The Doctor is IN!

Here she is - our very own June Cleaver of the barnyard, matriarch of the mud and muck, in her frilly apron and all returning from a house call at the barn.  Tricia, further honing her prowess as an aspiring veterinarian, figured out a problem that has been plaguing one of our Jersey cows, Daisy, for the longest time.

Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman

When we milk Daisy, she stomps her back, left leg.  This has been going on for over a year now - maybe as many as 3 years, we can't say for sure.  We have her leg hobbled, but you still have to be careful that she doesn't knock over the milking bucket when she starts moving her leg so much. We finally realized why she was doing this - and it has nothing to do with Restless Leg Syndrome.

Daisy's armpit

If you look at the picture above, there is a flap of skin between her leg and udder. This would be similar to what you'd call an armpit in humans, so we'll just call it her armpit.  If you lift up the skin and expose her armpit, we noticed that she has a scab - or several small scabs right in the crease of her armpit.  We thought it was some sort of inflammation or skin irritation similar to a heat rash or chafing, so we began to apply a triple antibiotic cream to make it heal.  This treatment regimen was met with not much success. The photo below shows the affected area.  This was a little uncomfortable for Daisy and the discomfort was exacerbated during milking time.

Scabs

When the triple antibiotic cream didn't heal the irritation, Tricia theorized that maybe the scabs are caused by a small insect or parasite like lice.  Fortunately, we know as shown in THIS ARTICLE that insects can be controlled naturally by using diatomaceous earth (DE). We have some DE on hand that we use for controlling insects.  It is a proven natural insecticide.  You can learn more about it HERE.

DE is made of the fossilized remains of diatoms or algae, and the fine powder is very abrasive.  When insects crawl through it, DE makes tiny abrasions on their underbellies and the insects dehydrate and die.  As a result, it is widely used in commercial grain storage facilities.  It is a fine white powder and you have to be careful handling it as it can cause lung damage if you inhale it.

I can remember a gentleman who came to a Rice Grower's Meeting one time who was explaining the benefits of using DE in our rice storage bins to eradicate rice weevils.  At the end of his presentation, he gave us little samples of DE in Ziploc bags.  We were all a little concerned that if we got pulled over by law enforcement and they saw our Ziploc bag full of a white, powdery substance, we'd be taken to jail.

DE

Tricia has been applying DE by sprinkling under Daisy's 'armpits' and in a very short time, has seen remarkable improvement!  The good doctor's theory was correct and the scabs caused by the parasites are almost completely gone.

Applying DE to the affected site

Tricia also sprinkles some on Daisy's back to see if it has an effect on the biting flies that annoy the cows during summer.

DE on the back for insect control

It's always nice to solve a medical mystery and be able to treat it naturally.  Daisy is much obliged to her apron-wearing veterinarian.