udder edema and rubb spot

MandersGoaters · #1 05/01/08, 08:55 AM

I have a jersey heifer that has edema, it's even swollen to her belly button, and she has a sore thats getting worse in her inner thigh a little bigger than a quarter, first it started off red, then it progressed into the skin, and now it's an open sore,the vet(s) say just give it time, "it will heal, just keep it clean, then it'll turn into a calous"
I've been rubbing her udder down twice daily 15-20 mintues with dr.naylors udder balm, regular udder balm that i put peppermint oil in, and hot towels to try and reduce edema, so the sore will heal I figure the less edema, the less pressure on the sore.
but her udder hasn't gone down that much it's been almost a month since she calved, I limit her grain (just enough so i can milk her out)she has all the clean fresh water she can drink. is there anything else I can do? can i give her a shot of a diuretic? will that help? will it reduce her milk production? she is currently giving 45-48lbs a day and we are bottle feeding three calves off her milk so we need all we can get. any advice will be helpful. Thanks in advance!
I'll try to get some pics of her udder and the sore.
Thanks yall
Amanda Dray

Up North · #2 05/01/08, 10:25 AM

Carry on as you are. Time will heal the rest.

MandersGoaters · #3 05/01/08, 12:14 PM

here is a pic of the sore on her inner thigh, it's kinda a bad pic cause i had to push her udder back with my elbow and pull her leg back and stick the camera in a little crack, so the sore appears wrinkled in the pic. this was an hour after i cleaned it and milked her, it still has gooey yuck on it.
and I shaved her bag so i could get the balm on the skin and not the hair, i have a really bad set of clippers, or i'm just no good at it, it's kinda patchy.
udder edema and rubb spot - Cattle

MandersGoaters · #4 05/01/08, 12:15 PM

here are the other two pics, they only let me post 2 a t a time

udder edema and rubb spot - Cattle

MandersGoaters · #5 05/01/08, 12:17 PM

I think I might have gotten a little too close to take the pics LOL sorry if they didn't come out right

Teacupliz · #6 05/01/08, 01:33 PM

Her udder looks good- time will heal the adema- I love blue coat- which would be better on that sore to help it dry and heal- Liz

MandersGoaters · #7 05/01/08, 02:26 PM

thanks for the help, i'll try it. her tail, and legs look so greasy from the balm, i keep her washed, but she still looks like a grease pot LOL

jerzeygurl · #8 05/01/08, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MandersGoaters

I have a jersey heifer that has edema, it's even swollen to her belly button, and she has a sore thats getting worse in her inner thigh a little bigger than a quarter, first it started off red, then it progressed into the skin, and now it's an open sore,the vet(s) say just give it time, "it will heal, just keep it clean, then it'll turn into a calous"
I've been rubbing her udder down twice daily 15-20 mintues with dr.naylors udder balm, regular udder balm that i put peppermint oil in, and hot towels to try and reduce edema, so the sore will heal I figure the less edema, the less pressure on the sore.
but her udder hasn't gone down that much it's been almost a month since she calved, I limit her grain (just enough so i can milk her out)she has all the clean fresh water she can drink. is there anything else I can do? can i give her a shot of a diuretic? will that help? will it reduce her milk production? she is currently giving 45-48lbs a day and we are bottle feeding three calves off her milk so we need all we can get. any advice will be helpful. Thanks in advance!
I'll try to get some pics of her udder and the sore.
Thanks yall
Amanda Dray

I would treat her.

MandersGoaters · #9 05/01/08, 05:59 PM

I'm going to call another vet tomorrow. to see about the diuretic. thanks all for the help, I'll keep posted on the udder. thanks again

matt_man · #10 05/01/08, 11:06 PM

I've heard that red raspberry leaf tea poured over her food will help with edema. Are you sure it's edema and not the size of her bag? Does the indentation of your finger stay for a few seconds if you were to poker her? Just asking because I can't really tell from the pictures whether it is edema or just a large udder. It does seem awfully big for a heifer udder though.

I think you should stop putting on the bag balm. You are keeping the area wet when what you want it to do is dry up and heal. Put on some vit E oil or something that will soak in and then be dry the rest of the day. Try to get the area some air. This may sound weird but I did it with my daughters umbilical area when she was born because it wouldn't dry out; but....try using a blow dryer.

Rachel

Eunice · #11 05/02/08, 09:17 AM

According to my vet, who is also a dairyman, edema is genetic. Your cow has it. It will go down in time. I am with matt_man that says to quit using Bag Balm. I will sometimes use cornstarch baby powder on those kind of sores to cut the friction between udder and leg. Time does heal.
The use of diuretics for edema has stopped. It seriously knocks production and doesn't help that much. It has been over ten years since I saw a dairyman use diuretics on cows. Hot packs and massaging does more good. How about letting the calves do the massaging?
Hope your cow gets better soon.

MandersGoaters · #12 05/02/08, 09:56 AM

Eunice and matt man: I haven't been putting balm on the sore(just her udder), just been washing it and keeping it dry (well trying to)
And no, when her udder is full there is no indention mark left, she does give 45-48 lbs of milk daily(it varies cause i think the calf out in the pasture with her sneaks some)but it hasn't ever went below 45lbs, maybe it's just the size of her udder, she does come from a good milking line...the woman i got her from doesn't believe she gives that much milk a day but she really does, I weigh it every morning and night
Is that a lot of milk for a heifer? or just about right?
the sore looked a little better this morning, she lets me do anything to her, she's very tolerant! and she wants every calf she sees...I'd let the three bottle calves suck but they only want the front teats, cause the back ones are pretty small...and they but her pretty hard, I don't want that to cause her to kick when being milked.
Thank you all for the input, I do appreciate it very much!!!
I'll try some cornstarch babypowder, and a blow drier...she'll proably like the blowdrier LOL sissy likes anything done to her..sometimes i think she mothers me like all the other calves LOL

matt_man · #13 05/02/08, 12:16 PM

If there is no indentation left by your finger, then it is not edema. Edema is water pockets under the skin and when you poke with your finger it will take a few seconds for the skin to pop back.

That is a very large udder for a heifer and quite a bit of milk for a first timer, IMO. Her bag is quite low too for a first freshner, I wouldn't expect her udder to hold up well for the long haul. We just had a heifer calve on Tuesday and she is giving around 25 lbs (3 gallons) a day. Her udder is nice and high/tight. Here are pictures from the day she calved:

udder edema and rubb spot - Cattle

MandersGoaters · #14 05/02/08, 01:07 PM

now thats a nice looking udder! poor sissy, it's been muddy here for a while, i always wash her udder everytime i milk, it never stays clean LOL
I'm gonna keep taking care of the sore, but i don't think there is anything else i can do, other than keep up the massage 2x daily, that seems to be working a little...thank you all so much for your input, i do appreciate it!!