Soft lump on belly

Key · #1 07/04/05, 09:25 PM

I have read the articles on CL because I was very scared to see a very soft lump about the size of 1/2 a golf ball under my 2-3 yr old Alpine's belly today for the first time. I bought her in April so she is new to our herd, and I bought her from a lady who had her as a pet but had orginally got her at auction ( yeah, I know, auctions can mean trouble).
Based on what I read, CL lumps can be internal or external, but they sound like they are usually around lymph node areas. This lump is directly on her underside in front of her udder almost exactly where she would have been attached to her umblical cord as a baby. This warrants to a trip to the vet but I am concerned about the reliabilty of the CL test, and in the meantime, any thoughts?
The other complication is that I have her year old doeling, and I am dreading finding out that both are infected. What a bummer 4th of July!

Antoinette · #2 07/04/05, 10:09 PM

I may be totally wrong, on this one, but I would think maybe it's an umbilical hernia. She could have had this since birth. My daughter was born with one, and I also had a Pekingese who had one. My daughter grew out of hers by the age of 3, my Peke had to have surgery to repair hers, as it never corrected on it's own. Just a guess, I may be completely wrong.

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians · #3 07/04/05, 11:20 PM

The best CL tests is always to test the abscess material itself, it's the blood tests that you have to take negatives with a grain of salt.

But I would not do anything right yet. I would wait and watch. Does have vast highways of milkveins under the skin from the umbilical area to the foreudder. When a doe has her belly shaved they are raised, the more raised the better milker she usually is. They can clog, and if you have a vet who does not know what they are doing aspirate something like this you can have milk spewing from one of these milk veins. Also blood.

Is the lump firm and solid, and acts like it is connected deep inside the body? This is how CL abscess feel, because they are connected deep in the lumphatic gland, they do not feel like a marble under the skin. And yes the lymph nodes are all over the belly and foreudder, back of the udder and thighs.

I would shave her down, give her a good bath, spend some time really looking at her skin for the tell tale signs of other abscess that have burst on her. If you find old scars than you probably have your answer already. But buying her in April and now having an abcess isn't very likely, it's usually in the first 30 days from the stress of the move that you have an abscess come up.

And yes she could have gotten butted or hurt herself and you are looking at a hernia, a vet could feel if this is one or not, there is a weakness in the abdominal wall that can be felt that this intestine has escaped through, once again a nitemare if it was lanced by someone not knowing what this is.

Good luck with this. Vicki

Key · #4 07/05/05, 09:12 AM

Oh, please let it be milk-related or a hernia.......I'll watch it closely. Thanks again for your time and experience. The lump is still very soft and squishy, I'm going to check her for other spots.

lgslgs · #5 07/05/05, 10:50 AM

Our nursing doe (Nubian /Alpine cross) has a number of soft bumps on her belly.

The vet has been out to check them, and she explained them much like Vicki does in her post. She said to expect them for a while longer with the two kids nursing as roughly as they have been.

We've seen these for about 4 weeks now, and they fade away and get replaced by others. The doe is in great shape and showing no signs of problems. She is a bit sensitive about us touching the bumps, but will rub them on her favorite goat rubs without apparent discomfort.

This doe is an incredible milker. Nice to get that info from Vicki. Our vet's good with goats, but it is assuring to hear more about these kind of bumps from someone else with experience with them.

Lynda

Laura Workman · #6 07/06/05, 01:04 AM

I've never had a goat with an umbilical hernia, but with cats and dogs, both of which I have had, you can often just kind of mush the hernia material back inside the belly little by little, usually starting from one end, not the middle. If it doesn't want to go, I wouldn't push very hard, but if it does push back in, that seems an easy way to tell whether it's a hernia. Of course, it will pop right back out again in a few minutes, but at least you'll know what it is.