Post by tassie on Oct 22, 2008 2:49:25 GMT -5
I'm getting a bit panicky because I don't want Giselle to lose another quarter and I'm guessing she's at risk at the moment.
Yesterday her calf got through the fence somehow and they got separated. I got them back together but it meant bringing most of the other cattle in with the calf and then isolating Giselle and babe in another small paddock that is mainly used for sheep. The calf was suckling madly so I let them be while I went for a long walk to check on the pregnant heifers.
When I got back I noticed that Giselle was now out with the other cattle and the baby was back where she should have been all along. It was sort of mind-mess stuff and I thought it was sort of funny for a bit, until I realised I'd have to do it all again.
So, I had my lunch and then got them in together again. THEN I noticed that one of Giselle's teats was looking a bit scratched up and on closer inspection saw it was kind of torn at the end. I realised that she'd jumped the fence in the corner of the sheep yard and caught the teat on some barbed wire. I still don't know why she did this but maybe the calf slipped out and in again after Giselle followed her.
I was just heat-broken because I've just spent 2 weeks sorting out a mild case of mastitis and another cut teat with the other cow and yesterday was my first day of things looking clear .
Of course she won't let the calf drink out of it and it's the front quarter on the same side as her blind quarter so it always has more milk in it than the others. By the end of yesterday it was very tight so I had a go at milking it out a bit but only got about 1/2 litre before she went crazy with the pain, and I stopped.
I cleaned it up with peroxide and let her go. My B-I-L milked her today and got 2 litres but I'm afraid it's not enough and I don't know what to do. We have to stop any infection and we have to somehow milk it out. David said she stood reasonably well and that he only squeezed the top half of the teat, but she did get agitated at times.
Is it OK just to get a few litres out per day or is it imperative to milk the quarter out? What's the best treatment for the tear? I thought of getting some topical anesthetic from the vet to use when milking, but don't know how realistic that is.
AAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH .
This is what it looks like. I didn't get a REALLY good look at it until this afternoon. I only saw the bit sticking off the end.
Any advice appreciated.
Trina
PS thanks to everyone who has posted about mastitis lately because I used all the info to deal with Spunky girl's case and it worked, although the one affected quarter is a bit salty still .
Yesterday her calf got through the fence somehow and they got separated. I got them back together but it meant bringing most of the other cattle in with the calf and then isolating Giselle and babe in another small paddock that is mainly used for sheep. The calf was suckling madly so I let them be while I went for a long walk to check on the pregnant heifers.
When I got back I noticed that Giselle was now out with the other cattle and the baby was back where she should have been all along. It was sort of mind-mess stuff and I thought it was sort of funny for a bit, until I realised I'd have to do it all again.
So, I had my lunch and then got them in together again. THEN I noticed that one of Giselle's teats was looking a bit scratched up and on closer inspection saw it was kind of torn at the end. I realised that she'd jumped the fence in the corner of the sheep yard and caught the teat on some barbed wire. I still don't know why she did this but maybe the calf slipped out and in again after Giselle followed her.
I was just heat-broken because I've just spent 2 weeks sorting out a mild case of mastitis and another cut teat with the other cow and yesterday was my first day of things looking clear .
Of course she won't let the calf drink out of it and it's the front quarter on the same side as her blind quarter so it always has more milk in it than the others. By the end of yesterday it was very tight so I had a go at milking it out a bit but only got about 1/2 litre before she went crazy with the pain, and I stopped.
I cleaned it up with peroxide and let her go. My B-I-L milked her today and got 2 litres but I'm afraid it's not enough and I don't know what to do. We have to stop any infection and we have to somehow milk it out. David said she stood reasonably well and that he only squeezed the top half of the teat, but she did get agitated at times.
Is it OK just to get a few litres out per day or is it imperative to milk the quarter out? What's the best treatment for the tear? I thought of getting some topical anesthetic from the vet to use when milking, but don't know how realistic that is.
AAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH .
This is what it looks like. I didn't get a REALLY good look at it until this afternoon. I only saw the bit sticking off the end.
Any advice appreciated.
Trina
PS thanks to everyone who has posted about mastitis lately because I used all the info to deal with Spunky girl's case and it worked, although the one affected quarter is a bit salty still .