G- Withholding, Mastitis & a Bad quarter ??'s

[Vanessa]

Molly is doing better, she finally cleaned two days ago. However, that one back quarter is really not responding. Her fever did go down, and the swelling went down, but it is still filling up with yellow fluid (pus?) and is hard. The calf (Ebony) is doing great, running and bucking and playing like crazy, and is already sampling hay (and tried to get her mom's oats today too!), but Molly won't let down for me. I can milk the inflamed one out pretty decent, but all I can get is a few squirts out of the other 3, even though her bag still seems very full (hard/tense but not hot). I'm pretty sure the other 3 quarters aren't affected, no stringys or clumps from the few drops I can get. I imagine if we can stick out the next few weeks, when I start locking the calf up, we can probably work on the holding up habit, if that is what it is, but for now-I have no clue as to what to do!
And of course, with all the problems I'm having, there's rumbling from all sides as to the fact that I should "get rid of her" and how would I like to be having babies at circa age 50. (Basically trying to illustrate how cruel it would be to keep her, even to raise calves). We are guessing her age at around 12-13 yrs. So I know I have some hard decisions coming up, and I am just trying to dodge them for the time being. I don't even know what I'd do with her!! Old cows aren't worth anything anyways-if things don't work out, do I just have Hubby shoot her and put her in the dead pit?? I thought if maybe I could start getting some milk out of her, I could keep her milking for awhile longer, and maybe even try and get one more calf-but it would then probably be a bull anyways with my luck! But if I keep her, I will definitely have to get rid of this year's heifer calf, which may or may not work out as a milk cow anyways, being half angus.
Oh-I just wish there was a book of answers, to tell me what the right thing to do was!!

[doc]

Vanessa,
You may want to have your vet out to examine your cow. She may have more serious mastitis than you think or she could have metritis (uterine infection).
Dale

[Joann]

Doc could well be right, but another thing to try is an oxytocin shot. It will compel her to let down, at which point you will have your answer as to what you are deaing with.

At present with Helen I am finding that about half the time one or more quarters gives very little and ends up feeling hard. She is definitely holding up. She does not have mastitis.

Can you tell which quarter the calf has sucked? That one should feel smaller with less of a hard area.

[Vanessa]

Gave Molly a shot of oxytocin yesterday, and got 1/4 gallon of milk. Her udder softened up considerably, but not completely? The calf seems to be getting all 3 quarters quite well-all 3 teats are always smooth and sucked on looking. Her (good) rear teat had some lil teeth cuts on it yesterday, and it bled when I milked it. I put the contents of 2 Vit E capsules on that. It is considerably less milk than what she was giving before I dried her of last year, but of course she didn't have a calf on then either.
Also-what do I do with the bad quarter? Keep milking the "pus" out of it, leave it be?? The swelling has come out of it, and it is getting hard again, the way it was before, but there is still a considerable amt of fluid that comes out when squeezed. The skin is now peeling off that quarter, likely from the heat/stretching of the inflammation. I applied vit E to it too.

[Joann]

The bad quarter may eventually get healthy or it may dry up and go blind. In the meantime I would continue removing whatever is in it.

There are also things a vet can shoot it up with that hasten its permanent resolution to a blind quarter. I guess that would be a decision between you and your vet. To me it seems better to save a quarter if possible. The decision in big dairies is affected by the farmer not having time to keep treating. If you discuss it with your vet, remind him that the decision for you is a little different.

I have had pretty good luck with rubbing a mastitic quarter (not the teat) with Heather's lard and cayenne treatmenet. I have no doubt that Claire's aloe vera and tea tree oil is as good or better.

Vitamin E is especially valuable where there is broken skin or other lesions.

[AnnB (NE)]

I had a cow that suffered from chronic mastitis, as well as having had her center ligament ruptured.

I actually discussed with the vet the possiblity of having a mastectomy performed on her so that she could at least produce calves that could be fostered to another cow. She was a really nice Registered Jersey, but she'd been rather "ill-used" in a commercial dairy.

The vet said that a true mastectomy was out of the question, that the surgery would be too much for her. But he recommended "killing" each quarter in turn. Iodine would be infused into the quarter through the teat orifice. I was told that it would be painful, it would look terrible, and that the cow could die from shock after any one of the quarters was treated. It sounded too horrific for me, so when the cow freshened with mastitis again, she went back to the salebarn as a "kill cow". I hated to do it, but I wouldn't have wanted someone else go through what I did with her.

Anyway, from what my vet said, an infusion of iodine is the "preferred treatment" to kill a quarter, and it's painful as well as risky.

Ann B

[Claire]

I would keep working at the infected quarter and get some Ceta-lax (Today) teat infusions for it. It helps knock out persistent mastitis. Even if you don't plan to breed her again the mastitis left untreated could make her sicker.

[MooMad]

Hiya Vanessa,
Have you considered guiding the calf to empty the bad quarter out before allowing it to nurse the good ones?

I keep forgetting to mention that a friend of mine in the States who has a lot of cows has this season used a new product called Mastocream with great success. My friend did send a list of all the ingredients in it and when I look it out I'll post it if you like.

Here in NZ 'Raw Manuka Honey' is starting to be widely used to treat udder problems. There's been a lot of articles about it in the farming papers about the success commercial dairies are having with it.

A quick google tells me it is exported to the States so I'm sure more delving into it would lead you to a supplier.

I'm going to track some down and apply it to Janets blind quarter on the off chance that it will heal it. Finding a way to keep it in liquid form over winter will be a bit of a challenge tho!

[Vanessa]

Hi all!
It's so great to have your advice and support. Thank you all so much (((HUGS))).
I've given her 3 treatments of Special formula-the only teat infusion the vets will prescribe. But it's main active ingredient is pen G. I will pressure my vet about ceta lax though. I have had the calf suck on the teat before, although she definitely doesn't seem to like it. I do have concerns about her doing this, however, as it doesn't seem to be like any mastitic fluid I've seen-it's clear and yellow, kinda oily feeling? I know nursing is the best for a real mastitis infection though, having experienced that cure personally!! I would love to see the ingredient list of the mastocream, and will look into the honey as well. Will probably put into a call to the vet again to further discuss everything I'm dealing with. I sure didn't expect these problems with Molly, it's Dolly who I had so much trouble with last year!
I'm sure glad I can discuss these problems with y'all, anyways, as I said, everyone here at home really doesn't want to hear it-their best idea is just to get rid of her, period, and no one will listen when I say-and how?? The problem is, people like my Hubby view their cattle-kinda like machines, I guess?-if they ain't working and/or are costing $ that's it, get rid of them. Hubby gets really tense anytime I mention more problems with the girls-usually means more vet bills. And that doesn't help me convince him what a great thing I am really doing!! Dad tries to be understanding and helpful, he says-I know she's your milk cow, someone with whom you have a relationship-but you have to understand that sometimes it's better to let go. And maybe it would be. If only I were able to afford to just turn her out on pasture........

[MooMad]

Just a quick note with the ingredients of Mastocream;Aconitum, Arnica, Belladonna, Bellis, Calendula, Chamomilla, Echinacea.

Keep up the good work Vanessa and you stick to your guns about your cows