Post by frogHOLR on Jun 4, 2010 4:11:57 GMT -5
Just when you thought I was done festering over this topic . . . .
OK. I was wondering (once again) about my heifer's edema. As those of you who were following my thread a few weeks ago know, Abbey had some very strange edema pre-calving. I was wondering how long it will take for this edema to work it's way out completely. She calved about a week ago. Right now I can milk her by hand if I have to, although she's still touchy about that right side and it takes a few 'empty squirts' before the teats will soften up enough for anything to come out. However, I have a machine and would rather use this. The problem is that the right side (more so on the front than the rear) is so bulbous still that the machine will not go very far up the teats which results in a failure to milk out that side. When I take the machine off, that side is still full feeling and the teats have rings or dents around them where the machine was attached. I separated her from the calf today for the first time and got 21 pounds of milk this evening, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not emptying those right side quarters this way.
Is this something that will become normal with time or is she likely to be this way from now on out? I changed from narrow bore liners to medium bore liners (I'm milking a Jersey too and didn't want to get the wide bores in case it might want to fall off of her). This helped Abbey's left side get 'latched' on better, but that right side is still too wide at the base of the teats. It has gotten much better in that the gland is softer and more bumpable, but you can still feel thick, tough rings of tissue in the right side teats and along the base of the udder floor. Her milk filters fine and tastes good fresh (we haven't tried any cooled milk from her yet). I sent in another milk sample to rule out any mastitis but I don't think that is the cause of the thick tissue. I'm concerned that the machine is going to injur her teats by just using vacuum; she's not really getting the full effect of the pulsator expanding the liner around them.
She got about 2 weeks of UdderMint on her (until my hand/arm started going NUMB each time after applying it!) and then I switched to UdderComfort a few days ago. I found Apis Mell 30C in my medicine cabinet (WHERE was THAT 2 weeks ago??!?!) and she got a dose of that this evening. She hasn't had a salt block for about 2 weeks either.
Any one have any insight into our future? The dairy guy where I got my new shells/liners said that a regular dairy would just cull her for this, but shouldn't it get better? I can always go and buy wide bore liners for her right side, but I don't want to spend the money if this will normalize in the next week. Also, I don't think they will stay on my Jersey as her teats are fairly thin. <sigh>
Other than this, she's doing great! She tolerates me messing with her udder MUCH better than I thought she would and she's pretty good at coming in to be milked at milking time (food helps!). She's great about cleaning her udder, and applying the udder creams, and only gets shifty when I put the machine on her. She definitely doesn't like it when the machine comes off (the second I cut off vacuum, she starts to dance and wipe at it with her back feet), but settles right down once the deed is done. I'm hoping this will get better as she gets used to it, and if the edema goes away maybe it will not be so uncomfortable too.
Boy, if you ever want to know how great your current cow is, just get another cow!! Blossom (Jersey) is dead-broke and bomb-proof!! I hadn't realized just how great she was until I decided that I should break in a new heifer to being a family milker!! It sure has helped me appreciate what a dear she is!
OK. I was wondering (once again) about my heifer's edema. As those of you who were following my thread a few weeks ago know, Abbey had some very strange edema pre-calving. I was wondering how long it will take for this edema to work it's way out completely. She calved about a week ago. Right now I can milk her by hand if I have to, although she's still touchy about that right side and it takes a few 'empty squirts' before the teats will soften up enough for anything to come out. However, I have a machine and would rather use this. The problem is that the right side (more so on the front than the rear) is so bulbous still that the machine will not go very far up the teats which results in a failure to milk out that side. When I take the machine off, that side is still full feeling and the teats have rings or dents around them where the machine was attached. I separated her from the calf today for the first time and got 21 pounds of milk this evening, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not emptying those right side quarters this way.
Is this something that will become normal with time or is she likely to be this way from now on out? I changed from narrow bore liners to medium bore liners (I'm milking a Jersey too and didn't want to get the wide bores in case it might want to fall off of her). This helped Abbey's left side get 'latched' on better, but that right side is still too wide at the base of the teats. It has gotten much better in that the gland is softer and more bumpable, but you can still feel thick, tough rings of tissue in the right side teats and along the base of the udder floor. Her milk filters fine and tastes good fresh (we haven't tried any cooled milk from her yet). I sent in another milk sample to rule out any mastitis but I don't think that is the cause of the thick tissue. I'm concerned that the machine is going to injur her teats by just using vacuum; she's not really getting the full effect of the pulsator expanding the liner around them.
She got about 2 weeks of UdderMint on her (until my hand/arm started going NUMB each time after applying it!) and then I switched to UdderComfort a few days ago. I found Apis Mell 30C in my medicine cabinet (WHERE was THAT 2 weeks ago??!?!) and she got a dose of that this evening. She hasn't had a salt block for about 2 weeks either.
Any one have any insight into our future? The dairy guy where I got my new shells/liners said that a regular dairy would just cull her for this, but shouldn't it get better? I can always go and buy wide bore liners for her right side, but I don't want to spend the money if this will normalize in the next week. Also, I don't think they will stay on my Jersey as her teats are fairly thin. <sigh>
Other than this, she's doing great! She tolerates me messing with her udder MUCH better than I thought she would and she's pretty good at coming in to be milked at milking time (food helps!). She's great about cleaning her udder, and applying the udder creams, and only gets shifty when I put the machine on her. She definitely doesn't like it when the machine comes off (the second I cut off vacuum, she starts to dance and wipe at it with her back feet), but settles right down once the deed is done. I'm hoping this will get better as she gets used to it, and if the edema goes away maybe it will not be so uncomfortable too.
Boy, if you ever want to know how great your current cow is, just get another cow!! Blossom (Jersey) is dead-broke and bomb-proof!! I hadn't realized just how great she was until I decided that I should break in a new heifer to being a family milker!! It sure has helped me appreciate what a dear she is!