Udder problems

[JR05]

good morning, I have finally gotten a calf from a 7-8 year old holstein that hasn't calved in 3 years. Nice large healthy calf. But...3 quarters are bloody, one is almost all blood. We gave her a vitamin K shot and started on 3 shots of excenel(per vet) What has caused this, I don't think it is mastitis as I have delt with it before in other animals,no clots or chunks. We started bottle feeding the calf today to make sure he gets enough to eat(goats milk!) This girl when she was in milk gave 4-6 gallons a day and we really need the milk as our other girl is 6 months prego and we would like to dry her off to rest. We have been milking her out twice a day hoping to prevent infection from setting in.

jr05

[Tana Mc]

Keep milking her and it will probably clear up. Our first freshening shorthorn did the same thing in two quarters. She is fine now.
I believe that it had something to do with the length of time that your cow has been dry. Our heifer had a sudden change in her udder. She did not "bag up" very much before she calved. Suddenly she had milk and lots of it. I think that that big change caused her udder to have edema (fancy word for swelling) and made the tissue sore and bleed. It cleared up in just a few days but I did use lactating mastitis treatments in the affected quarters to help prevent any further damage/infection.

Tana Mc

[Ronney]

This is a very common and normal occurrance and nothing to worry about. It comes about through the ruptureing of small capillaries in the udder due to being engorged with milk. It will clear up within in few days and by the end of a week you should be able to use the milk for household purposes. There is no need to give mastitis treatments for it. A bucket of red milk is a bit startling if you've not seen it before.

I have two cows that come in like this every year - both are high producing cows. I mix the milk with that of previously calved cows to feed to their calves, the balance goes to the pigs. Neither suffer from mastitis.

Cheers,
Ronnie

[gone-a-milkin]

This is the reason I cannot drink strawberry flavored milk.

I agree that it will probably clear right up, although treating for mastitis is not a bad idea.

[JR05]

Thanks, it's only been 3-4 days so I will not panick for awhile!

jr05

[Trisha in WA]

I would like to add that if it is bight red, she is actively bleeding, and she should be confined to keep from aggravating it by walking. I agree too that it should clear up fairly quickly especially with confinement.