Udder problems

Karen in Alabam · #1 10/13/11, 07:04 PM

I have a cow question: This morning Yo (My 8 yr old Jersey) didn't feel like getting up, she wasn't really interested in eating and she didn't want me to milk her. So I let Rita at her. She also appeared to be limping a little bit.
I didn't see any damage to her teats.

So this evening as I am letting her in to area at night, I give her some food and I milk her anyway, never get anything. (Oh, I took her temp in the morning and it was fine--the little milk I did get also looked fine) So tonight as I am milking her I notice her front left quarter feels really hard. She let me massage it, but I couldn't get anything out of it to speak of. She was eating, but not crazy about me milking her, she passed her foot a few times at me, but calmed down. The milk I got out of her was yellow (not white white like it always is). Any ideas? This has been a pretty sucky day so I am not hoping for good news.

Should I leave her out with the calf (calf is 7 months old).

JDog1222 · #2 10/13/11, 08:39 PM

I'm having the same issue with my cow. Started Monday, walked with somewhat of a limp. Somewhat hard udder, no clumps or a bad taste in the milk. I've been milking her 4 times a day and putting the calf on her hungry to clean out the udder before I feed him. Today the edema, swelling, and hardness is about gone but tonight the milk tasted salty. SO, I'm REAL sure it's MASTITIS. I added ACV to her feed and I have stopped milking with the infusion tip. NOW, it's what to do since she won't let her milk down for me, now that the calf is nursing her.
I ordered a kit from a lab today and they are putting it in the mail so I can send the milk in to see if the Mastitis is caused from bacteria, what kind, and what antibiotic it is sensitive to, for treatment.

What I'd like to know is if having a cow that is prone to mastitis will be a detriment to my other milk cow (heifer due this spring).

Good LUCK

Madsaw · #3 10/14/11, 12:07 AM

Karen,
You will need to treat her for mastitis as soon as you can. A jersey will act as if they are dieing when they start to come down with it. Take her temp again in the morn and contact you vet. She may need to be treated with IV meds if is real bad
Jill
This is a classic example of a jersey geting mastitis. They will start out larthargic and get a hard hot quarter. Karens dicription is a prime example of how they act. With your Pear what you discribed to me was a bumped or smashed udder. Which in time will be fine with out much treatment. But in Karens case the discolored milk needs fast attention. Also The rub I mentioned to make will also work in Karens case to. It will help stimulate blood flow and cuse faster healling of any injured tissue.
Karen
A cheap alternative to buy a cream to rub on a cow's udder that many places sells is. Use a few drops of pepperment oil a few drops of tea tree oil mixed into a unscented hand lotion. Or a lotion with aleo vera in it too. Rubber the quater twice to 3 times a day. This will help stimulate blood flow. The stuff you buy in the store has blue dye in it. So your cow looks like a smurf has been near her.
Bob

Karen in Alabam · #4 10/14/11, 01:37 AM

Ok, just got the message.

Don't have Tea Tree oil. I did have some homemade bees wax lotion (got at bee meeting), and added peppermint extract to it.

It is after midnight. She was up and I brought her a little food and she let me smear it on, she was touchy though, but I think I got it on pretty good.

I didn't figure I would have this problem since she still had the calf on her during the day. I just put her up at night and milk in the morning and turn her out with the rest of the cows when I am done. I milk all I can off of her, though I know she holds back as my milk hardly has cream.

Her milk was always different. It froths when I milk her

She actually gets put up with my holstein calf who I bottle feed, then after morning feeding they get turned out. The are in a big area (was my strawberry patch will be a garden next year).

Thanks for the help. Will contact the vet in the morning. It all comes at once, my cat is back at the vet now too.

JDog1222 · #5 10/14/11, 08:41 AM

Well, now that I have taken the calf away and went back to the twice a day milking the edema is coming back. The milk did taste somewhat nasty again this morning compared to the other teats. I didn’t see any clumps though. How small will the clumps be? The discomfort has not come back yet, though I’m sure it will if I don’t go back to the 4 times per day milking. The milk test kit is in the mail so that will tell if it’s bacteria or not.

She is eating fine and has no temp.

Forerunner · #6 10/14/11, 09:23 AM

You all better be PASTEURIZING that milk.

Karen in Alabam · #7 10/14/11, 11:29 AM

Went to the vet this morning ( I did rub the peppermint/lotion on her last night around midnight--didn't have tea tree)

She let me milk her this morning, didn't get much of anything. then I went to the infected teat and she let me squeeze the chunks out. I brought it to the vet and they gave me 2 doses of: Today cephapirin sodium. I gave her one dose this morning when I got back. She is being kept away from her calf. Her temp this morning was 102.4