Imminent labor? Paranoid cow daddy....

[cjb]

Violet is due in 5 days and I am overly paranoid because, last time she bagged up with a calf, she got mastitis and lost a quarter. However, that time I did not use plugs with antibiotics etc. This time, I dryed her out properly.

So..... I checked on her today and her udder is very bagged up, her teats stick out like sausages and one of them dripped one drip of clear liquid. Normal? I hope so. She let me touch them without complaining and they don't feel hot. Also, her tail is way sunken in and she has clear stuff coming out her vulva. There's not much of the liquid, just a little bit.

Isn't 5 days a bit early? Vet said that dripping teats means a day or so away from delivery. Her bag is all crooked because she supposedly has two blind quarters on one side. Oddly enough, the two "blind" teats have some creamy looking stuff in the orifice.

Tell me that this is normal, that she doesn't have mastitis again and that she's going to deliver a heifer, ok?

Here's a pic of her tail (very sunken) and her udder:

[Dodgegal79]

I would say the tonight or the next day, she is very ready. Clear fluid is fine too.

[matt_man]

I agree with the next 24 hours. 5 days is no big deal. I would only worry if she wasn't due for another 3 weeks and she was showing signs. The quarter that you dried off due to mastitis last year might come back into milk this time around. If there is milk there I would milk it. Not until she calves though! Some blind quarters do bag up with each calf but no milk ever comes out because of a blockage before the teat. It will dry back off on it's own.

[cjb]

To clarify: clear fluid is ok coming out of her vulva, right? What about the fact that her teat dripped one clear drop of fluid while I was looking at it? The Doc said that it might be the liquid from the wax plugs/antibiotic things I put in when I dried her out.

Whatya think?

[gone-a-milkin]

cjb, the clear fluid from her hindend is fine.

With her udder, you wont know for sure until after she pops out your new heifer calf.

Try not to worry too much. It is probably nothing. Maybe it only seemed 'clear'?

If she does have mastitis there is absolutely nothing you can do about it right now anyhow.

Good luck sleeping tonight, LOL.

[Dodgegal79]

Usually the first stuff that comes out of the udder is very watery, so i think its ok. The stuff you put in shouldn't still be there.

[cjb]

More like good luck sleeping for two weeks probably. Every time I think my mama animals are going to deliver early, they go at least to their due dates or past.

How likely is it for her to be dripping milk and still go a week or so further?

You know, so far, she has had boy, girl, boy and now ? It's time for her to have a girl, I think....

[Callieslamb]

I think it is a good thing you wife isn't pregnant.....how much would you worry then?

And I vote heifer this year!

[cjb]

Oh, I was really bad with our six kids.

However, I never once posted pics of her tail or her udders.

[commonsense]

She looks very ready to me! watch her for behavioral changes...the day of the night my cow calved, she uncharacteristically wanted to come inside by herself during the day. Good luck!

[Madsaw]

Originally Posted by cjb

Oh, I was really bad with our six kids.

However, I never once posted pics of her tail or her udders.

ROTFL !!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can just bet if you did post any pic you sure would not be here posting today !!!
Bob

[Dodgegal79]

I'm sure your wife would have killed you if you posted picks like that. LOL

[cjb]

Oh she would. She is rather modest in that way. Well... in every way.

No change in the cow except that she is being very reclusive - standing in the far corners of the field under a tree. She's usually more social. If I go up to her, she's quite lovey. Otherwise, she looks the same.