# HELP! New Mom Goat Swollen Udder



## hersheys-milkmaid

New to us she is about 3 yrs maybe 4
She kidded twin boys 2 nights ago seemed fine yesterday. This morning one udder was so swollen and tight looked like a balloon avout to explode. Was really hard to get milk started in that teet like it was stopped up. Hubby got small milking machine out we ordered and got it down to try. We finally got one quart out of that one teet and it brought it down about 2\3 original swelling. 

One kid seems wobbly maybe week. Will try to use some of that milk to feed it when I get home.

Should add this goat had one teet that looked stretched longer than the other when we boufht her enough to be noticeable but I would guess maybe only one inch longer than the other.

Help. I am afraid I will have to do this mpre than once not a happy thought. Mom is a full blood nubian.


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces

You will have to milk her out at least once a day. That's the thing with dairy goats, they produce more milk than their kids need in the beginning. 
If you milk at least once a day it won't be so hard to milk her because she won't get so bagged up.
The blockage was most likely the teat plug they make when they are pregnant, to prevent bad bacteria from entering the teats. That could also have contributed to why the kids couldn't nurse off that side, that and its hard for kids to nurse off of teats that are too large for their mouth. 

I would try to encourage the stronger one to nurse off the side with the larger teat, amd get the smaller one to nurse off the smaller side after you get him some milk.


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## GoatieGranny

I would just try to relieve the pressure a few times a day for now. Take out half the milk or whatever you feel is the right amount. The doe usually holds some back for the kids. 

It's normal that there is a plug in there at first. Just gently work the teat until you can get it out. 

Are the kids up and drinking from her? They may need some assistance with it at first. 

It's not real unusual for the teats to be a little different in size.


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## toth boer goats

She may have mastitis or congested udder. 
Is her udder hot, lumpy, have blood, strings, white chucks, anything odd looking about her milk? If so, treat for mastitis, if you don't know what to do, have a vet show you and start treatment. If it is mastitis, treatment is needed ASAP.

The weak kid: has the baby nursed? Feel the tummy, full or empty.
Get a temp on the baby, if it is sub, bring the temp up to 100 degree's minimum, then you can give milk. 101.5 to 103.5 is normal range.

You will have to monitor her udder and milk it once or twice a day or as needed, if she doesn't have mastitis.
If she does have mastitis, milking her totally out, 2 x a day plus infusing today is required or she will lose her udder, the side infected.


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## lottsagoats1

I bet it's just she made way too much milk for the kids to handle and is overly full. You need to milk her at least once a day (I have to milk mine twice a day until the kids can take care of it on their own at about 1 month old). If you don't get the milk out of there, she will dry up or get mastitis.


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## hersheys-milkmaid

thanks everyone. I have concluded the goat does not have mastitis as I had feared and as my feed store manager suggested. The milk is clear looks good and has no funny smell. I have milked her out twice. I can never get the teat down to a normal size however. Will that just not happen for a while?. I am trying to milk her out completely. But I never get that down to a normal size. The babies are from a Boer goat. Therefore they are much smaller than my full blood Nubian babies. Is this the wrong thing to breed to?. Will I always have trouble with babies too small to milk mother out by breeding them to meet goats? And will I have to go through this every time this doe kids? Thank you.


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## nancy d

The breeding was just fine, in fact perfect. Don't worry about the teat unless she is a show goat. It's the udder; watch & feel for hardness and/or heat.
The first few days kids don't take enough for the high production of a Nubian.


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## hersheys-milkmaid

*thank you everyone*

This is truly a valuable website with good helpful people. I so appreciate the feedback.

OK! I am still a new and nervous goat keeper.but I will try to relax.a.little.more now.


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## ksalvagno

You may have a blown teat if it is constantly large. Can you post a picture? There is nothing you can do about a blown teat.


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## hersheys-milkmaid

*Help! vet wants to amputate udder*

Per advice here we have milled this goat out daily to best of our ability. Second morning after kidding twins one udder swelled like big balloon. Not bag...the udder. We got her milked out though never to where it looked normal. Today we cannot get a drop out of her on that side. Sunday of course and cant get just any vet. Got one not a lot of confidence in him and just based on what I described on the phone he wants to amputate that breast for $300-400. There has never been any blood, lumps or curdling in the milk we did get out of her or any foul smell. I am hesitant to let him do this for many reasons. I cant post pics but if someone has some advice I could send pic from my phone and would be so greatful for the help. # is 972-642-3052. Hope I am not breaking any rules. Ahe is our best doe and I am desperate. Thanks


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## Damfino

That's very extreme! Have ya'll tried mastitis treatments first? Amputating the udder is a last resort to save the doe if all else fails.


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## Cactus_Acres

Please add this to your previous post instead of starting a new one - there may be some background there that will help folks give better advice than starting over with advice that may have been given before.


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## goathiker

Here are pictures of the does udder


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces

Ok, so the only way they can nurse from that side, is if it gets completely milked out, and the kids are set on it multiple times a day and keep nursing from it until they learn to use that side. 
I have a boer doe with both teats like that.


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## hersheys-milkmaid

thank you for posting those pictures for me. The vet 1i don't especially trust but only one that can see her as early as Monday wants to amputate that udder just based on what I described to him on the phone. What would you guys do in my shoes. Would cost $300-400. Thank you.


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces

There is no need to amputate it... My does kids don't have a problem nursing from her after they get the hang of it. Both of her teats are huge like that.
Just milk out most of what's in that side, and hold them on the teat while they nurse from it. Do that several times a day and they will figure it out. 
When that side is bagged up, the teat gets too firm and large for their mouths, and they can't nurse easily from it. So that's why that side needs milked before they can learn to nurse from it.


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## goathiker

I had one with an even worse udder. She was a challenge to milk and I eventually gave her (without her papers) to someone who desperately needed milk for her children and had a large flat yard for her to live in. She is still doing quite well and still milking for this gal.


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## lottsagoats1

I would just keep milking it out. Hot packs, lots of massage, peppermint essential oil mixed with a soothing salve is a good massage medium. Vit C to help with swelling. Mastitis treatment if you think she does have mastitis.

Exactly what is swollen and hot? The udder is often referred to as the bag. Is it the udder/bag or the teats, or both?

They only amputate if the animal has "black bag" which is when they develop gangrene and the living tissue died. The udder will be cold and discolored. There is no mistaking dead flesh.


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## lottsagoats1

I would just keep milking it out. Hot packs, lots of massage, peppermint essential oil mixed with a soothing salve is a good massage medium. Vit C to help with swelling. Mastitis treatment if you think she does have mastitis.

They only amputate if the animal has "black bag" which is when they develop gangrene and the living tissue died. The udder will be cold and discolored. There is no mistaking dead flesh. 

I had a doe with 2 teats like that. Pain to milk and she was a huge producer. I had to milk er several times a day until her initial rush of milk/colostrum was done and her kids could handle it on their own.


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## hersheys-milkmaid

I need to bring you all up to date. All week I have been milking her and although nof easy got over on quart to about 1/2 to 3/4 quart milk out of that bad udder but this morning we tried, tried and tried some more and cojld not.get one drop out of her...not a drop which is why ahe looks so very very bad again although even milking her we could never get it to a normal size.

I tried to squirt some Today up udder first day but don't believe I ever really got any in the teat. We tried using the Fashe MiFarm mlkier machine on her and it worked until yesterday evening when switch went bad. We raced thru several auto supply places to replace that battery-operated pump with a break-bleed hand pump. It worked late last night getting aome of.the milk outa her but this morning nothing...nada...Tried to hand milk after machine failed. Not a drop so can't relieve swelling now. Gave hef pene illin shot fist day of.swelling per.advice of.feedstore man but decided it was not.mastitis so quit w/penecillin. Howver last noght got.worried and gave her another 6 cc pen and will again tonight. But just can't get a drop of milk out. Yes udder hot to tpuch but all previous milk was free of blood curdles or lumps/strings and no bad smell.

Would you all still not allow surgery. What would you do sinceshe won't milk out?


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## ksalvagno

No. If you aren't good at milking, you just need to find someone who is. There is no reason to remove any of her udder unless she has gangrene mastitis.


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## goathiker

With mine you had to lift the teat up toward the udder to release the milk. Something about the way it hung kept the milk from coming out. 
Lots of hot compresses, peppermint udder cream, and massage as well, all afternoon if that's what it takes. Work really hard on any lumps or swellings you can feel in there. Make sure you aren't milking on udder tissue that is hanging into the teat. 

First thing I would try is a good massage and then hook up the milking machine and lift the udder and teat into different positions to see if the milk will run.


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## Trickyroo

WOW ! That is extreme ! I never even knew that was possible !
I hope things go well for your doe :hug:


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## ksalvagno

Threads have been merged so everyone can see what has been going on from the beginning.


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## NyGoatMom

I milked a doe this season with two bottle teats.It was extremely hard at first since she was soooooo full. She had edema,it was hot and would get cuts like your does.Almost like the teat was splitting from the swelling...I would try and milk, and get nothing...her teats were so full I could hardly get a hand around to milk and sometimes I had to use two hands. I just refused to stop trying to get the milk out...it took a good while too. 
I sometimes had to just barely get a tiny amount out of the very tip of her teat before I could even think about trying to do any "normal" milking....it took me so long to milk her, I dreaded doing it every time!
I would try warm compresses and massage and milk, milk, milk....as Jill said, try to milk from different positions and see if it helps.
I also used my home made goat milk lotion on her udder twice a day...it helped keep her udder more pliable........
This is her teats after freshening but they got even bigger! I bottle fed her doeling......


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## NyGoatMom

Oh...and let me add she valiantly fought my every move.....so she had to be hobbled. Not fun for her or me....but it improved over time and I made sure to NEVER miss a milking for her!


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## hersheys-milkmaid

Gaxds! Looking. At.some.of.these pics! Again thank you everyone. My hubby aorked in a cow daiey as youngster and finally got aww qqsome milk outa her. Hobbling would have helped. He got kicked in the hand pretty bad. Will have tcdo search on how to hobble a.goa she also laid down on us even with her neck in the milk stand brace. I had to hold a 2x2 under her the whole time to keep her up. But he's a truck driver and just left for the week. Ok vet is out for now. Will keep trying on my own. I have no one here to help. Wish me.luck.


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## NyGoatMom

You can do it!! :balloons:


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## hersheys-milkmaid

Defeated. Ahe has just gotten harder and harder to handle. Today I struggled with hef for.2 3/4 hrs. I got some milk outa her till again my fias milkier battery-operated pump quit. Then changed to the break bleed pump and never could get pressure above 5 so couldn't get a drop. Tried hand milking qith my arthritis and got nowhere. I enjoyed the goata till today but I think this has left me.with a sour taste iny mputh for goat farmong eapecially dairy goats. I just want them all outa here. Well a criend wants us fo take her and the two babies to her son's place who either has daory gpats or used to. I don't see the point. I am burned out. I just want them all outa here but we'll see. 

She knpcked the milk stand pver and upside down
Don't know how she kept.crom breaking er neck. I tried hobblong her with a ropw. She could always get out of it. She would lay down. I was trying to hold.a.2x2 under her while holding the teat and trying to pump etc etc. There was the kickong ao then I waz trying tp hold the board and her leg and pump. I am exhausted. She is still full and frankly at this point I dpn't even care. I dpn't think goats are for me. I am already overqhelmed running a chickem farm. Believe I need tp stick tp poultry

Thanks everyone anyway. I will prpbably have four nubian doea.for sale appn in central texas if anyone ia lppking.


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## NyGoatMom

:hug: I know how hard it can be....is there anyone who could help you at all? I know you are burned but she really needs to be milked out....the reason she is so bad is probably because of her level of pain 
Are there any goat farmers around you could ask for help?


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## Trickyroo

hersheys-milkmaid said:


> Defeated. Ahe has just gotten harder and harder to handle. Today I struggled with hef for.2 3/4 hrs. I got some milk outa her till again my fias milkier battery-operated pump quit. Then changed to the break bleed pump and never could get pressure above 5 so couldn't get a drop. Tried hand milking qith my arthritis and got nowhere. I enjoyed the goata till today but I think this has left me.with a sour taste iny mputh for goat farmong eapecially dairy goats. I just want them all outa here. Well a criend wants us fo take her and the two babies to her son's place who either has daory gpats or used to. I don't see the point. I am burned out. I just want them all outa here but we'll see.
> 
> She knpcked the milk stand pver and upside down
> Don't know how she kept.crom breaking er neck. I tried hobblong her with a ropw. She could always get out of it. She would lay down. I was trying to hold.a.2x2 under her while holding the teat and trying to pump etc etc. There was the kickong ao then I waz trying tp hold the board and her leg and pump. I am exhausted. She is still full and frankly at this point I dpn't even care. I dpn't think goats are for me. I am already overqhelmed running a chickem farm. Believe I need tp stick tp poultry
> 
> Thanks everyone anyway. I will prpbably have four nubian doea.for sale appn in central texas if anyone ia lppking.


I would help you in a NY minute if you were close to me&#8230;&#8230;.:blue:


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## glndg

Is the person you bought her from nearby and someone you could talk to about this and get some help? If she is 3 to 4 years old, she probably freshened before. And the one teat was longer when you bought her, so I am thinking this has happened before.

Someone mentioned that pain might be why she is acting up -- experienced peeps, can she give banamine or something? 

Also, Benadryl makes some people and goats sleepy -- would that take the edge off her a little bit?


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## hersheys-milkmaid

I already texted her and.asked. no response, the jerk. I suspect ppl ripr.prpblem. all the mpre.reason to.get.rid of her.


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## glndg

That's too bad. It's a lot for a new person to end up with a problem like that. It would be hard for anyone. :hug:

Maybe you can do like Jill diid and find her a new home. There are easier goats out there.


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## happybleats

we had a wild one...she was Alpine cross...Hubby had to hold her leg up..while I had her head tied up tothe head shoot on the table while my daughter milkedher as fast as she could...lol...Oh the misery...after a while she got to where I didnt have to hold her head tied...slowly she got better and better where if my daughter was fast she could get her milked out....we had her for 2 1/2 years...never got her completly tame...but she would come to the table and be fed nd milked...(fast)...we sold her fully discloded, her new owner said she was an angel lol...guess she didnt like us much lol


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## NyGoatMom

Lol...it took two of us at first...and the hobbles :lol:


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## hersheys-milkmaid

Well I am not going to turn her into.cabrito or.sell my other goats afterall. A good friend took the goat, babies and.me.to a.friwnd who has goa f2f s, past training in vetrinary achool thp never finished and whom my friwnd.considers to be pmniscient when it comes tp animals. We never even unloaded hwr from tailgate and.the guy was able.tp milk her out thp even then that teat was sure stretched longer than other. He had some.little devices stainless.sgeal they stpred in a bottle of alcohol he bpught oved 30 yrs ago he called.trat drainers. He says u can't buy them anymore.but if anybody knows.a.place I sure would like some. He ge tly poked.these all the way In and then the milk just continued to drain out on its own. Darn crime if they dpn't make those anymore. He waa going to use a dialator on her saying her holes.were pretty small but changed his mind. Said if I have more.trpuble I may have to.get them frpm.Tractor Supply. He said.to keep her off pasture and cut feed way down to keep milk production down. In the hpur or.better ride home her teat had filled up about a third again
Back here it was some of hwr old tricks kicking and laying down pn the teat again so I couldn't reach it but I managed to milk out part of it. He said to milk out both sides so babes would have to milk on that bloated side or.go hungry.

We will see how it.goes.


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## NyGoatMom

Nice  You can overcome this battle! Just be patient and keep trying


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## hersheys-milkmaid

Well. When I got her home it was.business as usual


Kicking and laying down. I run an.egg.farm between this and weafher I haven't been.able to pdepare..single.doz.eggs.for.my market .Sat and Sun. I cannot afford a.time waster.around.here like this
O paid $250 for her..huge nice nuby...anx then anofher $175 to get her anx another bred but only she bred we believe...lots money tied up. Tomorrow.she goes cree to a boy at the feed store...I really neved wanna.see that goaf again. If he had not.taken her I hax already called the local.slaughter housw and thaf was my next stop. 

Two male.babes are males half nuby and half boar. Slaughterhouse wants $47.50 (paper.wrapped) or $55 (vacuumed sealed) each. They are two weeks old this Sat. Is the meat worth the price at this stage. No I am not going to hand feed. No way.

This experience has tauvht me dairy goats are not cor.me.


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## happybleats

at two weeks old...they need milk...and no ..not worth processing...if you dont want to deal with them...post them free on CL or FB...but in the mean time...they need milk..most likley about 6 oz 4 times a day...whole cows milk from the store will work..


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## hersheys-milkmaid

*3 Cheers - She Is Outa My Life*

Friends who took me to other goat fuy took her and two babies. Neved in my life have I been happy to get rid of an animal. Between her co sNickt and the breeding I lost about $500. My nerves are worth the loss.


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## NyGoatMom

Sounds like a happy ending for all


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