Post by thystledown on Sept 21, 2019 12:33:34 GMT -5
So the vet assistant called and said there was very little infection showing in the milk sample I submitted and I thought she said small amounts of strep. I reported that I still had some bleeding in that quarter occasionally and wondered what, if anything, more should be done. The weekend vet (not my normal and not anyone I know) called back and said it was Staph and I needed to dry off the quarter or have it killed because there is no cure for staph. She says the little bit of bleeding I see sometimes now before or after milking is probably cysts of staph that have caused mini abscesses in the quarter that irritate the tissue and that she will always shed staph and have sub Q mastitis and her milk from that quarter will never be safe for human consumption. This is so odd. The infection she had last year was strep--vet checked the records. We treated for strep this year. The quarter responded to the amoxicillin beautifully. I swear the tech was not concerned with the report. thought it was good. So I asked the vet that called if she was sure. She says that is what the report she saw said. Which sounds a lot different than "the report I'm looking at."
Background: Heiferlump went dry for 18 months before freshening last year with a tough case of mastitis which tested as strep. the quarter dried itself off. She freshened Monday night this year 9/16/19 and the quarter came back in milk, but I had a few lumps, so took a milk sample to my usual vet who also looked up what we found last year and sent me home with amoxicillin (Amoxymast or some such mastitis treatment). the quarter clear up nicely. Never any heat, now no swelling or lumps, or at least not any more than the rest of the edema in the udder as a whole which is going down nicely; just occasionally pink milk at the start or near the end, especially if calf has been beating on that front left quarter. She is 7 years old. this very new young substitute vet thinks she's an old cow (can you hear her conventional training talking). I will call my own vet on Monday to review the results.
However, if it is staph, is this vet correct? And if she is, what do I do with the quarter? It is the calf's favorite. I can only use the machine on 3 teats again, but that quarter could become badly infected on a cow that is giving me 26 lbs twice a day (with the tiny Jersey calf on her full time). Last year the damage was so bad that the teat just gave yellow liquid and quit milking. But this year we don't have that kind of infection. That quarter is milking normally--volume wise and ease of milking.
I'm also having trouble with let down without having the calf nurse first. This is the first time this has been a problem EVER. But that's just a side issue.
I really need to hear sound advice on what to do here. Very upset.