06/02/2026
This post is for educational purposes and contains a couple of graphic videos.
Every year, I have our veterinarian come out and help me vaccinate the herd before calving.
We use a fresh syringe and needle on each cow and for each vaccine. Over the years, we have used both modified live vaccines and killed vaccines. Even with those precautions, we still occasionally see an abscess develop at an injection site.
Having the tools on hand before you need them is always a good thing. That's why we keep a medical kit stocked and ready for situations like this.
Here's what we keep in our kit:
Scalpel with disposable blades
Bottle of Betadine for cleaning the area before cutting
Paper towels
Disposable surgical gloves
Large syringe (without a needle)
Iodine
Bottle of water
Bowl for mixing
Spray bottle of fly repellent
We dilute the iodine using one part iodine to two parts water.
I learned the hard way not to use straight iodine. Years ago, I flushed an abscess with undiluted iodine and the pain was so severe that the cow immediately dropped to her stomach. It was a terrible learning experience for me and extremely painful for her.
Many times when a veterinarian examines an abscess, they will first insert a needle and see if fluid can be drawn out before making an incision. The simple truth is that the material inside an abscess is often too thick to pass through a needle.
Here's how we treat them.
A day or so before treatment, I use Ultra Boss on the herd to eliminate the fly load. You'll notice in the photos that there isn't a single fly around the wound. That is intentional.
First and foremost, safety is always our biggest concern. Properly securing the cow is the first step in a successful procedure.
The incision needs to be made on the bottom side of the abscess and be large enough to allow adequate drainage. I insert the tip of the scalpel first and then make the cut. Trying to cut without first penetrating the skin is more difficult, less precise, and increases the chance of the blade slipping and causing injury.
Once the incision is made, apply pressure above the opening to encourage drainage. Sometimes the fluid is thin and drains easily. Often it is thick and slow to come out.
After drainage slows, use several syringes of the diluted iodine solution to flush the abscess cavity. I inject the solution with enough pressure to thoroughly rinse the inside of the wound. The first couple of syringes usually remove a significant amount of remaining material. I continue flushing with a few more syringes to make sure the cavity is as clean as possible.
When finished, I apply a liberal amount of fly repellent around the area and below the incision. The wound will continue to drain for a period of time, and flies are not a good companion to an open wound.
