Need help with holstein that has mastitis

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I need your help with my holstein that calved in June. After worrying about mastitis all that time, she finally got a good case of it! And I can't get her cleared up. It's in her left back quarter. I'd been milking her twice daily since she calved, but missed one evening milking about 3 wks ago. After that, the quarter started feeling hard. I treated her with a couple of tubes of "Today" mastitis medicine. (inserted into teat canal) It started looking better, but felt a little hard inside. I left it, hoping it was going to be ok, but it got worse. I repeated the treatment with "today" and gave her a shot of penicillan, but the quarter kept getting worse. I called the vet and she came last Tuesday to check her. She said the quarter didn't look bad, and was glad to see the cow was still giving a little milk from it. (the milk was brownish colored) The vet gave her 3 shots of penicillan and told me to give her 4 more tubes of the Today mastitis medicine. I followed the vet's advice, but the quarter didn't go down and the milk didn't get 100% clean. I have since given her 4 more tubes of the "Today" stuff, but the quarter is not well. What else can I do for her? Don't want to have to pay for another vet visit unless I have to. I've also noticed that the cow is not liking to be milked out now. She had done great after getting her used to the milker, but for the last 2 days, she's been hesitant to go into the milking stall and doesn't like being milked. She also does NOT like the new dairy cow food I bought for her. She prefers the lower protein sweet feed. I guess I should buy some of it to mix with her dairy stuff. She has also started holding up the milk. Should I take the calf from her for a night to see if that helps? All advice is appreciated as I'm at my wit's end with this. Thanks, Tim

-- Tim (tsduck@bellsouth.net), July 23, 2001

Answers

I have read that milking out that affected quarter HOURLY for a day will help. I assume that would be by hand.

The reasoning is that it prevents the build-up of bacteria that happens in the twelve hours between milking. Do not try this at the same time as the injected antibiotics because then you would just be removing the antibiotics put in.

My Jersey freshened with very bloody mastitis, kicked alot, etc. It sleared up slightly with the antibiotics. We saw a complete cure feeding her apple cider vinegar and molasses (1 cup of each) with her feed. We also COMPLETELY milked her out more often.

I suspect that you may not be emptying her out completely (through her fussiness, let down problems, etc.) Try bringing the calf near her during milking so she won't be worried about where it is during milking. Wash her off with a sopping wet warm washcloth (a little soap and bleach in the water) and massage her udder for a few minutes.

Buy some feed grade molasses from the feed store to mix with the food.

We had a neighbor's father come and milk with us for a week (with occasional follow-ups). He is an old (83) dairy man and was great at showing us what milking out REALLY looked like. He showed us how to handle her better too. Is there someone you can get to come milk the cow with you?

Good Luck.

Amy

-- Amy Richards (amysgarden2@earthlink.net), July 23, 2001.


If you added up the cost of the vet, all the meds and the infusions you are way over what it would have cost to send in a milk sample. This would tell you exactly what kind of masitis you have, all you have done with guessing is figured out that this mastitis is not going to go away with penicillin! Frequent milkings will keep the udder functioning but unless her immune system kicks in and kills the bacteria up in her udder, no amount of vinegar or molassas, or Tide squirted up in the teat or given by mouth is going to kill bacteria. It would be different if this was something animals harbored in their systems, but mastitis like this is from foreign bacteria we introduce into the udder, either through milking, something on our hands or on the inflations or by her surroundings not being clean. The idea that missing a milking or two causes mastitis is an error, it is the fact that in missing a milking the orifice opens because of the pressure of the extra milk, this is worse in animals with weak orifice's, then with the orifice open she lays in a nasty part of the stall, and bacteria enters the open orifice. Sometimes we can be lucky and pick mastitis infusion tubes that work the first time along with a systemic antibiotic, but without a milk sample we are just guessing. Vets guess staph and tell you to use penicillin because staph is everywhere. And a big ole shame on your vet for continuing with this, she should have told you just to milk for several days, 3 times a day, and then when the antibiotics have cleared the system then sent a milk sample in! vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), July 23, 2001.

Vicki's right. The pennicillin is not working. You need to milk her out more often then her usual twice a day routine too. Four times a day would not be too much. Ask your vet about the antibiotic Naxel. It is a broad spectrum antibiotic and you only have to give two shots and there is no milk dump. Hope it clears up for you!!

Clare

-- Clare Q (qk65327@navix.net), July 24, 2001.


Hello, It sounds like you really need to milk this cow out more often! After you think that the cow is milked out, bump her udder firmly a few times with the flat of your palm, then massage it a bit and start milking again. If you watch your calf bump her udder you can see that it triggers the 'let down' reflex. You just need to have her let down for you. Another way to have her release her milk is get enough oxytocin from your vet for 4 milkings. Have the vet let you know the right dose and give her a shot a bit before you milk. The oxytocin will make her let down, and doing this 3 or 4 times in a row will let her know that you need the milk also. This really does work. Sometimes having the calf in site but not on her will make her hold the milk for her calf. Good luck.

-- miller (smillers@snowcrest.net), July 24, 2001.

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