# Whats the Best Wire Saw for Scurs?? We had a hard time tonight!!



## Emmetts Dairy (Jan 19, 2011)

Let me start to say!! I dislike scurs!!! UggggH!!!  Our buck Elias has scurs.  We were at one point discussing having them removed.  But decided to just trim as needed...and deal with it...as most do.

I looked at Jeffers and got "OB wire saw" with handles and it was kinda difficult.  And as reading about OB wire saws at Valley Vet it said it is used for removing dead fetus's??  What the heck did I buy????  When I called I did asked for "Bone saw wire blade" and when arrived it said "OB wire saw" so I just assumed it was just a brand or something!!  Boy do I feel silly now!! 

It did work and we got the scur curling into his head cut...but there must be a better way!!!  Something sharper????  I keep looking for a coarser blade or a bone saw?  And Im not coming up with much...so advice and direction would be GREATLY appreciated!!  There has got to be a better way and a sharper wire saw...just need some direction on where to find them!!!!

Thanks for any advice on these darn scurs!!!!


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## Roll farms (Jan 19, 2011)

We have used my hubby's big pruners (what he calls "Lopers"...you "Lope" off branches w/ them....) 
for scur removal in the past.

*edited to fix a typo.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Jan 19, 2011)

Thats a thought.  We tried smaller hand pruners and it would'nt cut at all.  The wire took a little longer and the damn scur was moving and he was wiggling! It was'nt pleasant..and from the movement of the scur his little head got a minor cut. And he was crying!  It was not pleasant!  UGGGGH...and it just seems theres gotta be something quicker and sharper out there.


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## ksalvagno (Jan 19, 2011)

My vet actually uses the OB wire to trim alpaca teeth. It does take a while to saw through them and sometimes she has to stop and blow on it because it gets too hot.


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## freemotion (Jan 19, 2011)

Hoof nippers made for trimming horse hooves?  ...maybe you can get a pair when a farrier is upgrading his tools, they are a bit pricey.


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## helmstead (Jan 19, 2011)

We use a medical bone saw when we need to cut.  Tried a Dremmel, but we were too scared about movement and head wounds!

If you put the goat in a stanchion, use a solid round file and make a notch the wire saw can stay in...then stand back and PULL while you saw, it goes way faster.  Your arms and the goat will both protest.  BUT LET IT GET HOT!  It helps cauterize the blood if there is any, and speeds the "melting' of the horn/scur.

I've also tried the hoof nippers (we are natural trimmers, so have all the horse hoof equipment) and what wound up happening is the buck jerked back and the WHOLE SCUR (it was a big'un) came off in one piece...it was bloody...but it worked LOL and we reburned him.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Jan 20, 2011)

Were can I get a Medical grade bone saw???  Medical supply co????

That OB did heat up...which helped.  But it stunk I tell ya!!! 

We also discussed a dremmell but we too were afraid of injuries when he would move.  As we know...its not easy to hold their heads still even in a stanchion.   

He's 7 months now..so I dont think reburning is gonna help?  Thats what everyone is telling me anyway.  One is fully attached and the problem one is wiggling?  So I dont know.  My vet recomends just trimming it.  

Have had that discussion before a few times with him.   

Scurs are a pain!!!!     We thankfully have not run into this..but my husband didnt disbud him.  We bought him at three months.  And I know this sometimes just happens but UGGGHHH!!!!  

Thanks soo where can I get a medical grade bone saw again??? 

After all that complaining!!!


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## helmstead (Jan 20, 2011)

Oh, SURE...you can reburn him and it will do the trick.  The buck I mentioned before was 4 years old at the time.  You just have a much larger area to burn...and it might take a couple trys of trial and error before you 'find' all the growth cells.

I got my bone saw from the vet - amputation kit.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Jan 20, 2011)

Well I am glad to hear you were sucessful with that reburn.  MMMMM!  Maybe I should consult another vet then.

Amputation kit!!  Nice...on it now!!


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## rebelINny (Jan 20, 2011)

A buck we bought this past summer had a bad scur going into his head. Hubby and I put him in the milk stand and trimmed right in the middle where it had cracked. We used hubby's sawzaw. I know sounds dangerous and could have been but it worked out great and quick and the buck didn't even act disturbed at all except from the noise. There was very little blood.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Jan 20, 2011)

Whats a sawzaw??? Like a saw-all????


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## babsbag (Jan 20, 2011)

We use a pair of PVC pipe cutters, the big ones, about 8 inches long. Sharp and quick, but we also do it quite ofter so that we aren't cutting off more than an inch at a time. Doesn't bleed as much, and they don't scream as much. But it is also on a wether, horns aren't as big.

I also hate scurs. We had our buck dehorned, they were not really scurs as such, but he had been disbudded, poorly. HORRID procedure. If you ever go that route be ready for  
and make sure you do it early winter so it will heal before the flies come along. I did it in Feb...to late. Didn't heal until June. OMG it was disgusting.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Jan 21, 2011)

This guy we did'nt do...we bought him from another farm @ 3mos...and We have gone back and forth about these darn scurs.  And what to do with them!!    

We will disbudd the kids at 2 to 3 days old...and its heals very quickly.  Never had issues!!!


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## horseofcorff (Jan 21, 2011)

The OB saw is a bone saw. They are referring to cow fetuses who are too large to fit through the pelvic bones and die in the uterus. You have to saw through bones to cut the calf in pieces and bring it out piecemeal.  We use the saw on goats with scurs (it is also called a Gigli saw, if you want to search for one on E-Bay). The trick to using it is to pull the goats head down as low as you can. Put a halter on and tie the head down over a barricade. Then you lay the wire as close to the base of the bone as possible and saw back and forth fast and try to aim straight down towards the ground.  The closer you get to the skull, the more possibility there is of getting close to the horn germ. If you cauterize around the horn base you reduce the next regrowth of the scurs.  

I just bought horn paste for our calf. I am going to try it on all the goats this year.  I was always afraid to do it, but I have talked with cow breeders who use it on hundreds without a problem.  The trick is to clip the hair, rub it in. Then circle the skin around the treated area with vaseline and cover with Gorilla duct tape.  The Gorilla brand has super sticking power.  You do not get them rubbing the stuff on the doe's udder and butting it into the eyes of the other kids.  The duct tape will fall off in a couple of weeks. No scurs, no burning flesh smell with kids breaking your eardrums.  

Deborah Corff


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