Lumps after antibiotic injections

[SteepedInSheep]

We have a calf who is now about a month old. She developed diphtheria symptoms so we started her on la200 injections, subcutaneous. She has developed lumps at every site. Is this a hygiene issue or something else? We are using new needles each time. I had read you're supposed to only inject so much med per spot so is it likely we just over did it? I'm weirded out to continue injections if another lump is going to show up.
Some of the lumps are as old as a week and a half so it's not swelling. They're firm.

 

[farmerjan]

LA (oxytet) can cause lumps. How big is the calf? Weight? How much are you giving? How often ?

 

[SteepedInSheep]

She's a month old. I don't know any numbers other than we've been giving her a shot every 3rd day. My husband did all the reading up on dosage and such.

 

[4-Hgirl]

I have a steer calf that was about 1 month old and we gave him a shot(I don't know what the shot was) on his neck and now he is probably about 3 months old and he has a lump on his neck he is healthy and perfectly fine I am not 100% sure that it was the shot but even when we give any of our cows shots most of the time they get a lump it just goes away after awhile.

 

[SageHill]

I don't know about livestock shots - but with my dogs I always gently massage the area of the shot for a little bit after giving the shot (typically vaccines and subQ)

 

[farmerjan]

A month old does not tell me her weight or what the proper dosage is. How much are you giving per shot? Oxytet is given by weight. It should only be given twice, 3 times at the very most; ask any vet. If it is prescribed for more than 2 or 3 shots, it is considered "off label" and should only be done on a vet's advice. If she was not diagnosed with diptheria by a vet, then I would question that. Month old calves can get several types of respiratory diseases... and oxytet is not the answer to all of them.
What breed is she? A month old jersey calf will weigh alot less than a month old angus... and a month old mini breed would weigh different.
I'm sorry but being in the dairy and beef business for more than 50 years, I think that asking the questions I have are not out of line. We still use a vet regularly, as well as being able to treat any animals we have. I value the opinion of the 2 we deal with, and have often asked for confirmation of my own "diagnosis" of problems.
Oxytet will cause lumps sometimes. We always massage the area after giving the shot so that it is dispersed under the skin better, but they still sometimes develop a lump. It may take 6 months to "disappear"...
Like @SageHill says, massaging the area to make sure that the vaccine or antibiotic is better assimulated will help to prevent lumps but might not always prevent them.

 

[SteepedInSheep]

I'm sorry but being in the dairy and beef business for more than 50 years, I think that asking the questions I have are not out of line.

Why would you think I thought you were out of line? I'm here for help and appreciate your insight. We have had cattle for a few years and have had so few problems that I would consider ourselves on the novice side since we haven't had to deal with issues.
If you're frustrated because I don't know the numbers off the top of my head or because we are trying to figure out things ourselves, I suppose that's valid.

 

[SageHill]

Why would you think I thought you were out of line? I'm here for help and appreciate your insight. We have had cattle for a few years and have had so few problems that I would consider ourselves on the novice side since we haven't had to deal with issues.
If you're frustrated because I don't know the numbers off the top of my head or because we are trying to figure out things ourselves, I suppose that's valid.

Estimating weight can be intimating when you're starting out and learning. There are ways to get estimates with weight tapes and such - I don't know about cattle, only did a wee bit when I was in school. I remember weight tapes for hogs. Personally I have sheep. While I've just been breeding and raising them for about 5 yrs, I've worked with them for over 30 teaching and training herding dogs. One of the first things I purchased was a good scale. It is sooo worth it's weight in gold to me. Now I can look and guestimate weights pretty close - but I still use the scale when I'm wondering about a weight and about 3-4 times a year to get weights on the entire flock. Lambs are weighed often.

 

[Baymule]

Why would you think I thought you were out of line? I'm here for help and appreciate your insight. We have had cattle for a few years and have had so few problems that I would consider ourselves on the novice side since we haven't had to deal with issues.
If you're frustrated because I don't know the numbers off the top of my head or because we are trying to figure out things ourselves, I suppose that's valid.

It happens often that people ask for help and when they get straight truthful answers, they get mad. Those people have their heads in the Disney Syndrome. There is no reasoning with them. They have this unrealistic utopian idea stuck in their heads and you couldn’t beat it out of them with a hammer.
You know, like, “I’m going to pet this 12’ alligator and he will be nice and won’t eat my dog.”

It’s nice to know that you really do want to learn, the good with the bad, because having livestock can be a harsh reality. @farmerjan has more knowledge in the tip end of her pinkie finger than I’ll ever have in my whole body. Yet, when she gives newbies honest advice, they get offended and want to insist their ignorance is correct. She gets a little gun shy, but still is generous with sharing the knowledge that has taken her a lifetime to accumulate. So, that’s “why”.

 

[SteepedInSheep]

It happens often that people ask for help and when they get straight truthful answers, they get mad. Those people have their heads in the Disney Syndrome. There is no reasoning with them. They have this unrealistic utopian idea stuck in their heads and you couldn’t beat it out of them with a hammer.
You know, like, “I’m going to pet this 12’ alligator and he will be nice and won’t eat my dog.”

It’s nice to know that you really do want to learn, the good with the bad, because having livestock can be a harsh reality. @farmerjan has more knowledge in the tip end of her pinkie finger than I’ll ever have in my whole body. Yet, when she gives newbies honest advice, they get offended and want to insist their ignorance is correct. She gets a little gun shy, but still is generous with sharing the knowledge that has taken her a lifetime to accumulate. So, that’s “why”.

I appreciate your response. I'm not offended by the truth so you all can be honest. I don't feel I have a disney-esque view of homesteading. We have had problems whether illness or predators, etc. We do have a vet but he doesn't make housecalls. We're friends so my husband doesn't like to ask him for a lot of favors. He would have either asked about the calf or seen if he could bring the calf to him but he's on vacation. He should be back next week. I haven't asked him but I got the impression from my husband that he was going to call him when he got back in town.
There is another vet in the area but I only use her for vaccines for our dog. She absolutely sucks. The laziest vet I've ever used. She earned her terrible reviews on Google, unfortunately.
Anyway, that's why we do as much of our animal care as possible. That and cost, of course.