Abscess*

An abscess can be found in any location on the animal. In the skin, muscle, organ or lymph node. An abscess will be an abnormality. " One of these things don't look like the other" is a simple way to put it. It can feel like a hard lump and I suggest not cutting into it until you have cut and removed it from the tissue. Abscesses feel hard, but the capsule center is filled with puss. The puss can vary in consistency. It can be as runny as water or as thick as gravy. Either way you will want to remove it!

One abscess is nothing  to be too concerned with especially if it is located in the skin or just under the skin. It is possible for an abscess to form at the medicine injection site. You do need to be concerned if there are multiple abscesses. Closer examination will be needed.

While gutting (eviscerating) your animal it is not uncommon to find abscesses in the intestines or liver. Hopefully it is intact when you find it, but sometimes during gutting it can be nicked and you are engulfed with the bitter, nasty smell of the abscess. If it was accidentally cut open just keep going and try to keep as much of the puss off the good meat as possible. The one good thing about nicking an abscess is that you now know for sure it is an abscess and don't have to worry about whether the mass was cancer. Yes, animals including livestock can get cancer, but that's another post.

A liver abscess reminds me more time then not, of a ball ( can be golf ball, baseball, softball or volley ball sized) It will normally have adhesions ( thin, reddish tissue)  spreading out from the abscess. The adhesions are almost stringy and stick to your hands easily. Abscesses in the liver can vary in size and number. I have seen 1 baseball sized and multiple golf ball sized one in livers. Either way I would not recommend eating the liver with an abscess of any kind even if it can be cut out. The whole liver should be thrown away.

http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/abscess,liver/Interesting

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/nottinghamvets/11327466015

Often times an abscess will make gutting very difficult. It may have adhered it self to other organs, the diaphragm or the side of the carcass. Do you best to keep it intact to prevent contaminating the carcass. Once it is out with the guts you will want to investigate. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Where was the abscess? 
2. How many?
3. Is it in more than one cavity? ( the diaphragm separates the chest and abdominal cavities)
4. What do the kidneys look like? ( are they enlarged, an odd color, or look speckled?)
5. What does the spleen look like? ( is it enlarged, thick with blood, any abscesses?)

As soon as you located an abscess you need to be on the lookout for more! Just in case because after all this meat will feed your family!

Abscesses can form in the lungs and sometimes can be very nasty and difficult to remove without making a huge mess! After removing the lungs you should check the lymph nodes that run down the center of them. They are located in the fat along the trachea and a section of I believe its the superior vena cava ( but don't quote me just in case). When checking lymph nodes first you want to:

1. Locate them. They feel firmer than the fat
2. Feel them. Do they feel harder compared to others?
3. Cut them open. Do they contain puss also? If so, how many do?

If the lungs did contain an abscess you should  "peel" the chest cavity. The pleura may be thicker due to the abscess, but "peeling" the pleura should remove contamination of the abscess. Make sure you take steps to prevent any other contamination falling on to the "peeled" area.

http://quizlet.com/24159737/lower-respiratory-pathology-flash-cards/

http://www.vetnext.com/search.php?s=aandoening&id=73255560468%20138

So you have checked out your animal and you found abscesses in both cavities and the spleen in the size of a skateboard! This is not good! One cavity it can be trimmed and tossed ( your call), but both could be an indicator of blood poisoning or toxemia or sepsis. Eating this animal is NOT recommend! Most people say " well the meat looks normal/fine." but think about it! The blood travels everywhere in the body and if it is poisoned, so is the meat. Do you really want to risk your families health? Is it worth it, no its not! Yes, you are taking a hit in the wallet, but just think of the medical, hospital and possible funeral bills! Serve your family good, wholesome food! If in doubt THROW IT OUT!

For images google " abscesses in cattle post mortem"

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* This is meant as a guide to encourage further research. This is not a definitive source. I am not responsible for the decisions and actions you take. 

Jaundice*

 After slaughtering your animal you want to check key sections for signs of disease. While skinning take note of the color of the fat. Grass fed cattle with a nice layer of fat will have a slight yellow hue to it. Except Holsteins they tend to not have much fat and what they do have normally will be more whiteish. Corn fed cattle will have a slightly darker shade of yellow. Keep in mind that the fat should be yellowish, not the connective tissue, the bone, veins or arteries.... in other words if everything is yellow the animal is likely jaundice and you should not serve it to your family! Do not eat it!! You can check the roof of the mouth and the eyes also for yellowing.
Certain diary cows such as Jerseys and Guernseys will have a deeper, darker yellow fat which carries through the mesentery tissue and fat. This is normal and as long as the connective tissue, eyes and roof of mouth are not yellow no jaundice is present.
Some goats are similar to the Jerseys and Guernsey diary cows. Their fat can be a deeper yellow and throughout the intestines. Again as long as the yellow is not in the connective tissues, bones, eyes and the roof of the mouth it is not jaundice.
A very good way to compare yellowing is by checking the aorta on the heart. If you are unfamiliar with where that is on the heart it is what I consider the "looping" artery on the top. In most normal cases this is white, so if the fat on the heart is a strong yellow and the aorta is yellow in addition to the other locations the animal most likely was jaundice.
There can be different degrees of yellowing and different locations maybe a deeper yellow then others, so it up to your judgement. If in doubt don't feed it to you family!

http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/animalhealthwelfare/laboratoryservices/regionalveterinarylaboratoryreports/rvlmonthlyreports2011/may2011rvlmonthlyreport/

http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/animalhealthwelfare/laboratoryservices/regionalveterinarylaboratoryreports/rvlmonthlyreports2010/august2010rvlmonthlyreport/

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*This is meant as a guide not a definitive source. I am trying to bring awareness so you can further research the topic. I am not responsible for the decision and actions you take.

        

Before dispatching

 There are things to consider before butchering your livestock. First and foremost is the animal healthy or ill? Have they been treated with any medicine and if so what is the withdrawal period for the medication? You want to be sure that your meat is not tainted when you do butcher.
Secondly, if the animal is ill you need to make sure its not exhibiting signs of neurological or nervous system disorders. Does it seem dizzy, head pressing, leaning and walking along walls, walking in circles, overly aggressive or can not get up? If there are any of these symptoms you should call a veterinarian.
Ok, so you have determined that your animal isn't exhibiting any signs of mad cow or scrapies! Time to move to the next step!



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Zoological diseases and butchering

Welcome to the butchering series! Now I know there are many books and videos available to show you step by step how to slaughter and butcher your animal, but I have yet to see much from the everyday prepper/homesteader/self sufficient live style about disease.
Zoological diseases are pretty self explanatory. That is disease carried by animals. Believe it or not but many of those diseases can pass to people. A friend of mine was ill for a very long time before any doctor would listen to her and believe that she had caught a disease from cattle. It turns out after many months and nagging she tested positive to bovine tuberculosis, which is supposed to be nearly extinct in the US.
As a livestock producer and being around farm animals all my life I have seen a number of diseases. I am not a veterinarian, but I have unquie experience to qualify me to discuss zoological diseases and what to look for in the guts, carcass, and meat. So lets get started with the next post! Check back to read about jaundice and how to identify it!

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