Post by birdsongmilkmaid on Jul 9, 2011 10:20:58 GMT -5
My Jersey cow Princess has mastitis in her back right quarter. She is 5 years old, and had her fourth calf on March 26 this year. She has been producing 3 to 4 gallons of milk a day, and although she is a bit thinner than I would like her to be it is normal for this stage of lactation.
Princess was fine when I milked her last night, but this morning when I went out to milk her she was very gingerly putting weight on her back left hoof. I thought that maybe she had stepped on something sharp, or maybe slept on it wrong. I was going to check it right after I finished milking if it looked like it was still bothering her.
When I went to wash her udder, I noticed that the back right quarter was really swollen. My first thought was that it was mastitis, but then I figured that maybe she didn't let all of her milk down in that quarter the evening before. When I washed her udder it seemed a bit tender, but that quarter didn't really feel any warmer than the other quarters. When I did a few test strips on that quarter before milking her the milk looked normal.
As I was milking, I thought that maybe I should do a quick CMT test, and sent my brother in for it. I didn't need to use it, though, because after milking out normal milk for a few minutes, I started getting a cheesy, yellow substance, and soon I wasn't able to get anything.
What I've done so far is milk her out the best I can, massaging her udder until I can't get any more milk. It appears to be quite tender as she lifts her leg a bit and tries to get me to stop. Thankfully she is a very gentle cow and doesn't kick.
As far as I know she is still eating okay - or at least did last night. My sister is doing the graining, so I'll find out when she's in. I'm thinking of giving her a New Cells (Vitamin B Complex) injection to boost her immunity.
I've never dealt with mastitis before, but I would like to deal with it naturally if possible. Having said that, if I need to use pharmaceuticals to prevent her from permanently losing that quarter, I will.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!
Naomi
Princess was fine when I milked her last night, but this morning when I went out to milk her she was very gingerly putting weight on her back left hoof. I thought that maybe she had stepped on something sharp, or maybe slept on it wrong. I was going to check it right after I finished milking if it looked like it was still bothering her.
When I went to wash her udder, I noticed that the back right quarter was really swollen. My first thought was that it was mastitis, but then I figured that maybe she didn't let all of her milk down in that quarter the evening before. When I washed her udder it seemed a bit tender, but that quarter didn't really feel any warmer than the other quarters. When I did a few test strips on that quarter before milking her the milk looked normal.
As I was milking, I thought that maybe I should do a quick CMT test, and sent my brother in for it. I didn't need to use it, though, because after milking out normal milk for a few minutes, I started getting a cheesy, yellow substance, and soon I wasn't able to get anything.
What I've done so far is milk her out the best I can, massaging her udder until I can't get any more milk. It appears to be quite tender as she lifts her leg a bit and tries to get me to stop. Thankfully she is a very gentle cow and doesn't kick.
As far as I know she is still eating okay - or at least did last night. My sister is doing the graining, so I'll find out when she's in. I'm thinking of giving her a New Cells (Vitamin B Complex) injection to boost her immunity.
I've never dealt with mastitis before, but I would like to deal with it naturally if possible. Having said that, if I need to use pharmaceuticals to prevent her from permanently losing that quarter, I will.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!
Naomi