Nigerian with broken horn....will he be ok?

[balluba03]

Went out to check on the goaties today and seen our 1 year old nigerian buck had a split at the base of his horn. Will he be ok? is there anything I should do for him? He seems fine, he was playing with our other Nigerian buck, butting heads playfully. It doesnt seem to bother him.....what do you think???

 

[elevan]

Is it the horn for sure or the skin?

If the horn is cracked:
I would use some saline and spray "clean" the wound, then apply super glue if it's the horn (plenty of glue) careful not to let any drip to the eye. You could use a dab of liquid nails instead of the super glue too. I like super glue because it's sterile...I'm not so sure about the liquid nails.

If it's just the skin:
I would apply Blue-Kote and let it heal.

 

[redtailgal]

OK, not wanting to hijack but I have a question and the answer may help the OP or others reading this forum.

Doc and I treated a goat with a cracked horn not so long ago........it was a pretty bad crack about three inches long, was bleeding and was significantly deep. He treated it by using the super glue trick that Elevan was talking about but at the same time squeezing the horn so the crack was closed (after cleaning it thoroughly) and applying a sterile wire mesh (like window screen only stronger). The mesh was glued onto the horn to hold the crack closed.

The goat is still doing well. (been six weeks or so)

Have any of you ever used this method? what were your results?

 

[elevan]

Never used the wire mesh, but we've super glued a vertical crack and squeezed it tight and wrapped with duct tape to allow it to bond.

 

[elevan]

Make sure your goats are getting adequate minerals as mineral deficiencies can make horns more susceptible to cracks.

 

[balluba03]

I'm pretty sure its the horn, but not positive. He doesnt hold still long enough for me to get a good look. I will try to check on it again today and see whats going on. I was thinking about using super glue yesterday, and just kinda wrapping it up. He has access to loose goat minerals that they eat on a daily basis.

 

[elevan]

What brand of minerals do you use?

 

[balluba03]

I get it at TSC. The bag just says "goat minerals" on it. No brand name on it.

 

[Queen Mum]

If the horn is not cracked, then he has been bashing his head into something and got a bleedy. Bucks do this all the time and this is the exact spot where they get those bleedy's.

As to the superglue trick, one of the best "mesh" substances to use is the stuff that is used on fiberglass. As it holds extremely well and is flexible. It will stretch as the horn grows and will hold in place well. Another would be the plastic mesh that is used for drywall. (not the paper kind, but the plastic kind.) And yes, I have seen it used quite effectively. It won't hold a completely severed horn in place but will work quite well with one that is broken but mostly intact.