Post by mcdaid36 on Oct 4, 2011 6:35:02 GMT -5
I got the culture results back yesterday. Our girl Smidgeon has Staph A in 2 quarters. She is our first cow and I'm really bummed about these results. Here's some background, it's an unusual story I think - Smidgeon is a first cow heifer, due in 3 weeks. We got her about 6 weeks ago. She started producing so much milk that she was dripping milk constantly from her udder. The farmer we got her from and the vet both said to milk her out. I did, and there were clots coming from her 2 left quarters. The vet and farmer said to keep milking her out to keep the milk flowing and to work out the mastitis. We have a bucket of frozen colostrum for the calf when it comes along. The clots were gone, but a mass remained in the udder no matter what I did (peppermint oils, milking frequently, massage, etc.). So I cultured.
So now, I'm left trying to decide how to deal with this in a heifer about to give birth. I really like the idea someone on this forum gave out - penicillin mixed with DMSO infused into the udder. (the culture was sensitive to most antibiotics) But I also have the TODAY and TOMORROW products here, although the Tomorrow says it can only be used if there is more than 30 days until the birth of the calf, and I don't have that much time. And I don't know if penicillin is safe in pregnancy.
I would like this to be gone ASAP before the calf is here to spread it around to all 4 quarters. But yes, I do know Staph A seems to never truly be gone, rather it cycles, going away and coming back again and again. Hence the reason I'm bummed....
Any ideas or points back to older posts would be most helpful. The vet is coming wednesday, but to be honest, she has already shown me she doesn't know too much about cows - she told me to start feeding alfalfa now, and everything I've read in books and online has said to feed crappy hay now and the alfalfa after the birth in order to prevent milk fever (which this heifer's mother had at every freshening according to the farmer). Uggh.
So now, I'm left trying to decide how to deal with this in a heifer about to give birth. I really like the idea someone on this forum gave out - penicillin mixed with DMSO infused into the udder. (the culture was sensitive to most antibiotics) But I also have the TODAY and TOMORROW products here, although the Tomorrow says it can only be used if there is more than 30 days until the birth of the calf, and I don't have that much time. And I don't know if penicillin is safe in pregnancy.
I would like this to be gone ASAP before the calf is here to spread it around to all 4 quarters. But yes, I do know Staph A seems to never truly be gone, rather it cycles, going away and coming back again and again. Hence the reason I'm bummed....
Any ideas or points back to older posts would be most helpful. The vet is coming wednesday, but to be honest, she has already shown me she doesn't know too much about cows - she told me to start feeding alfalfa now, and everything I've read in books and online has said to feed crappy hay now and the alfalfa after the birth in order to prevent milk fever (which this heifer's mother had at every freshening according to the farmer). Uggh.