# Doelings udder swollen on one side



## cheyenne (Aug 21, 2011)

I have 5 goats - 2 Saanan cross does and their kids, 2 doelings - 1 wether. 

I have a question about what could cause one side of my 6 month old doeling's udder to be swollen? 

I'm thinking she either got butted by one of the others or maybe caught in brush or something (I don't think it's the latter because I can't see any kind of scratched up places on her) but I really have no idea what happened. I just noticed it this afternoon.

Is there anything I should do for her or should I just keep an eye on it? She seems fine otherwise. I can take pictures tomorrow if it would help. 

Thanks for any help/suggestions!
TC


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

You may want to test her for mastitis.


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## cheyenne (Aug 21, 2011)

She's never been bred... she's only 6 mos. old and I've had her since birth... they can get mastitis that young?


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Yes they can still get mastitis even if they are that age and not bred. It doesn't happen too often but it defiantly can happen. If there is milk in the udder she may also have a precocious udder. Sometimes it only comes in on one side.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Yes, they can get Mastitis before they are bred. All it takes is bacteria getting into the teat canal and growing. It was something I used to have trouble with before I realized I couldn't bed with chips in my wet climate.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree with the others.

Test for mastitis


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## cheyenne (Aug 21, 2011)

Wow... I had no idea! 

So if she doesn't have any milk, how do you test for mastitis? 

I didn't try to milk her so I don't know if there is any there or not.


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## cheyenne (Aug 21, 2011)

Also, will it hurt her if she has an injury rather than mastitis to try and milk her? I still think she got hit there by another goat... she's the 'low man on the totem pole' so to speak and gets beat up more than the others do. There are no 'goat vets' around here that I know of.


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## cheyenne (Aug 21, 2011)

Here are a few close up pictures of Shasta's swollen udder.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Do your goats have horns? Could she have gotten cut down there?


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

I don't think milking her if she got hit would hurt her unless your really rough with her udder. It doesn't look like her udder is red or anything. With her pink skin it would probably be easy to see a bruise if she got hit.


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## cheyenne (Aug 21, 2011)

Yes, they all have horns. I couldn't see or feel anything like a cut... also why I stuck the camera under her and snap a few pics... I don't see anything on the pictures either. Oh and the udder is NOT hard or hot or anything. She seems normal otherwise.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

It could be the start of a precocious udder- sometimes unbred doelings develop an udder (or half of one) for no reason.


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## cheyenne (Aug 21, 2011)

I am really having a hard time with this!!! I called the vet who said flat out it was mastitis... didn't see her... no testing... just "It's mastitis and you need to start penicillan and infuse the teat".... 

I even took pictures with me when I went to pick up the meds...he looked at the pics and said oh yeah.. it's mastitis.... he had told me to milk her very gently just a little ... that it was probably puss.... so I did what he said.... just a few little squirts... and it was milk... looked like milk... smelled like milk.. I used the CMT with the milk that I got and it never gelled... so whether I did the test wrong (my first time using one) or when I told him that it was negative he said it could be sterile... that I should have striped it... which I did not do.

So... he never even considered the possibility of a precocious udder... that was never mentioned and he was rushing me out as he had other patients to see.... so here I sit talking to my only goat buddy on FaceBook feeling like damned if I do and damned if I don't..... 

What would happen if I did NOTHING to it?


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

As wonderful and helpful as they are, vets can be very closed minded at times.


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

Typically if a precocious udder comes in uneven it is staph mastitis. I would milk her out and infuse her larger side with one whole tube of Tomorrow.


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## cheyenne (Aug 21, 2011)

He gave me something else... it's called "Pirsue" pirlimycin hydrochloride sterile solution.... I haven't used it yet... trying to figure out how I'm gonna get her to stand still for this!


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## cheyenne (Aug 21, 2011)

He marked the tube with lines so I am to use 1/4th the tube a day for 4 days...

How does one get a goat to accept this procedure????


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

I have never used anything like that. I just used Tomorrow or Today. I would think unless it has a replaceable insertion tip reusing it for four days wouldn't be good... I agree sometimes vets can be closed minded.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Tomorrow and today is what I've heard success with.


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## cheyenne (Aug 21, 2011)

Xymenah, I thought the same thing... and no, there is no replaceable insertion tips.... it's just a syringe type thing with a pointy plastic end and yes I am afraid it would reinfect.. I am going to call in the morning and ask about that and also if I can get some epinephrine to have on hand if I am to give shots of penicillan. I don't have anything like that here.


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

I've heard about Pirsue. I believe you can only get it with a prescription and it is supposed to be pretty good. I don't think it would be a good idea to keep putting it in her for four days though. You really want everything to be as sterile as possible. Infusing is not hard, although it is harder on a doe who has not had a lactation before as her teat isn't quite as opened up. I would milk out what I can then position the tip of the Pirsue right on her orifice and push it up a little to kind of fold the teat around it so it is kind of making a dimple. You should then have the tip of the Pirsue in her teat, push on the plunger to start putting the antibiotic in her. If it comes out, stop, wipe her teat off and try again. Be sure to clean her teat really well before and after you do this. You do not want to be putting more bacteria into her udder. You also do not want to take the whole cap off of the tube, just the very tip that will twist off. Before any treatment I would keep a sample of milk in a syringe, or other sterile container and freeze it in case this treatment does not work, then you have something to send in for testing.

I honestly would put the whole tube in her and leave her be. Here is a website about it: https://animalhealth.pfizer.com/sites/pahweb/US/EN/Products/Pages/PIRSUE%C2%AE.aspx in the doasge and administration on here it says to put one whole tube per quarter (on a cow) and repeat in 24 hrs. You can do this for up to 8 days. I would see about getting another tube of Pirsue from your vet, or go get some Tomorrow and just use one tube of the Tomorrow on the affected side.

I honestly don't think penicillin will do any good. You are better off to use something a little more powerful like Excede or Draxxin. Both are fairly expensive, but work very well and only need to be given once. If you can get some have your vet just sell you enough for her.


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## cheyenne (Aug 21, 2011)

I ended up taking her to the vet today so he could *see* her.. I'm just that unsure about the whole thing. He said that after seeing it he thought the mastitis was higher up and not in the teat .. that the Pirsue probably won't help as much as the penicillin. So I am to only use the Pirsue one more day and that's it. I asked AGAIN about the tube reinfecting... he said that I could wipe the tip with alcohol prep pads and it would be ok... (??????)

You can bet that I will be stocking up my goat medicine kit with the today and tomorrow and what ever else I can get my hands on! He was nice enough to give me a shot with epinephrine to keep on hand since I'm afraid of allergic reactions. 

I do have a question tho... HOW will I know it's gone? Will the udder go back to looking normal???? I didn't ask the vet that one!


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## cheyenne (Aug 21, 2011)

I did as the vet told me... she got her penicillan shots and her teat infused with the Pirsue twice as the vet directed. He said that after seeing it (I ended up taking her there because I wanted him to SEE it) that he didn't think the mastitis was in the teat that it was higher up and that the infusing probably wouldn't help much. So I did as he told me to do...

Now my question is;

_*How do I know it worked since I'm not milking her?*_ I don't want to mess with it anymore than I have to. I did order some of the Dr. Naylor Mastitis Indicators and a couple of tubes of Tomorrow. Should I milk enough to use the test?


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

sorry, but I dont think your doe has mastitis at all. 

SHe has a precocious udder, which is normal enough in dairy breeds, particularly high milking lines, and most saanens are big producers. It does often come up on one side. I had a doe (nubian) who had an udder on the left side, 4 mths later on the right side, a few months later nothing, a few months later both sides evenly ... it went on and on. I never milked her. She has now kidded down at 2 yrs with a even udder, no problems. 

If the udder isnt hot or painful, I would not milk her nor would I treat for mastitis

jmo


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