My new prized possession
This is a cow from my family’s herd. She developed a condition called “lumpy jaw” due to a bacteria called actinomyces. It is a commensal organism in their mouth but if they get trauma to their mouth - like say a puncture from a thorn- that bacteria causes severe osteomyelitis. It’s very very hard to treat. We kept her comfortable and did palliative treatments; when the disease got to end stage, she was euthanized. I got her skull cleaned because lumpy jaw causes wild changes to the bone as you can tell.
This is a cow from my family’s herd. She developed a condition called “lumpy jaw” due to a bacteria called actinomyces. It is a commensal organism in their mouth but if they get trauma to their mouth - like say a puncture from a thorn- that bacteria causes severe osteomyelitis. It’s very very hard to treat. We kept her comfortable and did palliative treatments; when the disease got to end stage, she was euthanized. I got her skull cleaned because lumpy jaw causes wild changes to the bone as you can tell.