Navel disease in newborn calves

A few days after a calf is born, the external remnant of the umbilical cord, called the umbilicus, should dry up and drop off. Navels are usually dipped in a solution to help the drying process along and prevent infection, but they only eliminate a portion of the bacteria that are present. An umbilicus that doesn’t dry up could be infected. The chance of this happening is much higher when calves are born in a dirty calving environment. 

Hayley Springer is an extension veterinarian at Penn State University. She says to check your calves twice before they’re 10 to 14 days old and monitor for swelling, discharge, and pain. A calf with a mild infection will appear quite normal from a distance so it’s important to get your hands on the calf. 

"And even minor swelling you’re going to be able to identify better by feeling that navel. Heat, obviously you have to touch it, to identify pain we generally have to touch it. So, when we touch a navel that’s painful that calf is either going to tuck its belly up, or it’s going to kick at you," says Springer. "We’re also looking for discharge and certainly if we’re touching that, we’ll know if we get liquid on our hands. I always recommend wearing gloves when you’re doing this type of an exam."

Also notice how the discharge smells. She says the more malodorous that smell is, the more severe it is. 

It’s important to make sure you’re examining the right area. Your fingers should be between the umbilical remnant and the body wall. If the area is enlarged but you’re not sure if it’s a concern, Springer says using this reference will help.

"A really simple reference is no thicker than your thumb by 7 days, so we want to get the size of that umbilical stump down to about the size of your thumb by 7 days of age," she recommends. "Any bigger than that would be considered some level of swelling."

Talk to your veterinarian on how to treat an infected navel.