G- Mastitis or something else

[FlipFlopFarmer]

Hello everyone - Sorry for the long post here.....

We've had a lot of trouble w/Teensie and mastitis lately. The milk would start to drain slow, then the filter would start to get yellowish and it just got worse from there. We ordered a California Mastitis test kit so that we could be sure if was gone and test again if thought something was brewing.

We tried frequent milking, rubbing the quarter with cayenne paste, and two rounds of Today. Everytime it will go away for a while and then comes back. It always comes back in the same quarter, the rear left.

We tried talking with our vet about this but he acted as though it was really no big deal even after we explained that it kept coming back. After I called him back to let him know her temp was high - he never returned my call. So...we called a different vet who I think will be our regular vet from now on. He advised to give her an antibiotic shot. LA200. 2 rounds of it 48hrs apart. To make a long story short. The first round was on Friday - he said that test her milk on Sunday before the other round to see what it looked like. It still tested positive for Mastitis. We went ahead and gave her the second round of LA200 this afternoon.

I'm just worried that we can't get this to go away and stay away. It has all the signs of mastitis, including hot swollen, hard area. Could it be something else and we're not treating it correctly?

Also, now that she's had a round of antibiotics, should we give her some sort of probiotic? I'm worried about her. She's eating fine and acting okay. I just don't want any further complications.

Sorry I don't post as much as I'd like. I'm on here every day keeping up with all of you on what's going on. I feel like I ask so much more than I'm ever able to contribute. Thank you so much for your thoughts on this.

Carla

[Joann]

I think you are doing everythinmg right. It is definitely mastitis. Mastitis can be very persistent. A logical next step would be to get a culture to find out the exact organism involved. Now that you have found a vet who is willing to take an intelligent interest, with culture results he can plan a more specific choice of meds. You probably cannot get a culture right now while she is on penicillin.

Frequent milking is perhaps the most important part of any treatment. Probiotics can be valuable. If I think of anything else I will post later. And let's hope others will have further ideas.

Please don't hesitate to ask ask questions. Some day it will be you who has answers, if not on this board, then for friends elsewhere. Sometimes just an encouraging word is all a person needs in an indifferent world.

[Claire]

I just went through this with Isabelle in August. It kept flaring up, going away, returning, etc.

You are doing everything right. I'm glad you found a vet who was willing to help instead of brushing you off. My vets are wonderful about answering any questions or coming out to check on the cow, even if its just to reassure me.

I second Joann's idea on a milk culture. If the vet can figure out what specific beastie is causing trouble he can select a drug that is right to knock it out. LA 200 is a good antibiotic, but is very general.

Another thought- what is the weather like? Temps during the day and at night? Wet or dry? What type of bedding is she on? Is it dry through and through or is the bottom layer wet?

I've noticed with Isabelle that a lot of the time she would flare up if she spent the night sleeping outside in the cold, damp pasture or when she peed up the bedding and then lay in it.

Claire

[Joann]

In "The Old Days" nursing mothers used to be admonished not to let their bosom take a chill.

[FlipFlopFarmer]

The temps are around the high 39's to low 40's at night. She has a loafing shed that she sleeps in or sometimes we find that she sleeps in the pasture. It is wet and I can see how the dampness of the grass with the warmness of her could create a great place for bacteria.

Question: We spent all summer/fall putting siding on our barn and loafing shed and are now going to prepare everything for winter. In the loafing shed, it's just dirt. We scoop out the poo but haven't done much else with it. What is the best way to prepare that for her? My husband says that his grandfather used to put a nice layer of crushed rock down first and then bark dust on top of that. This might be a silly question but when you purchase bark dust or whatever for bedding, should you ask if it's from treated wood? I wouldn't want to use the bark/dust from treated wood.

By the way - Just as luck would have it, we started having these issues just as we started having more and more people interested in buying milk.

;D Thanks for your help!
Carla

[Claire]

We put down gravel, called 411, which is small stones and a lot of ground stone. Compacted it makes a nice floor. We have had to add to the floor every year to fill in any dips the cow has worn or damp spots.

Claire

[FlipFlopFarmer]

What about bark? Does she just lay on the gravel?

[Claire]

No, the gravel is just the floor. Over top she gets deep straw bedding. It takes a while to build up the bed. I just stripped out the barn on Saturday and after the initial bedding of 3 big bales of straw I have had to add another full bale each day because it gets compressed. It looks very deep when its first down but a half ton of bovine compresses it quickly. In another week or two I will have a good pack and only have to add a few flakes of straw during clean-up.

It says nice and warm all winter. As long as I clean out the manure 2x a day and put down more bedding as needed. I keep the bedding as dry and comfortable as possible, I try not to have her lying on anything that I wouldn't want to lie down in either.

Claire

[FlipFlopFarmer]

Have you all found that you like the straw better than like bark dust? I just thought that the bark would be easier to clean out. Of course, the straw is much easier to haul home and put in their sleeping area I would think.

Do you all keep your cows in at night? Teensie has a place if she wants to go in but it seems that she'd rather stay out.

;D Carla

[Claire]

I've never tried bark dust, but I don't think anything like bark dust or mulch or any rouhg sort of bedding would be a good idea for a dairy cow. It would work with beef animals who don't have much of an udder by the dairy cows have those big udders and teats that can get scratched up easily.

I have really good straw right now and its very easy to clean out. I was working with failed hay as bedding over the summer which was a big pain, since its likes to stay clumped together and straw falls apart nicely.

My cow has the option of sleeping where she wants. Some nights she wants to sleep outside, though why I don't know. I just leave the barn as inviting as possible.

Claire

[MooMad]

Hiya Carla,
Sorry to learn of Teensie's ongoing mastitis problems and sincerley hope you see the end of the dreaded problem very soon.

You didn't get a calf with Teensie did you?
One of the wonderful benefits of sharemilking with a calf is the cow doesn't get mastitis. Maybe something to consider when she next freshens.

Claire, I'm going to do like you and put down a base of gravel in the pen I use the most for the freshening cows. I've got 5/6 big truckloads of the stuff coming in a month or two to regravel the drive so will get some dumped by my dairy. Do you pack it down with a compactor? Thought we would hire one to do the job.

[Claire]

Our first floor layer was just shoveled on and bedded over because we were in such a rush to get everything done. Next summer we put down another layer to level the floor, a foot deep in some places and then compacted it with this thing that looked like a push lawn mower which sprayed water and tamped everything down.

Now when I add gravel I just shovel it in in low spots and just the cow and I tromping around gets it compacted.

If the area you are putting the gravel down on is well drained and dry I would compact it right off, it it gets damp easily I would let the gravel sit a few days so you can find and fill all the low spots, then compact it.

Claire

[FlipFlopFarmer]

No calf from Teensie yet. We had her AI'd on Oct 12th so we're still crossing our fingers that there's no signs of heat. So far so good.

Well, bad news. We used the CMT test this morning and that same quarter still tests positive for bacteria. I think this is really odd. I am going to call the vet today and see about having them look at the milk from that quarter and see what little bacteria critters are lurking in there. It's just so frustrating.

I noticed that the dairy that I got her from used all bark dust - not the chips that would scratch the udder/teats. Either way - I've got to get the rock in there first.

Carla