A very bad day: Mastitis!

[zephyrhillsusan]

Siobhan has mastitis, and my vet won't believe me.  Not a good situation!  Some of my Dexter friends who milk regularly have come to my aid, and I've spent all day on the phone with them and with sources they pointed me to.  I'm posting this here in case it can be of any help to anyone else.  Right off the bat, there are several things to be learned:

1) Self-sucking is a serious problem and one that needs to be dealt with immediately.  My bad!
2) Mastitis can and does happen to Dexters.
3) There are things to do, and the sooner the better.

[Olga]

If it is a mild case, like some clotting in milk but no heavy inflamation and you are able to expel milk by hand, then I would assure that she is drained completely once or twice a day (if the calf is small, she may not be able to do it).
If it is a bad case, like the clotting is the consistency of butter or if you're basically unable to get anything out by hand, it just all sits there, and there is inflamation and pain, then I would go with ToDay lactating cow infusions, at 12 hour intervals, for as long as the mastitis tests come back positive (the little paper tests that you squirt milk onto). There is a 96 hour milk withdrawal with that (if you are using it for humans, calf should be ok).
Self sucking could be addressed, I would guess, with a weaning ring on the cow, may be. Never tried.
Keep us updated on progress.

[zephyrhillsusan]

Thanks, Olga. I'm weaning the calf. I just milked again after 6 hours and only got a tiny bit. I don't know if it's a funky quarter or if she has thickened the duct by self-sucking so it's very difficult to get anything out. There's some hardness up there, about the size of a small lime, and I massaged it well after a hot compress, but could get very little out. We'll see in the morning. I have Tomorrow on order, like Today, but stays in there longer apparently. I was going to order Today, but the Hamby's guy suggested Tomorrow since I plan to discard the milk. There's not heavy clotting and no apparent pain, so I guess that's good, but I would be so much happier if I could get it all out. I'm going to think very EXPRESSIVE thoughts very hard at her tomorrow and visualize it opening up and all coming out as I work on it. I'll keep you all updated.

[Olga]

Just a thought: the hardness that you feel up there could be a calcium deposit. They accumulate over time and don't become a problem unless they plug the milk duct. It is possible to break one down some when it's small and work it out of the teat, but at lime size that's doubtful. Maxine has one and it has never cause a problem. Maxine is 11. How old is Siobhan?

[dexterlady]

Susan, do you think Soibhan got mastitis from self sucking? I also have a self sucker and she suckson anyone else that will let her...She is in a pen by herself with her calf and one of my bulls , hoping she will get bred to him...They are both A2-A2 and homo polled...I am going to try a weaning ring on her....Her calf is almost 2 1/2 months, growing good, so I don't know if the dam is self sucking now or not...But she sure doesn't have as much milk as she usually has...I'm hoping the bull isn't nursing on her...She may be going down the road if she keeps this up....I don't care if she is A2-A2 and homo polled...

[dexterlady]

By the way, the calf , a heifer, is my Lasair calf, and she seems like she is going to be pretty sweet...I sure hope she doesn't pick up the habit before I get her weaned...She will be weaned with two other heifers and a steer....I'm crossing my fingers....

[dexterlady]

One more question...Do you know if you can ever get them to quit self-sucking?...Thanks....

[zephyrhillsusan]

Olga, Siobhan was three in November and is expecting her second calf. I haven't heard of calcium deposits, but I'm guessing she's too young to have one since this is her first lactation.

Dexterlady, yes, I do believe she got the mastitis from self-sucking. That is the only quarter that has it, and it seems to never have much in it so that rules out the usual cause of mastitis. From talking to the Hamby's guy (I think it was, I talked to so many people yesterday!) although his first reflex was to cull her, he did say that I should put the weaning ring on her again as soon as she begins to bag up with the next calf. He said she might get broken of the habit if I can keep her from doing it for the next lactation. However, he didn't know how long you can leave the weaning ring in. I don't think they are meant to be left in permanently. I'm sorry for you about your cow and especially that she does it to other cows. I sure hope she doesn't start on her heifer, although this young she'd have a hard time reaching. I sure understand you not wanting to lose her genes, apart from any attachment you might have to her. Dexters are perfect for people like us who just want a few cows, but oh my goodness, it's impossible not to get attached to them when you only have a few. And especially the relationship you develop while milking one every day. For your last question, I did research it some, but I don't have an answer. I'll be making the attempt, so we'll see. Stay tuned.

[kansasdexters]

A "screw-on" or plastic weaning ring is typically removed after 4 or 5 days, when the calf is separated from its dam. If this type of weaning ring is left in for too long, sores will form at the points of contact inside the nose. So, if an animal requires long-term use of a weaning ring, then it should be put in like a bull ring, with a proper piercing in the nose. But this is treating the symptom, and not the root of the problem.

Self-sucking by non-lactating, females is a bad habit that can be caused by stress in the animal's environment. It's like cribbing or wind-sucking in horses, they do it to relieve this stress and to comfort themselves. This happens when animals are kept in overcrowded or unnatural conditions, are underfed, are bored, or they don't have adequate pasture areas for normal grazing and relaxing. This habit can lead to teat and udder injuries and infections, even in non-lactating animals. Self-sucking potentially introduces bacteria to the udder and teat areas; and when done excessively, this habit may even create cracked skin and open sores on the teats.

Self-sucking by a lactating cow can be a sign that she has an uncomfortably full udder or quarter. When an udder is not adequately milked out each day, the stagnant milk can become the perfect environment for certain bacteria and this can lead to mastitis. Self-sucking can introduce pathogenic bacteria to the teats and this may also lead to mastitis. When you combine stagnant milk in the udder and a self-sucking habit, you have the recipe for an acute mastitis infection. The solution is to properly clean and thoroughly milk out any quarter that the calf is not able to take, and to do this on a daily basis until the calf is able to nurse all four quarters. It is helpful to use the CMT (California Mastitis Test) to monitor for subclinical mastitis while you are doing this.

People often make the mistake of waiting too long, they wait until the cow is painfully swollen in one or more quarters. It's preferable to check the udder daily, for several days (and weeks) after calving, and make sure that all four quarters are being nursed out. If not, then you should clean the udder and milk out the quarters that the calf can't use, until the calf is old enough to take over. This usually occurs within the first month after calving, so you don't have to keep milking the cow after that, if you don't want to. The sooner appropriate actions are taken, the better the results will be.

Patti

[Fran]

I have a heifer (she'll be 2 in July) that will nurse on anything that will let her. I caught her nursing on another heifer that's a couple of weeks younger than she is. The first few times I caught her, I really wasn't sure I was seeing what I was seeing. And the other heifer would just stand there and let her. I ended up seperating the two (they've been seperated since mid November). She's in with another heifer that just turned 1 in October, but I haven't caught her trying to do anything to her. She's not in overcrowded or unnatural conditions, not underfed, has adequate pasture for grazing and relaxing. She's in a approx. 7-8 acre pasture with the bull and 15 mo. heifer. It's actually our best pasture.
I haven't checked recently but did keep a check on the other heifer's udder for a few weeks after I seperated them. I didn't feel any heat or notice any swelling or anything. I certainly hope she's ok.
I had a horse at one time that was a cribber. By far the most irritating and destructive habit. She passed in a freak accident a few years ago.

I forgot to add that she could be bored. I don't know about that.

[zephyrhillsusan]

Patti, thanks for the input on how long to leave the ring in. Your post prompted me to go back and look at my photos and see if I could determine when and where the problem happened.

Macree was born June 6. They were in a 2-acre pasture, then later out with the other animals. All photos seem fine; although both front quarters were smaller, they were about equal.

I began milking on Aug. 17, bringing them up from the pasture to the barnyard, then taking them back. As Macree got bigger and harder to convince to come along, this got very laborious because I had to bring them separately, so I brought them up to the barnyard on Nov. 5.

In looking back at photos, by Nov. 13, I see that quarter had a wrinkly teat when the others were fuller. Siobhan must have already been self-sucking, but I just didn't realize it. I imagine she probably did it out of boredom. Her right side, both quarters, has always been the highest producing and fullest when I go to milk, and there's never been a sign that she sucked those. I doubt there was any stagnant milk at the time because Macree was on her and the affected quarter was one of her favorite teats. There has never, ever been any redness or swelling. She's been milked daily (with a few exceptions) ever since Nov. 5 until I put the weaning ring in Macree last Saturday, Feb. 15. I'm not sure when I first suspected a problem and ordered the weaning rings, but it must have been late November or perhaps early December. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had just turned them back out in the pasture and made the long treks!

Siobhan and Macree certainly weren't crowded in the barnyard with just two of them, but they also didn't have any pasture, and I'm sure they were bored. Our new planned pasture adjoining the barnyard just has not happened in time like I wanted it to. I was keeping the other nearby one for the new bull calf, but obviously I should have used it until he came in January. It seemed better to be giving their hay under cover in the open barn, but of course hindsight is always 20-20.

Fran, I wish you luck with your heifer. Hopefully others can learn from my mistake, as painful as it is to Siobhan and me.

[dexterlady]

Hey Susan, Patty made some suggestions to me that sound like they may work...Try putting flakes of hay just a small amount, in different palces so your cow has to look for them...( this may relieve boredom)...You can also put out a big horse ball and see if she will play with it....You can put some molasses on it to entice her to lick it...I'm going to try these things....I DON'T want to loose this cow to mastitis...She is my most valuable cow ( ofcourse)!...Let me know if you try any of these suggestions...Patty is a pretty smart lady, she seems to have really good solutions for most things...I have always had a very high regard for Patty....

[Fran]

After reading all of these posts again, I'm thinking that mine is bored. I have a jolly ball down in the horse barn that I'll bring up and see if she messes with it. Since I seperated them, I have put the mini horse in there, put corral panels in there around their feed bin, and built a wood fence around the pear tree. We are planning to build a run-in shelter in that pasture in the next couple of months. Hopefully that will take care of it. Hopefully!!

Susan, how is Siobhan this evening?

[Olga]

u-sayranch.com/main/2010/01/stone-in-the-teat/

Just an example on calcium deposits. There isn't much out there I am finding that is from medical or educational sources.

[northstar]

On the Family Cow Proboard, if you search, you'll find a halter that has been rigged for weaning. It has a flap down over the nose. It looked pretty simple to construct, and maybe would work with a self sucker.
Marsha