Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2007 17:49:13 GMT -5
We have a 6 year old Jersey that we bought in September, our first milk cow. She was milking when we got her (calved late spring). All has been fine, getting 2 gallons/day milking once a day (she was doing once a day when we got her). We milk by hand, always take care to completely milk her out, and use teat dip after milking.
Today, I noticed a lump maybe 3 cm in largest dimension in her left rear quarter, near the teat. It was not there yesterday. It made it more difficult to milk that quarter, as her rear teats are smallish and it made it hard to grip. There was no heat, she seemed non-tender, and the milk was not streaky or lumpy and the milk from that quarter tested negative for mastitis with the little papers that change color with mastitic milk (I assume a form of pH paper). Production today was normal - actually on the high end of her normal range.
As an obstetrician and a mom that has nursed two kids, I am assuming this to be something like a plugged duct, although it seems odd to me to have a plugged duct that late in lactation. So I did what I have done when I got plugged ducts myself. I made sure (as always) that she was totally milked out. I massaged the lump as I milked that quarter (with no reaction from her- I was nervous she would get annoyed and kick me but she didn't), and it did get somewhat smaller (but not totally gone) by the time I was done.
Is my assumption correct, and is there anything else we need to do?
Today, I noticed a lump maybe 3 cm in largest dimension in her left rear quarter, near the teat. It was not there yesterday. It made it more difficult to milk that quarter, as her rear teats are smallish and it made it hard to grip. There was no heat, she seemed non-tender, and the milk was not streaky or lumpy and the milk from that quarter tested negative for mastitis with the little papers that change color with mastitic milk (I assume a form of pH paper). Production today was normal - actually on the high end of her normal range.
As an obstetrician and a mom that has nursed two kids, I am assuming this to be something like a plugged duct, although it seems odd to me to have a plugged duct that late in lactation. So I did what I have done when I got plugged ducts myself. I made sure (as always) that she was totally milked out. I massaged the lump as I milked that quarter (with no reaction from her- I was nervous she would get annoyed and kick me but she didn't), and it did get somewhat smaller (but not totally gone) by the time I was done.
Is my assumption correct, and is there anything else we need to do?