Post by cutiepie6 on Feb 21, 2007 10:35:40 GMT -5
I have been fighting a raging mastitis infection in Marge's right front quarter for almost a week. I have tried every antibiotic treatment on the market, along with massage and the rest, and she's still as hard as a rock. I can only get out a few squirts of milk.
The front two quarters are the two we left for the two calves she has nursing on her. I guess that's why we didn't notice the mastitis in its early stages. We had left the milk for the calves, and they weren't fully draining her. We didn't notice the mastitis until she was rock hard last week. It's been a losing battle since.
I just got off the phone with the dairy vet who had seen her when she had edema real bad in January. He says that if she didn't recover from all the antibiotic teat infusions that I had tried on her, then her quarter was gone. The hardness is just scar tissue, and will no longer be a functioning quarter.
I feel soooo guilty and bad and defeated. She's our first cow, and it has been nothing but struggle to keep her udder healthy. And I know its because we are so new at this. We are making such bad mistakes. If we would have been milking the front quarters as well, then we would still have all four.
I just wanted to ask:
1. Is it true that the quarter is gone? There's nothing left to do?
2. Should I milk out the left front as well? The two calves are now sharing it, and it is always so empty and floppy looking. But I don't want another disaster to happen due to negligence on our behalf. So should I try anyways?
Thanks yall.
I'm so down.
Carrie
The front two quarters are the two we left for the two calves she has nursing on her. I guess that's why we didn't notice the mastitis in its early stages. We had left the milk for the calves, and they weren't fully draining her. We didn't notice the mastitis until she was rock hard last week. It's been a losing battle since.
I just got off the phone with the dairy vet who had seen her when she had edema real bad in January. He says that if she didn't recover from all the antibiotic teat infusions that I had tried on her, then her quarter was gone. The hardness is just scar tissue, and will no longer be a functioning quarter.
I feel soooo guilty and bad and defeated. She's our first cow, and it has been nothing but struggle to keep her udder healthy. And I know its because we are so new at this. We are making such bad mistakes. If we would have been milking the front quarters as well, then we would still have all four.
I just wanted to ask:
1. Is it true that the quarter is gone? There's nothing left to do?
2. Should I milk out the left front as well? The two calves are now sharing it, and it is always so empty and floppy looking. But I don't want another disaster to happen due to negligence on our behalf. So should I try anyways?
Thanks yall.
I'm so down.
Carrie