Hard Udder

pudgypete · #1 09/30/12, 12:13 AM

A freind of mine had a little nanny given to him today and I went with him to pick her up. She is about four years old, never been with a billy, but her udder was swollen and producing. The people he got her from knew nothing about goats except how to feed her. or should I say over feed her.
I don't think they ever tried to milk her, so I did. One side milked fine,the other felt almost solid with lumps. What came out was almost clear with a brown tint to it. He's taking her to the vet Monday. Any ideas on what to do to help her (the goat) out till then?

Concerned goat lover
Pete

KrisD · #2 09/30/12, 12:19 AM

She needs to be tested for mastitis first and it must be cultured. i would also test for CAE because it can cause udder problems. Are they absolutely sure she hasn't been bred? What kind of goat is she? There are some does that are precocious milkers meaning they produce without being bred but they usually don't produce a lot.

pudgypete · #3 09/30/12, 12:41 AM

She is about the same size as my nigerians. They know for sure she hasn't been bred. I too was thinking mastitis and as fat as she is CAE isn't out of the question. I was just wondering if hot packs or something could help. I know she has to be miserable

CaliannG · #4 09/30/12, 08:55 AM

Hot, damp towels and lots of massage. Tell your friend to keep her milked out until the mastitis tests come back. That brown, broth-y stuff is nearly definitely mastitis, so she will have to be treated for that. The only question is what KIND, and that is what the test is for.

~grinz~ Fat or skinny, a goat can have CAE that effects the udder. Also, CL can cause abscesses and hard lumps in the udder. Have your friend test her for both. She is just one goat, and it would cost your friend less than $25 to test her for nearly every incurable disease under the sun if he draws blood, or has it drawn, and sends it into WADDLs. That's not a whole lot of money to find out what her health status is.

Keep her milked out, and apply hot, damp towels (although hot packs will work) to her udder and lots of massage. If she has never been milked, it might be easy to do, as she may not be producing very much at all day to day, but had simply built up too much of a back log of milk that over-uddered her.