colostrum mastitis

bulldog · #1 04/09/12, 11:05 AM

Hey, my jersey Holstein freshened on the 6th, a full week over due, a healthy heifer! Very easy calving. This is her second calf, last year she was a whole month overdue. anyway this year she really bagged up, very swollen. The first day it looked like she had 6 quarters instead of 4. We are grafting another calf onto her so we only have to milk once a day, though that wont be for a few weeks. we put the calves on three times a day and milk after them twice a day. Since the first day her udder has been vary hard. We were hoping that would diminish, but even after the milking this morning the udder is still hard, though slightly better than it has been. we wanted to save some colostrum and the filter caught flakes, like flat white scales. I have seen mastitis lumps and these did not seem the same. She has not had any problems in the past and had been dry for almost 6 months prior to this calf. could she come out of the gate with mastitis? Any ideas?

myersfarm · #2 04/09/12, 12:21 PM

mastitis can happen anytime.....I have never straind colostrum... but have seen BLOOD CELLS in clums at the bottom of the jug if you let it set over night....they are more round and red....Matitis will be white and stringey when it comes out..... would check each teat to see if it is in all of them or just one......milk a little into a cup then strain that cup.....of get a Mastitis check kit

springvalley · #3 04/09/12, 04:29 PM

Yes , cows can come fresh with mastitis, if they had a injury or anything during the dry period that can cause a problem. Keep the quarter milked out that has mastitis and you may have to treat that quarter with some meds. Milk it out as many times a day as you can. I have a question, why was the cow dry so long ? It is not good to have extended dry periods for cows, most put on to much weight while dry that long. > Good Luck, > Thanks Marc

Chixarecute · #4 04/10/12, 07:31 AM

Could this be a case of udder edema? It does not usually subside in 4 days time. I would think, though, you'd start seeing some decreases in swelling about now. Keep a close eye. It may be helpful to lock up the calves and milk her yourself 3-4x per day, just in case she does have mastitis coming on.

bulldog · #5 04/10/12, 08:43 AM

well I'm now leaning towrd edema, as if I press it with my finger it leaves a pit. It is getting somewhat better, as in less this morning, why does that happen though? she is outside, not standing in a stall. Anyway she was dry that long because we only have two cow and no bulls, and our trailer axle broke in half, and I cant get an AI tec out here, we had a baby, found mold in our house, had to tear it down and build a new one in three months before the snow started to fly. So! the cow was a bit lower on the list. And yes she did get very fat, but that is just the way she is most of the time, why is that a detriment?

Chixarecute · #6 04/10/12, 12:23 PM

Well, for the same types of reasons fat/overweight isn't good for you or me...it's a strain on the heart and joints. Fat cowss can also have more problems calving than a regular cow.

According to this link, excess intake of energy (AKA fat cow) is a contributing factor.

Prevention of Udder Edema in Dairy Cows - eXtension

Causes of edema

Although the exact cause of udder edema has not been identified, a number of physiological and management factors have been associated with its occurrence. Predisposition to edema may be inherited, decrease with increasing parity, and be more likely in older first-calf heifers. Excess prepartum intakes of energy, sodium, or potassium may also increase likelihood of edema.

Think of it this way - the udder is the low point of that plumbing system, and has no muscles to pump excess lymph fluid back up into the circulatory system. Probably a contributing factor to why mastitis is so hard to overcome.

springvalley · #7 04/10/12, 01:00 PM

Fat cows are also harder to rebreed. And I understand how life can get in the way, trust me. > Thanks Marc

Chixarecute · #8 04/11/12, 07:19 AM

You may want to decrease her grain, and let her "milk off her back."

Also, keep a close eye on her for ketosis - its a metabolic disease that can kick in when she is burning up her fat stores too rapidly. You'll smell the change in her breath. It's easy to treat, with a propolene glycol drench.

bulldog · #9 04/11/12, 02:18 PM

she only gets about two cups of grain per day, and we are hoping to switch her from grain to alfalfa for when she is in the milking stall, that way we will have CLA in the milk.

springvalley · #10 04/11/12, 04:14 PM

Not sure, is CLA short for clacium ? Trust me the milk has calcium in it already, you don`t need to feed alfalfa to get it. You do need to feed alfalfa if you want her to milk heavier, your call, but you don`t have to feed it. > Thanks Marc

bulldog · #11 04/12/12, 02:10 PM

CLA is Conjugated linoleic acid. It is found in meat and milk of ruminants. It has proven anti cancer ability, reduces inflammation in the body and helps to maintain a higher level of muscle mass verses fat in the body. But what almost no one will tell you is that as soon as a cow has the least bit of grain she stops producing CLA in her milk! So we want to have a pastured cow.