# Did I do something wrong? *UPDATE*



## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

Well last week, Lyrae's udder (what was left after drying her off) was soft and it wasn't hot. But today it is hard and warm. Is she getting mastitis? Also there was milk in her udder. If so what did I do wrong? It was fine for so long. Please help. :tears:


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

How long ago did you stop milking her? At that time, how often were you milking her?

Have you taken her temp?


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Diddo what Allison said.

Has her udder just filled back up? Maybe that's why it's so tight? Is milk easily coming out of both teats?


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

I can't take her temp. I'm alone and I don't have anyone to help me. (she doesn't like the idea so much) I stopped milking her a LONG time ago. I'd say a month or so after I weaned Orion. I was milking her twice a day then I went down to once and day and stopped. I kept an eye on it for a few weeks and there was no problem. This is just all of a sudden. And it took me a minute to get any milk out of the right teat, but the left teat was pretty easy.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

sounds almost like a precorious udder. Does the milk smell? Is it watery or thick? Is she pregnant? You could take some and do the "mastitis test" with the soap and water and see what it says.


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

I didn't smell it, but it seems like regular milk. She might be pregnant. (she's been with the buck a couple of times) I'll try the soap mastitis test.


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Got what I could out of her. It's quite watery and is actually and off white color. It doesn't smell.


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Okay just did the soap mastitis test and it says no. But why else would her udder be hard to the touch? :shrug: Could it be that she actually is pregnant and is just developing an udder? I think I'm going nuts now. :hair:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

my first thought it is that she is pregnant :shrug:


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

But would it be hard? It's not tight, just hard.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Crissa, when you say "hard" do you mean that it is solid feeling?

Did she totally dry up? Sometimes even though you dry them off it will take awhile for the udder to go back to pre kidding size....and if she is preggy, after being dried up, you may be feeling the firmness of the glandular tissues.

I know I reference my own goats a good bit when I reply to posts, but its easier to use an example because I know these goats...I don't know yours, so....Bootsie is still in milk after a year, she dropped in production and now gives just under a pint with 1x a day milking, her udder to me is "healthy"...though the feel of it seems as though she would have more milk in there...her glands are firm though her udder isn't as big as it once was. 
When I bought Binky it was approximately 3 months after her FF...her kids died and she was not milked..allowed to dry up, I was surprised at that point that she still had a firm handful of an udder and she still had "milk", though it was off white and slightly sticky...she was fine a few weeks later.

How big is Lyraes udder? In reference to/ softball, orange, grapefruit size....


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

I know when I dried off Hope last year, there was a time when her udder was firm for a while. It made me very nervous and I kept a close eye on it, but eventually it shrunk down to literally nothing. We're talking two teats against the belly and that's all!

Her udder has grown back out quite nicely now in preparation for kids, so it was normal.

I hope everything is okay with your doe. :hug:


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Yes it feels solid. I was pretty sure she dried up completely, but I could be wrong. (I did feel it last week and it was totally soft) As of right now I would say it's about the size of a grapefruit.

Thanks everyone.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

When is she due Crissa? It could be an impacted udder.
beth


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Either late May or early June. (I'm not sure, the buck had problems "reaching") What's an impacted udder?


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

impacted udder is when you dont milk for quite awhile and the milk just sits there causing bacteria to build. Can result eventually in mastitis, or a solid feeling udder. The best way to dry of a doe i have found is longer and longer between milkings and then when your sure she has just about stopped making milk milk her completly out one last time and put a tube of today into each side of her udder. This kills any bacteria in there that she can carry over to the next year causing mastitis right off the bat when she kids. A round of pen is somtimes needed as well. but i have rarely had to do that.
I would start heat packing her udder as many times a day as you can. I know this is hard with school and the goats not being at your house anymore. I would also start her on a round of pen and milk as much of the stuff out of her udder as you can....she is far enough away from kidding that milking her shouldnt affect her. She isnt making colostrum yet. If you can get her udder back to feeling soft again i would get some today in there. Leaving it alone is just going to cause scar tissue to build.
Hope this helps
beth


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Okay thanks so much!


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Okay, I milked out EVERYTHING that I could, and held a warm washrag on her for at least 30 minutes today. Some of the swelling seemed to go down, but still isn't soft. Where can I get some of that Today stuff? Or is there anything that my co op might have that I could give her?


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Since she is dry you would want tomorrow. You might be able to get some tomorrow at your coop. You can get it at almost any online store, Jeffers, kv, ect. But it comes in a box of a couple tubes, not one or two.

How did the milk look? The same?


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

valley vet or nasco carry the tubes of Today in a single dose


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Okay. I will try to get some. (I may have to order off of the internet though, as our co op sucks) And yes the milk looked the same, just a little watery and the same color. Still no smell. I'm scared to death about this. :tears: I feel so bad for her.

Do I order Today or Tomorrow? (the medicine)


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

that I defer to others like Beth. I dont know


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Alright.


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Tomorrow if she is dry, at least that is what I've been told. But it says to do it at least 30 days before calving..... So i don't know. 
From http://www.wyeth.com : "ToDAY (cephapirin sodium) allows dairy producers to treat mastitis in lactating cows. It delivers proven broad-spectrum protection to help reduce mastitis, improve milk quality, and increase milk production for the whole herd.

ToMORROW (cephapirin benzathine) provides broad-spectrum mastitis protection for dry cows and is approved to deliver powerful, bactericidal killing action against the leading mastitis-causing pathogens: Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus strains resistant to penicillin."

And Thanks Stacey! I didn't know they sold it in single dose. Guess I didn't look very hard last time I looked for it.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

you may be able to get it at your local feed store. I know we carry it. I dont know about stores near you.
beth


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

I just happened upon the single dose tubes and was like "I should get me a tube of each" LOL

I am so in this "get it because you may need it in the next 10 years stage" :roll:


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Okay Stacey I must be blind because I didn't see them. :doh:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

ok going ot look -- will let you know what catalog I found it in once I find it again


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Thanks Stacey I really appreciate this! That goes for everyone. :grouphug:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

haha I found it! but not in either of those catalogs :roll:

It is in the Hoeggers Catalog.

Both Today and Tomorrow are available single tubes 2.95 each 
each tube is 10ml

says 20A-1 TODAY Mastitis Treatment 1 tube 2.95
20A-2 TOMORROW Mastitis Treatment 1 tube 2.95


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Ha ha now your going to make me buy some, my vet charged me a arm and a leg for that stuff when Dawn was sick. GRR my vet just makes me sick when I see the actual price of things. :angry:


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Its seems like vets have a knack for doing that....I have a great vet, im so glad!
beth


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**



kelebek said:


> sounds almost like a precorious udder. Does the milk smell? Is it watery or thick? Is she pregnant? You could take some and do the "mastitis test" with the soap and water and see what it says.


How is this test done with soap and water? I googled for instructions and couldn't find anything.


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## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6356

There you are Crocee


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Thanks Amos


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Well, I think it's getting better. It's no where near as hard or large as it was before. I'm just waiting for my order of Tomorrow to come in now.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

good news Crissa. So you go some from Hoeggers?


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

*Re: Did I do something wrong? *Please help**

Yep, I ordered it late last night. (I had some extra work to do at the barn) So I'm betting it won't be too long before I get them.


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

Well, I got a mastitis test strip to make sure. Sad news, she does have mastitis. Luckily I think I caught it early enough. I'm going to treat her with the Tomorrow and buy some Biomycin to keep on hand just in case. Anything else I should keep on hand? (also getting some Vitamin C pills for her)


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

having a diagnosis is good. 

As to keeping stuff on hand -- for mastitis I would have the today adn tomorrow


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

Just make sure you clean the teat with alcohol before and after you put the tomorrow in it. Also don't insert the tip of the tomorrow all the way into her teat. Just put it in enough that it dosen't leak out when you push down on the plunger.


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## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

Okay. Thank you both! :hug:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

A warm compress and a goodmassage of the udder with peppermint ol will help with the congestion as well, it's good that you now know what you are dealing with and hopefully she has a full recovery.....and she should with all the care you have given her :hug:


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## Anna (Oct 17, 2007)

With dairy cattle we treat Mastitis with Today and Tommorow twice a day for AT LEAST 3 days... :shrug: That's what I do for my does as well. Sorry, did I miss that or is that a difference? Let me grab my box... ha ha, I get the big box of tubes. Be right back.

Hope she is doign better though


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