What to Do When a Cow's Nose Mirror Breaks? A Detailed Guide to Repair and Treatment Methods

A broken nose mirror in cattle is a rupture of the nose and lip into upper and lower free ends, making it impossible for the cow to wear a nose ring or have its nose pierced, and causing difficulty in handling due to inconvenient control.

1. Treatment

Surgical repair is used to mend the broken nose mirror.

2. Method

Routine preparation, restraint can be done in lateral recumbency or standing. Anesthesia of the infraorbital nerves on both sides, injecting 10 mL of 2% procaine hydrochloride on each side, with infiltration anesthesia at the upper and lower broken nose mirror lips. After disinfection of the surgical site, use a specially made flat-mouthed long forceps (or two small bamboo slips) to clamp the broken area tightly, fix the base of the broken ends of the nose mirror, and thoroughly remove the scar tissue from the wound surface. At the same time, the wound surface should be neat. Carve the center of the upper free end all around into a protruding end, and carve the center of the lower free end into a concave depression, so that the two fit exactly opposite each other and interlock. The cut surface should be large so that the upper and lower cut surfaces fit together completely. After washing the fresh wound surface with normal saline, sprinkle penicillin powder or sulfanilamide powder, then ligate both sides, using two buried sutures and 3 interrupted sutures. For the first two buried sutures, tie them with a slip knot. For the second 3 sutures, when tying, check that each thread is tied with appropriate tightness and that the upper and lower sides are symmetrical, to prevent inversion of the wound, then tie a triple knot. Leave the thread ends 1 cm long and cut off the excess thread, then clean the clots around the surgical site and apply iodine tincture.

3. Nursing Care

Do not graze for 7 days after surgery. Feed green soft forage, give water and feed in small amounts but frequently, and prevent sewage and contaminants from infecting the surgical site. If the wound has no infection or suppuration, the sutures can be removed 10 to 14 days after surgery, and 1 month after suture removal the nose can be pierced again for work. If the wound becomes infected and suppurates, flush with 3% hydrogen peroxide or 0.5% potassium permanganate solution, then apply sulfonamide solution for flushing, then apply sulfonamide ointment.

4. Efficacy

Over the years, this surgical method has been used to repair broken nose mirrors in 8 yellow cattle, all of which achieved good apposition in one surgery, with none requiring a second repair, and all were able to have their noses pierced again for work. The results were very satisfactory.

5. Observations

1. For cows 6 months pregnant, repair is generally done after calving; if there is too much missing tissue after the nose mirror breaks, and repair would cause narrowing of the nostrils, surgery is not easy to perform; surgery is not suitable during the period of developing inflammation of the broken nose mirror; generally, surgery is more suitable during the slack farming season or in autumn.

2. The site for nose piercing should be appropriate. It is forbidden to use iron wire or bamboo slips to pierce the nose or make a nose ring. For vicious cattle, do not pull roughly or forcefully during handling.

3. Feed less concentrate one day before surgery, and do not feed concentrate on the day of surgery.