Milk goat question

[gccrook]

I have a nubian who gives about 3 quarts/day. This last week seems that she is giving a little less. I noticed yesterday when I strained her milk that there were little white globs (very small) left in the strainer. I began to think mastitis, but do not see any other symptoms. I noticed when I milked her yesterday that her teats seemed cooler than the other goats (I milk 4). I would expect them to be warmer. THey seemed almost too cool. Don't know if that is possible. She otherwise acts fine. Eats fine. Has same energy level as always. Just wondering if these little white globs are something to worry about, or possibley just normal. Oh, I also just wormed her week and a half back with ivomec. We witheld the milk for 5 days, and this appeared about 4 days after that. I figured this was the best place to get some answers. You guys have been invaluable to a beginner like me. Thanks.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

It does sound a little alarming, not only the small flecks in the milk, which is usually an overgrowth of cells, but also the cold teats...you are sure nobody is nursing her? Staph mastitis is the catalyst for malignant edema/gangrenous mastitis, read the article on saanendoah.com, just as something to keep in the back of your mind.

At this point until you do either have the milk tested for staph, or have further sypmtoms, you could give her chewable vitamin c each day, I simply throw a whole container of the cheap Wallmart people kind in the blender, make a powder and give them a tablespoon over their grain, and I would also milk her 3 times a day for awhile rather than 2, not drink her milk, and not feed it to doelings. The more frequent milkings may do the trick, and vitamin C is wonderful for udder health.

I wouldn't start down the road of infusions and meds quite yet, and before you do go that way, take some of the milk into a spotlessly clean baby food jar or something small and freeze it, this way if you guess wrong on what drug to use, you can still send in a milk sample and find out what you are dealing with. Perhaps now you can call around and see what local lab folks who have cattle use.

Most mastitis problems can be directly linked to nutrition, especially copper defficency, and cleanliness at milking. Most staph is spread by us from one doe to the next. Keeping a good quality loose mineral out at all times, which is geared towards cattle or horses, no other salt in any form offered so they go to the mineral for thier salt, and really looking over our milking routine. No harsh chemicals, no unecessary pulling, they are goats not cows, dipping with something non irritating, and not using greasy salves and balms which trap staph between the goop and the udder skin, the perfect warm moist place to keep staph right at the orifice of the teat. Vicki

[gccrook]

Thanks again Vicki. I called my wife today to see if shee saw the same thing when she milked this morning. She says she did not see anything in the strainer this morning. She is going to milk her 3 times today, and we will do that for a few days.

I think I will try the vitamin C anyways. It probably could not hurt.

I failed to mention previously that we have had very wet weather here. The mud (clay) is horrible, and even though I try to keep there pen as clean as possible, and straw down as much as possible, it is just horrible. I can tell they hate the mud.

She has been eating her grains pretty well, and I do keep free choice minerals for them. They get alfalfa hay, and some alfalfa pellets, and some regular grass hay.

We use a bleach/warm water solution with clean rag for each doe to wash the udder. We have used udder balm some, since the udder sometimes seems very rough dry. Is there something else we should do instead? I have used some of the herbal stuff from Molly's that is made for the udders. WHat do you reccomend fro cleaning the udder prior to milking and for teat dip. I have seen bleach solution reccomended, but maybe that is too harsh a chemical.

Again. I really appreciate your willingness to help us newbies. We are slowly but surely stumbling through this. I am not afraid to try anything, but I prefer to get input from those that already been there done that.

[gccrook]

OK. My vet told me I could use Excenel to treat. This is supposed to be an antibiotic I believe. Supposed to treat 3 days 1.5 cc each time. She claims there is no milk withdrawal with this stuff. Anyone use this? Any comments? I like my vet, and she tries hard to help with goats, but I think she is mostly just learning about goats and is applying her vast knowledge about cows and horses. She is always willing to work with me and go with my reccomendation if she can.