When I milked my goat this evening, there were some strands of milk in the filter that were clotted. What could this mean? Is the milk ok to use? Thanks in advance

-- Elizabeth in e tx (kimprice@peoplescom.net), February 21, 2001

Answers

Well I'm going to assume this is mastitis. A good way to check for mastitis is to squirt the first few streams across the flattened palm of your hand. Mastitis shows up as specks(some very small specks don't necessarily mean mastitis), strings or lumps. As far as the milk being ok.....you would be amazed how many dairies milk cows with really really bad mastitis into the main tank. They figure the clots and strings will be filtered out and the pasteurization will take care of the rest(sorry for anyone I may have made queezy). The one thing you don't want to do is drink the milk if you have to give your goat medication...consult your vet on how long the milk is unsafe to drink. Now the good news is that it is usually just in one quarter or in the case of a goat in one half. Usually the other portion is not effected. I would personally just use the milk from the good quarter and do something else with the milk from the other side. It is very important to make sure that the effected portion is thoroughly milked out. It is also important to make sure that your goat has somewhere dry and clean to lay down at. At the dairy I work at we are having a bad outbreak of mastitis because of wet nasty weather. The cows are laying down with their udders in the muck and that is how the bacteria is getting into the udder. The man I work for doesn't medicate for mastitis except in extreme cases. What we do is make sure the cow is absolutely milked out. I must say that it does seem to help. If I can help you further let me know(I ought to know a bit about it...lol....I'm surrounded by teats every morning for several hours:o).

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), February 21, 2001.

Sounds like mastitis to me, too. I have been told that milk should not be used for drinking when mastitis is present. I'm afraid I would call the vet for this, because I know they have an antibiotic (and I don't know what it is or how to do this) which they squirt right up into the infected udder. I have also read, but don't have experience with this, that untreated mastitis will diminish her milking capacity in the effected udder for subsequent years. Milk withdrawal for most antibiotics is a week. Ask your vet. Good luck, mary

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), February 21, 2001.

I would agree that drinking the milk would not be wise until you know for sure whether it is mastitis or not.This might also be something transient and be gone by tomorrow or the next day. On a related note....I learned early not to use those greasy compounds like Bag Balm,Udder Butter etc.They make the udder pick up every bit of dirt in the yard.Dirty udders don't do much for mastitis prevention.I wash and dry my hands between does.On chapped udders a tiny bit of olive oil works wonders.

-- JT (gone2seed@hotmail.com), February 21, 2001.

Sounds like mastitis to me too. i would definately collect a sample of the milk and have it tested so you will know what strain it is. There are so many different types. then you will know how best to proceed for treatment. You could also try treating with either a product called Today or the other one Tomorrow. its an infusion. But by all means get it tested, subclinical masitiis can be very harmful. Good luck.

Bernice

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), February 21, 2001.

Amanda alluded to one treatment and I'll elaborate on it. Milk the doe as often as your schedule will allow. It will help flush out whatever "germ" you are dealing with to reduce the infection/inflammation. Milk is an excellent medium for growing such pathogens and removing the milk and the pathogen will help her own immune system work better. Also gentle massage after warm compresses to the udder will increase blood flow and foster milk let down.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), February 22, 2001.

Elizabeth, lots of does will pass blood, small amounts of tissue, strings of stuff that clog the teat, and then forcefully come out with pressure, and even small bits of calcium that feel like rocks. Some that culture mastitis, some that don't. The only way to know is to send in a sample of the milk. What I would do is put a sample in the fridge, like in a baby food jar or the like. Then milk the doe, taste the milk, if it tastes fine, and you don't have a hot udder, nasty tasting milk or a doe with a fever, than I would do nothing more than making sure her udder is really milked out twice or if you have time 3 times a day. If she has any of the above symptoms along with this clot (or develops them in the next several days) than send the milk sample in, the results will come back with what antibiotics to use and what infusions to use to clear it up. This is how you use the least amount of antibiotics in your girls, and since you are using the correct antibiotic and not guessing you won't build resistance to it.

If you are not going to send in a milk sample, than start her on penicillin 3cc per 50 pounds given sub q for the next 5 to 7 days, and use a wet cow mastitis infusion tube, in each side of the udder for the next 3 days, that means you will have to buy 12 tubes. Put one whole tube up into the half after you have milked it out completely, and make sure you do this cleanly or you will just be introducing more bacteria. Milk her out the next 12 hours, throw the milk out since it will have antibiotic in it, and continue. Adding all these meds up is more than the milk sample will cost, especially if you bypass your vet and just mail it into your teaching university yourself. Here we use Texas A&M. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 22, 2001.

Thanks so much for all your quick responses! The clots are only on one side, they are tiny clots, and she has no other symptoms. The milk smells and tastes good. In fact it tastes better than ever! However, I have been giving the milk from the clotted side to the cat. She does have twin bucklings, and they do butt her udder so hard she's nearly lifted off the ground!! I put some cider vinegar in her water this morning, as well as molasses. Thanks again, Elizabeth

-- Elizabeth in e tx (kimprice@peoplescom.net), February 23, 2001.

Don't have an answer for you, but if you have to do something other than consume the milk:

Use it in the garden or compost pile!! The infection will not pass into veggies, etc. and will be killed by heat if composted. The plants don't care - its still calcium!!!

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), February 28, 2001.