Milk Test Results

[mamatomany]

I just received my milk test results from um 10 days ago My cow has alpha hemolytic Streptococcus in her one quarter. I treated her with Today for 3 infusions 12 hours apart...some dex for the swelling and systemic antibiotics for 5 days. Her milk is no longer brown and chunky...a twinge sour maybe? Yellow definetely. I have been milking her when I see her calf is not emptying it, I noticed tonite when I milked that her front udder on the same side has some knots in it. Milk looked fine, but definetely something brewing. Perhaps he passed on from nursing one side and then transferred? I'm just shaking my head here. Cant believe all these problems with this cow! Her little one is growing nicely, but I surely was hoping that this would be a family milk cow

[mamatomany]

I talked with my brother last night. He has a large farm in new york where he milks holsteins. He thinks there was a miss diagnosis. He was saying that often times bacteria on the slides attack one another and you don't get an accurate diagnosis. Intersting. Anyways, he said to a. throw out my inflations. b. get some polyflex powder, hydrate it with sterile water, 1/4 cc of dex..infuse her front and lback left side twice a day for 4 days. Just in my description of the milk it does not sound like a strep infection. He replaces his inflations every 1,000 milkings. Oh the things you learn getting into care of livestock. He is one of those that actually have a degree in farming I remember him buying a calf at the sale on Wednesdays in downtown springville new york and bringing it home on teh school bus! He is such a great resource, hard to get a hold of, but nuntheless, an excellent resource! He was helping his buddy put up hay all day! The farmer's life is so busy...you have to love it I guess!

[Olga]

Udder stuff happens to all milking cows, but a lot less frequently in Dexters than, say, Jerseys or Holsteins. It will pass...

[mamatomany]

Well, before I started this round of concoctions on this cow...I grabbed a clean sample so I sent it in for milk culture and a mycoplasma test. We shall see at the end of the week! She still has a large knot in her rear udder, rear left quarter. Also her front left quarter has a marble in it too. I have been treating both those quarters.

[Olga]

By the way. When I first started milking I noticed that my cow had a hard spot in her quarter, up above the teat. I thought it was a plugged duck and tried to work it out with no affect. I talked to my dairy guy and he told me that as long as there isn't heat the hardness is due to a calcium deposit - like a stone. Sometimes they can be worked out - but they aren't a big deal as long as the milk flow isn't affected.

[mamatomany]

Well, got my milk test results back - well not completely. The milk culture revealed Group B Strep which is a pathagetic (spelling , no yeast, and we are still waiting on the mycoplasma results to come in. I have nailed her with evertything and her udder today - I did a CMT on her back and front left quarter and it was no gel at all. i milked out about 1/4 c. seemed fine. Took it in to see how it filtered. Went thru fine, but left behind these yellow coagulated thingies. Muscousy globuals that were distinctly yellow. She still has a huge (larger than my hand) knot in her rear left quarter. She ccertainly is not down and out and her calf if growing nicely. I'm waiting on the mycoplasma to determine what to do. If positive...she will be culled...if neg. let her calf suck on her cuz' I cannot put another dollar into her Perhaps if I breed her then her immune system will pick up and she will lick this on her own. We will see this laction...if she retains the masses in her udder, I would not be hopeful for her next lactation. I will certainly dry treat her when the time comes. At a loss...so discouraged. Perhaps I can separate the calf at night and milk her good side for some milk anyways stay positive...stay postiive...stay positive.

[Olga]

That sounds like quite an ordeal. I have no experience with anything so serious...
I hope your cow recovers and you don't get udderly discouraged ( ) in the mean time.