Post by bella on Oct 11, 2011 10:16:35 GMT -5
I have borrowed a cow while mine are dry from a dairy up the road. She's a 3 teater and the 4th quarter doesn't produce (has been dry for 2 lactations now). She had nasty mastitis in that quarter for 2 lactations I believe? She came to me because she had a sore foot and needed to rest away from the herd. The foot healed fine and she has adapted to being a house cow nicely. She was a show cow when she was younger and is tame.
She's a small jersey, maybe 9 years old or so?, produces only 9L a day - 5L in the morning, 4L in the afternoon. I milk by hand. She eats mostly lucerne/oaten chaff mix and a scoop of steam rolled barley during milking time, with minerals added as required - normally dolomite and seaweed meal daily, copper sulphate, sulpur, DE sometimes. Molasses sometimes, but not when flies are about (or only a watered down swish of it). Meanwhile, she eats grass - mostly fairly dry right now as we have a dry Spring where we are - certainly not super-lush pasture, but she's in really good condition - not fat, not hungry.
Last week I pulled a tick off the vein leading to the udder, right against the udder, when I milked in the morning. In the afternoon, one quarter was hard but the milk was fine to look at and taste, and I figured it was swelling from the tick. She has had no symptoms develop from then, but the hardness hasn't gone away or increased. There's no heat and no pain that she's showing when I massage.
I've been giving phytolacca drops twice a day and rubbing on a balm of coconut, rosemary and tea tree oils into the affected qarter mostly. I upped her minerals a bit too and dropped the barley back to only some feeds. I was afraid of her having mastitis, not being my cow, and so used these remedies as a just-in-case. I was thinking that if it was an infection, I'd get in early and get rid of it.
Today I called her owner because the hard area is still there, so I figured it may be a concern. They sent someone over who tested the milk in a little dish with some solution (didn't think to ask what this was) and in 2 quarters she had some cell count - a tiny bit in the affected quarter and a bit more in the other front one, back one was clear, other back one is dry.
Nothing has changed except for it being quite hot this past week or two. She has access to 3 troughs during the day and 1 overnight - all shaded and cool and full and clean.
The milk is still blue-tinged (not yellow until the last cream), sweet (not salty) and strains with no lumpy bits etc. Usual supply, usual amount of cream. No change really. She has very nice, sweet, light-tasting milk.
What sort of infection is this? What can I do? The owner is coming over tomorrow to check her out and I'm not sure what he will do. She is only about 1 month in calf, so too soon to dry her off.
I am going away in a couple of weeks, for a week, and the farmer was going to take her back for that time to run with the herd, but now she has a cell count I'm not sure. She will be a burden for them.
I feel really guilty about this, even though I know we are caring for her very well.
Also, is the milk safe for us to consume? We have been, with no ill effects, because I didn't really believe she had mastitis with no symptoms other than this hard area (like it never goes floppy when empty) in one quarter.
I have not tried Vit C injections, not sure why I hesitate, maybe because she's not our cow?
Thanks for reading this long-winded description. Any advice/answers appreciated!
She's a small jersey, maybe 9 years old or so?, produces only 9L a day - 5L in the morning, 4L in the afternoon. I milk by hand. She eats mostly lucerne/oaten chaff mix and a scoop of steam rolled barley during milking time, with minerals added as required - normally dolomite and seaweed meal daily, copper sulphate, sulpur, DE sometimes. Molasses sometimes, but not when flies are about (or only a watered down swish of it). Meanwhile, she eats grass - mostly fairly dry right now as we have a dry Spring where we are - certainly not super-lush pasture, but she's in really good condition - not fat, not hungry.
Last week I pulled a tick off the vein leading to the udder, right against the udder, when I milked in the morning. In the afternoon, one quarter was hard but the milk was fine to look at and taste, and I figured it was swelling from the tick. She has had no symptoms develop from then, but the hardness hasn't gone away or increased. There's no heat and no pain that she's showing when I massage.
I've been giving phytolacca drops twice a day and rubbing on a balm of coconut, rosemary and tea tree oils into the affected qarter mostly. I upped her minerals a bit too and dropped the barley back to only some feeds. I was afraid of her having mastitis, not being my cow, and so used these remedies as a just-in-case. I was thinking that if it was an infection, I'd get in early and get rid of it.
Today I called her owner because the hard area is still there, so I figured it may be a concern. They sent someone over who tested the milk in a little dish with some solution (didn't think to ask what this was) and in 2 quarters she had some cell count - a tiny bit in the affected quarter and a bit more in the other front one, back one was clear, other back one is dry.
Nothing has changed except for it being quite hot this past week or two. She has access to 3 troughs during the day and 1 overnight - all shaded and cool and full and clean.
The milk is still blue-tinged (not yellow until the last cream), sweet (not salty) and strains with no lumpy bits etc. Usual supply, usual amount of cream. No change really. She has very nice, sweet, light-tasting milk.
What sort of infection is this? What can I do? The owner is coming over tomorrow to check her out and I'm not sure what he will do. She is only about 1 month in calf, so too soon to dry her off.
I am going away in a couple of weeks, for a week, and the farmer was going to take her back for that time to run with the herd, but now she has a cell count I'm not sure. She will be a burden for them.
I feel really guilty about this, even though I know we are caring for her very well.
Also, is the milk safe for us to consume? We have been, with no ill effects, because I didn't really believe she had mastitis with no symptoms other than this hard area (like it never goes floppy when empty) in one quarter.
I have not tried Vit C injections, not sure why I hesitate, maybe because she's not our cow?
Thanks for reading this long-winded description. Any advice/answers appreciated!