# Severe teat cut



## Sable (Feb 4, 2010)

My best doe (wouldn't you just know it) severely cut her teat this afternoon, we believe on barbed wire. It was bleeding quite a lot and leaking milk to the point that that side of her udder is now empty. We cleaned her up and my husband did a great job of stitching her, the bleeding has now stopped. We gave her penicillin and throughly sprayed the outside of the stitched wound with Vetericyn. The cut was about halfway through the teat. 

I've pulled her three month old kid as I can just imagine what she might do to the wound. Do you think my doe is ruined for good, or is there hope? She's only four and a really good producer  Is there anything else I should do for her?


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

I hope she heals fine. If she hasn't had a recent tents shot I would give her one.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I'm so sorry to hear about the injury...it really sounds as though you knew what you were doing when it was treated. 
Continue the PenG for the full course of 5-7 days, be sure she's UTD on her tetanus and you did good by pulling her kid, 3 months is plenty old enough to be without mom with no worries.
Keep her milked out though...heavy fullness may rupture the suture, even if you decide to dry her off because of this, you'll still need to milk enough to relieve pressure on that side. Keep the area as clean as you can too...it is a difficult spot to keep totally free of dirt because she'll be laying down wherever and it's a hard area to keep bandaged til she heals enough for suture removal.
She may or may not develop scar tissue within the udder, if she does, it may inhibit milk production next freshening.


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## Sable (Feb 4, 2010)

I just went out and checked on her and her pesky kid had jumped in with her. It doesn't look like she nursed from the bad side though. She's secured somewhere else now! It looks like her udder is filling a little on that side but it is also dripping milk out of the wound. Is there anything I can do to stop it, or should I just leave it be? I was wondering if superglue might help, I just don't want her to leak milk where it can't escape. 

I did order some teat dilators to try and keep her from forming scar tissue and stopping her milk flowing, but they won't be here until mid week now. 

I'm beginning to think my husband should follow his calling! The stitching job was his first but it looks great to me, and last year when I cut my head open falling from my horse the hospital asked if an EMT had already seen it, he'd done such a good job with the butterfly bandages!


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

I know I saw special teat dialator somewhere that held the teat open so it could heal and had a plug that could be unplugged so the milk could just flow out, and then you could put the plug back in once you let all the milk out... need to see if I can find them again. I would try some sort of wound sealant on it to stop the milk leaking out.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Found this on another forum.... hope it helps...I am sorry she was injured.... 



> Never had this problem with a goat. Had a cow that tore a small place on her udder. We had to put 2 or 3 stiches in it and kept it sprayed with FUROX for a week or two. All went well after that.


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## Sable (Feb 4, 2010)

She's actually looking good this morning. Her udder was even and she hasn't been leaking any milk. I milked her and there was no blood in her milk. I think i'll go ahead and glue her anyway to keep infection out, but fingers crossed everything seems to be working as usual.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

That is wonderful news!! I hope she continues to heal and all will be well with her :hug:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Glad to hear that she is doing OK.... :hug: ray:


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Glad that she is doing well!


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

Wow sounds like you are all over it. Good luck. Keep us posted.


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## Sable (Feb 4, 2010)

I'm glad to report she's doing great. Everything is working as it should and although i'm not her favorite person at milking time, she's well on the way to recovery. She hasn't leaked milk at all since the first day. I think we got very lucky in spotting it at least within an hr of it happening so no tissue had died. 

One of my husband's friends lost his thumb to a roping accident last week and is now wishing he'd called him to reattach it!


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Thats great! Maybe your husband has a second calling. :wink:


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