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Warts are unsightly
skin growths caused by a virus, and can thus be transmitted from
one animal to another. Warts may appear in several animals at once
in a group of yearlings, for instance. They often appear where the
skin has been broken (allowing the virus to enter the deeper
layers of skin). They may develop in ears after tagging, for
instance, or any other area of the body where the skin has been
punctured or scraped. Warts are most common in calves and
yearlings, since young animals have not yet developed immunity to
the virus. They often appear rather quickly, growing into a
rough-looking or smooth-shaped mass. They may be small and rounded
or may become very large. A large warty mass in an ear may be so
heavy it makes the ear droop down.
Warts often spread
rapidly from the area in which they started, such as in an ear or
around the mouth or neck or along the shoulders or brisket, or on
the teats and udder. Then, almost as quickly as they appeared, the
warts seem to dry up and fall off--once the animal’s body has had
time to develop antibodies against the virus and build a defense
against it. Thus the best treatment for warts is time; after
awhile they will disappear. A healthy animal in good condition
will build an immune defense and will generally never experience
warts again. This is why warts are mainly just a problem in young
animals or the occasional adult that has not yet encountered the
virus.
It the warts are a
problem for the animal (such as around the mouth or nostrils,
interfering with breathing or eating, or on the teats), their
disappearance can be hastened by carefully pulling, twisting or
snipping off one of the warts, crushing a small one, or removing
part of a large mass of warty tissue. Disrupting the wart in this
manner tends to encourage the animal’s immune system to create
antibodies and fight the warts, since the virus in the disrupted
warty tissue comes into contact with the bloodstream if the area
bleeds a little.
An autogenous
vaccine (this term simply means created from something within the
animal’s own body) can also be made by your veterinarian, from a
piece of the warty tissue. This also stimulates the body to mount
a strong defense against the virus and get rid of the warts more
quickly. The vaccine must be made from the animal’s own wart
tissue, however. There is no generalized vaccine against warts
that is 100 percent effective since there are many types of wart
virus.
It’s generally not a
good idea to use iodine or any other caustic type of disinfectant
on warts. These treatments are effective for ringworm (caused by a
fungus) but not for the wart virus, and may actually be harmful to
the animal. Iodine burns the skin and may create more sore areas.
The best treatment is time, leaving the warts alone to disappear
on their own--unless for some reason they must be eliminated more
quickly for health reasons, and then you should consult with your
veterinarian about removing them or trying an autogenous vaccine.
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