Lump in teat

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The three-year-old doe that I'm milking has a lump in the upper portion of one teat (no pictures as I'm at work, home computer is broken). She had it when she first freshened as a yearling, but it was smaller and higher, at the very top of the teat. Now it's about the size of a pea, and hard, and has dropped down a little -- it's in the way a bit when I'm milking, although I can still milk her with no problem. I've had other does have this but this is the first one that's really been in the way of milking. There is no inflamation at all; my thought with all of them has been that it was some kind of small hernia (a blood vessel perhaps?), but I'm not sure. Anyone know what causes these, and if there's a treatment short of going to the vet? (It's not bad enough to justify spending more than the goat is worth to fix it.)

Kathleen

[betsy h.]

I have one doe that does that right now- it is not there if I am milking her and not allowing her to raise her babies also, and it is there on the side of her udder on which the baby is nursing.

My bet is that if she's nursing, it comes from the baby bumping the teat and will go awat once she's no longer nursing the kid.

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No, it's not from babies bumping the teat because I bottle-raise my babies. So it can't be that.

Kathleen