B 1 Katika has mastitis, or something else?

[Selden]

Katika has never had mastitis. A few globs in her milk a few times in eight years, but a little extra milking took care of it and it would be gone by the next milking.

But now her left rear quarter is swollen rock hard. It feels like a warm medicine ball. The swelling started small on Wednesday night, and I was puzzled by it, but by yesterday morning the whole quarter was bulging and hard. It is hanging below her hocks. It is obviously quite tender. The odd thing (to me, who has read about mastitis now for years but never seen it) is that at least so far, the milk is perfectly normal. No globs or strings or salty taste. Her temp was also normal, 101.7.

But I can't get much of the milk out. I milked her four times yesterday, and I probably got a half gallon max from that teat over the day.

Her steer calf is the dopiest calf I've ever had, and though he's almost 8 weeks he has just discovered there are back teats. I tried keeping him off her to increase his hunger and feeding aggression yesterday (and milking out all the other teats) but when she moved the tender quarter away from his questing nose, he just sucked on the empty ones and looked puzzled.

I even brought in my 9-month foster bull calf to have a go at the teat while she was in her stanchion, but she swiped at his head once and he slunk off.

I began wondering if she could have been kicked by a horse in the udder? Or stung? I can't see any mark but I've just never seen anything like this. Or is this what mastitis looks like?

I've had a string of bad health luck with my animals in the past few months and I'm very anxious. Of course I will call the vet if I need to, but my vet bill is so high from various emergencies I've been paying it off in installments already... so if anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them.

Last week my daughter's horse colicked, no apparent reason; yesterday I discovered one of my best ewes dead in the field, no symptoms; and today I have to drive five hours to pick up piglets, so everything feels a bit overwhelming. I couldn't stand it if anything happened to Katika. Thank you for any help.

[Tammy]

Selden,

I am so sorry to hear of your struggles with your animals and that you are feeling overwhelmed. I am sorry to hear that Katika is having this problem. It certainly sounds like mastitis to me with the hardness and tenderness in her udder. I suppose that it could be an injury but the likelihood of it turning into mastitis at this point sounds very likely with the details you have given. I am guessing that were you to test her milk you would find that it is mastitic even though you are not seeing the globs or tasting it. If it were me, I would treat her accordingly.

I know as other folks sign on this morning they will have some helpful advice for you. I don't have any advice other than what you already know but I wanted you to know that I am thinking of you and Katika.

Please keep us updated.

Tammy

[Selden]

Thanks, Tammy. She seems no better but no worse this morning. I got another half gallon out of that teat. Still no clots or strings. The other teats were pretty well milked out by the calf, who'd gone hungry all yesterday. I'm about to leave for the piglets and will separate them again while I'm gone. I'm also going to take down some comfrey leaves, to see if she'll eat them (usually she won't, but she'll be in her stall and perhaps will try them out of boredom).

I do think it must be mastitis but I have no idea what could have caused it. Her other quarter (the one that was ripped when she calved) had just healed and now this! My confidence is at low ebb. THANK YOU for your support.

[Tammy]

Selden, I am learning through all the trials I have had in the last couple of years with my animals that sometimes these things just happen. We can be the very best caretaker there is and love our animals dearly and things just happen sometimes. Also, as an animal ages, they more than likely are going to have an increase in health problems. Half my herd are "old ladies" and it only stands to reason that there are going to be more problems to deal with as they continue to mature.

Have you tried some kind of udder cream? I am a firm believer in the Mint Udder cream but I know some folks make their own and say it works just as well.

www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&pf_id=0030739

I will be checking back to see how you are doing.

Tammy

[Jenn]

Cocoa came into to barn with a rock hard quarter a while ago. I could barely get anything out of it. I used Superior Cow cream on her once to reduce the welling and milked out gunk for 2 days and she was good to go. I have found the SCC cream to be far superior to the other commercial "mint" creams I have used.
-Jenn

[Liz]

How is she today Selden?
To me it sounds like an inflammatory or circulatory problem more than mastitis. Like the wall of the udder is inflamed/infected, and not the inside milk producing portion, just because her milk is still good.
Mint, cayenne, massage should help improve circulation, though if it is a blocked artery or duct, or an infection that may not ultimately solve it. Next would be an antibiotic systemically or in the quarter, in addition to something for pain (you can give her aspirin now in treats).
Hope this helps and even more, I hope she gets better soon!
Thinking of you!

[Selden]

Thanks, guys. In desperation yesterday I actually put BEN-GAY on her quarter! She seemed to like it fine though Rocky the calf seemed more than ordinarily bamboozled.

I am an hour from the feed store where I can buy anything special and I just drove 5 hours round trip in the other direction. My vet is 45 minutes away. I have no teat infusions of any sort. I do have LA-200. Would that be helpful, and if so, at what dosage?

Liz, How much aspirin can I give her?

It does seem like something blocked but the edema is impressive. I do not want to risk her health. Should I call the vet? I'm a bit reluctant only in that they are great but expensive and never want me to treat anything myself, even following their directions. (For example, I could never have banamine on hand because they wouldn't write a scrip for it; they come out and give a single dose.)

Anyway, what would you all do? I will keep up with the hot compresses and massage 3-4x daily, no matter what, until this is resolved.

THANKS.

[simplynaturalfarm]

I Pm'ed you!
Heather

[ellie]

Based on the the course of the other times Katika's had mild mastitis, and based on the time my cow was kicked in the udder, I agree that this sounds more like edema than mastitis. If its a wound you really don't need to treat her over and above all the things you do to support her health in general. The swelling may take a week to fully resolve and she may be tender. But she's probably just fine. Especially if she's acting fine and her milk is fine.

My Ellie was kicked (I presume, or horned) in the udder and I never saw a bruise or mark. Just a big hard knot of inflammation. I worried over her like crazy. She was fine. And it never caused mastitis at all. I didn't treat her with anything except serious worry.

[Mitra]

Based on my vast experience (okay everyone stop laughing) I don't think it sounds like mastitis either, especially since the milk tastes fine. Even if you aren't seeing globs, strings or chunks, mastitic milk will usually taste salty or "flat" as Joann puts it. If you don't have cow boluses (aspirin the size of your thumb) you can give her people aspirin as long as you can disguise them in some way.
I have cored out apples, inserted the bolus and re-corked the apple in order to get aspirin down Helen. It worked ONCE and then she was on to me. We had to use the balling gun after that. I would give Katika ten people aspirin at a time, which is less than the aspirin in one of the boluses but will still be effective if she's in any kind of pain. As aspirin is a blood thinner, it will also help in the circulation department.

[Selden]

Thanks everyone! Heather has kindly been PMing me, and her DH's suggestion that there might be an abscess from an injury put the fear of God into me which had me call my vet right away. I just talked to him. He says if the milk looks normal it probably is normal. He too thinks it may not be mastitis.

He says there is another type of mastitis that instead of strings and clots, makes the milk clear. I am going to check this tonight when I go down for my 3rd milking, but as far as I can see the milk looks perfectly OK. Taste tests are tough for me because, well, you know, thirty years ago I thought TAB tasted good! I am useless as a taster, about as far from gourmet as you can get. Flat I can pick up in a tire. In a taste test, forget it.

Another thing that makes him doubt mastitis is that her temp continues to be normal. It was 101.7 at 6 AM when it was 48 degrees. It was 102.4 this afternoon when it was 80 degrees. (She is a black cow.) But then there is that swollen quarter. The swelling almost seems to be moving forward into the front left quarter.

It is tough to tell if she was kicked because her black udder would not show bruising.

Heather's husband suggested that instead of hot compresses on a warm, swollen udder, I try a cold hose. I did this for 20 minutes and Katika seemed quite content. Though she's obviously uncomfortable, it is touching to me as always how she tries not to kick me, just as if I were her calf. She lifts the leg and holds it in the air, clearly saying, "Oh, owie!" but never taking a swing for my head.

My vet says Bute is the best anti-inflammatory for cows, that aspirin only lasts 2 hours and I'd have to give it to her 12 times a day. I think I have some bute that someone gave me. I'll check the expiration, and then feed the milk to the piglets. Otherwise I'll give her aspirin.

THANK YOU as always, you wonderful group.

[suzorse]

I did not think you could give bute to a cow, my bute says for use in none food producing animals only
dose your vet know you drink her milk Suzanne

[missevelyn]

Oh, poor Katika, hang on to your self confidence, Selden. You didn't put cause whatever's gone wrong. I haven't any more ideas than any one else, except that your vet is a money grubbing control freak.

Regina

[simplynaturalfarm]

I believe they did approve an injectable version for milking cows - yes there is injectable banamine that is approved for use in lactating dairy cows (not dry), and the milk is discarded for 36 hours. Maybe he would dispense flunixin Meglumine?
Heather

[milkmaid]

Bute's not labeled for food producing animals, no idea what the withdrawal time is. If you're concerned about pain/edema use something labeled for cows - like banamine.

Temp doesn't have to be abnormal for it to be mastitis - if she was running a temp with mastitis she'd be seriously sick and you'd have some major problems.

[simplynaturalfarm]

For some odd reason I thought we were talking banamine, not bute. Thus my "yes there's injectable banamine approved for use in lactating dairy cows."
Bute, no that's a dog and horse drug not approved for food animals. Are you sure your vet said bute?? It is a pretty harsh drug that is used in diminishing doses in horses over just a few days, definitely not something I'd give to a cow OR dog (even though it is approved for use in dogs)
Heather

[Selden]

Yes, I know he said Bute. That's what I was puzzled by, too.

It's terrible. I gave up on the local people doctors years ago -- I drive 2 hours to Burlington for any medical or dental care -- but I'd trusted my veterinarians. However in the past few years I've had about three cases when internet advice ran contrary to my vet's advice. I'm beginning to think they are overextended and may not know what they are talking about. This makes me very sad. I've known them since I was 25 years old and they've always taken care of my animals. In one recent case, I overruled my vet and asked for the treatment recommended by the sheep group and (in my opinion) we saved the ram... The vet said it was impossible for it to be meningeal worm, the sheep group said, all the symptoms are meningeal worm, the treatment won't hurt him, if he doesn't get treatment he'll die, GET HIM ON IT! I did but the vet still refers to it as a "mystery illness."

Thanks for letting me know about Bute. I do have Bute and might have given it to her. He had said the only thing was not to drink the milk, but I could give it to my piglets...

Ah, me. Sigh. He told me definitely not give her LA-200 because if she didn't have a fever she didn't have mastitis... and mastitis was treated by topical teat antibiotics anyway. I mentioned the possibility of abscess and he said, "She'd have a hematoma." I reminded him that her udder was black... Sigh, again.

His attitude toward dispensing meds is very old-fashioned: "I can't unless I've seen the animal." I understand it even though it is sometimes frustrating to me.

[simplynaturalfarm]

Well, that's not entirely true - not every case of mastitis has a fever. (which others here have told you). But DH was hesitant on LA 200 because of it's long withdrawal. How many of us like to dump that much milk?
Heather

[Selden]

Right now I'm milking 3-4 times a day and hosing her. The quarter is swollen enough that if she were a human she'd have an inverted nipple. As it is, the nipple is in a "well" of swelling and very short and hard to milk.

[Claire]

With the extent of the swelling it sounds more like a severe reaction to a snake or insect bite, especially since the cold water seems to make her more comfortable.

When Isabelle has had really bad mastitis and the quarter becomes massively swollen it has never gotten as bad as what you describe, it just gets larger and rock hard. You can have mastitis where the milk looks relatively normal, but it generally is extremely hard to filter because it has tiny, tiny flecks in it.

I wonder if an anti-inflammatory or antihistamine would help her at all?