone at this point. Cleaning it was good. It will be dry by now if you have not done anything else (like neosporin) and as a dry scab, flys and such should not be a problem. it should heal over in a bit, might grow another scur, but it seems to me that each time, the scurs grow more slowly. If you happen to come across a seriously bleeding scur, you can of course use pressure to slow the blood flow, if it isn't too profuse you can use "quick stop" powder, or you can put her in a  stanchion and use a hot disbudding iron to burn that area of the horn to stop the bleeding by cauterizing it. 

Hope she is doing good!


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## jodief100 (Mar 1, 2015)

Not much you can do about it now.  Just keep it clean and watch for signs of infection.  You may want to consider giving her some PenG just in case.  Good thing it happened in the winter.  Heat and bugs make these things much worse.


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## goatboy1973 (Mar 7, 2015)

I agree with everyone. Cleaning it with hydrogen peroxide is excellent but you also need to rinse off the peroxide with sterile or clean water as the peroxide can irritate the wound. Look for signs of infection like greenish or yellowish discharge from the area and swelling. You might give 1 dose of the Pen G  as a prophylaxis to head off any infection, but goats are very resilient critters and this may be overkill. Sometimes less is more.


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## SkyWarrior (May 12, 2015)

You've gotten some good advice. The only thing I might add is to use blood stop powder (I have some on hand form the feed store) if you get more bleeding. My buck knocks his scurs off all the time and that's what I use.  I realize you have a horn, but I think the concept still applies.


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## samssimonsays (May 12, 2015)

I use Vetricyn (spelling?) on everything. It is safe to put in even an eye. I have used it on myself while at shows and so on. No sting for me so it should be gentle for them?


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## OneFineAcre (May 12, 2015)

Mine knock scurs off from time to time and I don't do anything.


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## goatboy1973 (May 23, 2015)

OneFineAcre said:


> Mine knock scurs off from time to time and I don't do anything.


Yeah, sometimes less is more. Goats are very resilient and have excellent compensatory mechanisms.


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