Tiruvallur: Cow in hospital after jaw rips open while accidentally chewing on explosive

CHENNAI: A team of veterinarians at the Madras Veterinary College (MVC) and a few in the neighbouring Tiruvallur district are emotional. They await the recovery of a five-year-old cow that suffered a blast when it accidentally chewed an explosive while grazing.

The incident happened at Tiruvalangadu in Tiruvallur. Durga, the animal, was rushed to the government veterinary college with the lower part of its mouth blasted open and blood oozing.

The muscles and skin were missing and the animal was seen dehydrated upon arrival, MVC sources said.

After the surgery, a doctor with the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Tanuvas) said, “The cow was brought in a bad condition. The jaw muscles had ripped apart in the blast, and the tissues were dead. Through the surgery, the injured mouth was reconstructed. We’re hoping for a speedy recovery.”

The owners of the animal, S Nila and her husband, spoke fondly about Durga, who was born on their farm. Durga also has a calf which is just six months old.

Someone had left the explosive content in the grazing area owned by the couple, and the poor animal had chewed on something with the explosive in it. “We were shocked to see our animal bleeding and writhing in pain. It’s terrible to see the cow with a large portion of mouth and chin missing. The incident could have happened on Wednesday night, but we came to know on Thursday. We’ve filed a complaint with the Tiruvalangadu police station,” said S Nila, owner of the cow that belongs to Sahiwal breed.

The couple suspected that the cow could have eaten an explosive dubbed as ‘pig bomb’ used to catch the pigs.

“A veterinarian must visit the cow three times a day to help the animal overcome pain. The food should be given only in liquid form and ingested through the mouth. The inverted V-shaped bone does not seem to be not affected much. The cow must be given parenteral chemotherapy as surgery was done near the mandibular bone,” explained Prof D Baskaran, HoD-Dairy Science, MVC campus, Tanuvas.

The mandible, also called the lower jaw bone, is the largest and strongest bone in the face. The only moveable bone of the skull, it’s attached to muscles involved in chewing and other mouth movements. It also holds the bottom teeth in place.

“In such cases, usually the tongue is damaged along with salivary glands and nerves. If there is proper rotation of the tongue after 2 days, the bovine will have a better chance for recovery,” Namakkal-based veterinarian Dr M Balaji said.

The cow should be fed first with a liquid diet and water, and must be fed slowly. Proper follow-up and medical care is highly essential for recovery. “The post-operative image of the cow shows that the wound is properly sutured. We need another 2-3 days for proper prognosis, which is based on the degree of bone damage. If bone damage is higher, chances of recovery are poor,” Balaji added.