# Precocious Udder



## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

I had posted some time ago about my nubian doe that has developed a precocious udder. At about 1 year of age, she developed a tiny udder. I didn't really want to breed her and was asking for suggestions. I still haven't bred her as she really hasn't show any signs of coming into heat. However, her udder keeps getting bigger and the top part is quite hard. I'm including two photos - from the rear and from the side so you can see how far it is now protruding. She acts perfectly normal, but it is getting pretty hard to explain in a petting zoo why she has this weird udder. Any suggestions?


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

The pics didn't work :shrug: 

You could try putting parsely in her food, and if you have any black walnut trees around the leaves should help her dry off.

Is it actually hard or is her udder just tight?


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## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

trying to attach photos again...


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

I would start feeding her parsely to see if you can get her dried off. It looks like she needs to be milked, milk her and afterwards spray her teats with a strait chlorhexadine solution to 'plug' her orfices back up.


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## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

I've never used parsley for goats - how much do I need to buy?
I doubt if I can milk her - she freaks out when I tough her udder and it's a two man job to get hooves trimmed or give her a shot - I can do the pygmies by myself, but not her. The local goat person that I turn to for advice told me not to milk her...I'd like to try the parsley - oh, and there is a black walnut tree in the pasture so I'm sure she's got her share of leaves from it.


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

You can put as much as a cup of dried parsely in her food, or you can make a tea and see if you can get her to drink it.


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## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

I would have tried fresh parsley - now, where am I going to find parsley without spending a fortune at the grocery store???


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## MysticHollowGoats (Sep 10, 2008)

whatknott said:


> I've never used parsley for goats - how much do I need to buy?
> IThe local goat person that I turn to for advice told me not to milk her...I'd like to try the parsley - oh, and there is a black walnut tree in the pasture so I'm sure she's got her share of leaves from it.


I agree, don't milk her it will only signal her to make more milk.


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## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

This udder development has been going on for a year and a half now - do you think there may be a hormonal imbalance? especially since I don't see her coming into heat this fall...


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## Amos (Oct 2, 2008)

There very well may be. Since you've never tried milking her, and its been going on for some time, I would just leave her be. Why would it be hard to explain? Things like that just happen - petting zoos are a great way learn new things :wink:


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## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

I guess it's just harder for my husband to explain - and he got hit with the questions yesterday - she also kneels on her front knees to reach the grass farther out - two ladies couldn not understand why she would do that! My main concern is she is suppose to go with some other animals to a fancy garden center in about 6 weeks and will stay until Christmas - I don't want her to look like she has a tumor and have people concerned with her health there - I have a call into the vet right now to see if he has any more insight and I may load her up and take her to the "goat expert" - but you guys are my experts too!! thanks for suggestions.


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

Not to contradict you Tonya but we have had a few precocious goats, 2 we just left because their udders didn't get that full but I have a doe whose udder got about as full as the doe pictured here, she was really tight and it was only on one side so I milked her, and it was actual milk that came out, I got about 3lbs from the one side of her udder. I milked her all the way out probably 3 weeks ago and she is showing no signs of filling up at all. When we were done milking, we sprayed chlorhexadine on her teats(not fight bac) and made her stand on the stand until her teat dried. She hasnt' show any signs of mastitis either.

Now I have a buck in milk right now(no, I"m not milking him :wink: ) and I've been using the parsely on him and after about a week on the parsely his teats started to look smaller.


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## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

well at least I don't have a buck doing this thing! the only time I have milked a goat was a pygmy and I needed colostrum - so I'm not sure how well this would work to milk her and then try the medicine on her. I do have a friend that milks goats who could probably help me - but would probably have to go to her house and use a milk stand - I don't think we could get her to stand still. well, you've gave me some hope that I'm not the only one that has a weird goat and that it may improve. thanks.


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## QotL (May 27, 2008)

So.. stupid newbie question..

Why would you dry up this doe? Why wouldn't you thank your lucky stars, and milk her?





Meghan


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## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

Talked to the vet and he said to either breed her or to give her two shots of hormone. He agreed not to milk her as it will greatly increase the chance of mastitis. Although she has shown no signs of being in heat, I think I'll move her to the pygmy billy and see if she'll come into heat. If not, guess I'll give her the shots. Thanks everyone.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

i would also have her tested for mastitis. If this has been going on for a year and she hasnt been milked out she could havea lot of bacteria build up in there.
beth


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## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

how do you test for mastitis? Wouldn't the vet have to milk some out? And he said not to do that.


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## MysticHollowGoats (Sep 10, 2008)

Lots of goats have silent heats and it can be very hard to detect heats.
Now a preccocious udder is usually a sign of some really good milking genes.
Here is a link with some good info about preccocious udders from Goat Medicine 
By Mary C. Smith, David M. Sherman.

http://books.google.com/books?id=nWCLpQ ... #PPA466,M1


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## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

Thanks for the link. She was always very obvious with her heat cycles previously. I'm hoping by putting her in with the buck, she may cycle. If not, sounds like I'll have to give her the prostaglandin shot. I just didn't want her to "stink" for the petting zoo season, but may have to try it anyway. It's pouring rain today, so won't be able to drag her through the rain to go live with the buck!!


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## Pam B (Oct 15, 2007)

Not to be alarmist here, but if this udder has been "filling" for about a year now and you haven't tried to milk it out, how do you know it's milk in there and not a tumor or some other problem?

I have a goat that developed a precocious udder in her first year and at first I just left it alone. That was a BIG mistake!!! Bacteria grew in the undisturbed milk in there and gave her a major case of mastitis, which is turn scarred the inside of her udder. I finally did start milking her out, treated her with Today until the mastitis was gone, dried her off, and then treated her with Tomorrow at her final milking before being bred for the first time. She kidded and fed her kids just fine, but the one side of her udder that had the mastitis the worst is so scarred inside that she only produces about half the milk that she has on the "good" side. And it takes two hands to squeeze that teat, too, because the scar tissue has made the orifice so tight that the milk is extremely hard to get out.

Consequently I would never again leave a precocious udder alone to resolve itself. It would be much better to milk her and dry her off to avoid problems with infection.


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## whatknott (Feb 22, 2008)

well, now you are scaring me some - I thought when they got mastitis, they also got a fever - am I wrong about that?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Acute Mastitis usually comes with a hot udder.Mild mastitis usually causes lumps and areas of hardness in the udder , Congested udder will have the hardness also but is associated with a high milk yield, but it may be best to have her tested just in case, then your mind will be at ease..it doesn't take much milk for the test so to milk her for it won't cause a problem....gettng her to stand for you may be the only issue you have. If indeed she has mastitis, it is treatable but can cause scar tissue to form. At a year of her doing this, I would be concerned with an underlying issue being the cause, don't panic or worry until you can find out for sure . :hug:


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

some does dont show any signs of mastitis at all. no fever no going off feed. they dont act like the udder hurts when touched. most of the time you will notice a temperature difference in the udder. sometimes hot sometimes colder then normal. I have ALWAYS milked out an precocious udder. if there has been milk in there a year with nothing coming out more then likely she has a good amount of bacteria built up in there. I would try squeezing just a bit out to see what it looks like. does it smell bad? is it stringy like toothpaste? is it watery looking? All of these are good indicators of mastitis. I have found the best way to get rid of mastitis is to milk the doe out, put a tube of today or tomorrow in the udder (known as an udder infusion) i then wait twenty four hours and do it all again. I repeat one more time twenty four hours later. She also get extra vitamin c and a round of penicillian. we had a doe that hadnt freshened in three years, she had polycystic overies. She developed a prcocious udder afterbeing dry for three years. Sure enough there was a case of mastits. It took three different infusions for three days each a round of LA 200 (more powerful then pen) plus lotf of vitamin c to finally get her cleared up. 
As far as testing for it goes, you can get mastitis test strips are your local farm store. Even the cow ones works. I have a strip that has a yellow circle on it you squirt milk on it if it turns green you have mastitis present. The more green it is the worse it is.
this is the one i have
http://hoeggergoatsupply.com/xcart/prod ... =63&page=1
hope this helps.
beth


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## Pam B (Oct 15, 2007)

whatknott said:


> well, now you are scaring me some - I thought when they got mastitis, they also got a fever - am I wrong about that?


I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Just thought you should be aware that a doe can get mastitis without having been milked or showing any drastic signs of it, or that you possibly could have a completely different problem happening here.

Beth is right on target in her information and assessing tools and treatment. Listen to her and your goats will be happier and healthier and you'll be a better goatherd for it. :sun:


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