Mastitis and sloughing off of udder

[willow_girl]

Has anyone dealt with a case of mastitis so severe that it resulted in part of the udder sloughing off?

The cow also aborted the calf she was carrying.

What is the long-term prognosis? Will the mastitis flare up in subsequent lactations? Will the cow even be able to become pregnant again? Is it likely that, having recovered, she will live out a normal lifespan, or is the infection likely to reoccur?

Just curious. Thanks!

[Scottland Jerseys]

We have dealt with this type of mastitis and have had survivors. They all went on to produce calves and milk without any further problems with mastitis. It takes a very long time for them to heal. Our worse case took two years, but she lost her entire bag. We were going to put her into the freezer after she healed and in the meantime the cleanup bull got to her and she calved with no bag. We always have colostrum on hand in the freezer, so we just gave the calf her colostrum and she nursed another cow, but got her "mothering" from her own bagless mother. The bagless cow ended up having a second calf the next year and the calf was handled the same way. Both calves were heifers, so we figured our luck had run out, the cow had healed, the second calf was weaned and we put the cow in the freezer. Others that have only become 3 teated stay with us unless the milkers don't stay on. Then they usually become family milk cows for someone else. Our neighbor bought one from us years ago and raises calves on her. She is now 14 and is still producing calves and has never had mastitis again.

If they survive through the first stages of this deadly form of mastitis, they most certainly can go on to have a productive life.

[Ronney]

Hi Willow,
We call it Black Mastitis (acute staphlocccal mastitis) and often the prognosis isn't good for the cow. I gather this has happened to one of your animals and it would probably be the reason she lost the calf. If they do survive it, there is no reason as to why they shouldn't go on to produce in the remaining quarters but has Scottland has said, the sloughed quarter can take a very long time to heal.

If you do carry on with this cow, I would seriously consider using dry-cow therapy at the end of her lactations.

Cheers,
Ronnie

[shelbynteg]

Originally Posted by willow_girl

Has anyone dealt with a case of mastitis so severe that it resulted in part of the udder sloughing off?

The cow also aborted the calf she was carrying.

What is the long-term prognosis? Will the mastitis flare up in subsequent lactations? Will the cow even be able to become pregnant again? Is it likely that, having recovered, she will live out a normal lifespan, or is the infection likely to reoccur?

Just curious. Thanks!

Have had a mastitis like this in my goats, if the doe has lived, she will generally be perfectly fine as a brood animal.

[willow_girl]

Thanks you guys!

No, it wasn't one of my girls; it was a cow on the farm where I work. The farmer was planning to cull her, and I thought it was so sad that she had survived so much, only to go for slaughter.

In the end, for various reasons (money, time, space, plus a lot going on in my life right now with starting a new job next week) I decided I just couldn't take her at this time. She was shipped on Monday. :waa: