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Post by al on Aug 3, 2008 20:43:20 GMT -5
We're dealing with a "full blown" case of mastitis right now. I'd like to bounce some stuff off the experts here.
Fiona's calf didn't nurse on one quarter. We didn't notice right away. When we did bring her in to investigate and milk out the liquid we expressed was a clear brownish/red. The one quarter was swollen and had a hard lump the size of a baseball in it.
We called a vet. his advice was a daily shot of 18cc of penicillin for 6 days and milking the affected quarter by hand. We did this and the color of "milk" went from milky-red to pretty normal. We thought we had it made. We left for vacation and had our son catch and milk Fiona once a day.
When we returned from vacation my wife and I resumed the 2x a day milking. When we milked we now got the reddish milk and small clumps. The small clumps progressed to small quantities of stuff the consistency of sour cream.
We called the vet again. I tried to schedule a vet trip to our place. He said that coming out wouldn't change what we needed to do. Nine more days of penicillin and 3 teat infusions.
While at the animal supply store, the lady suggested using a different antibiotic--since penicillin didn't knock it out the first time. We are using sulfmethazine--following their dosages. The teat infusions are "Today"--cephapirin sodium. They recommend a maximum of 2 treatments. We're on the 6th.
At this point the quarter seems to be smaller. We are no longer getting the goopy stuff. When we milk the quarter out we are getting almost nothing. It is still pinkish tinged.
When can we say we've got this beat? How long should we continue with the sulfmethazine and "Today" infusions?
Thanks, Al
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Post by darbyfamily on Aug 3, 2008 20:50:18 GMT -5
Oh no idea but praying for ya'll! this is my big fear with Spring.. I've got to get her milked out, the calf is only getting one quarter emptied.
Watching with interest to see what is recommended.
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Post by windmill on Aug 3, 2008 21:57:03 GMT -5
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Post by legendrockranch on Aug 3, 2008 22:55:04 GMT -5
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Post by al on Aug 4, 2008 21:26:54 GMT -5
Here's the report for five days into the second treatment.
We're figuring that maybe some of the oozy stuff that we've been milking out is the teat infusion. This evening when I came home from work I brought Fiona in from her private field and let the calf in on her. Boy did the calf go to town! She nursed from all four teats--long and hard! When we tried to milk out the mastitic teat there wasn't much left to get out. The good news was that it looked like normal milk.
For now I'm going to keep her on the Sulfamethazine to finish out the recommended dosage. I'm not real excited about the teat infusions. She's been kicking and we've done double what the vet recommended. (I'd be ticked off if someone shoved a big plastic needle in me too). There is still a blocky lump in her udder. We're going to massage and work on that for awhile.
Any other ideas?
Oh yeah. The lady from the feed store suggested blasting her with a cold water hose. That would at least massage the teat.
Thanks for those other sites. Yikes, they're technical.
Al
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lsg
member
Posts: 247
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Post by lsg on Aug 5, 2008 11:52:49 GMT -5
Why don't you try mixing some cayene pepper in with some udder salve and slather it on that quarter after every milking. This will help the blood flow in that quarter, which in turn should help clear up the infection. You will have to wash it off well before turning the calf in or she won't touch that quarter. This is an old wives remedy; but many times it helps. Also comfrey infused oil and peppermint oil will help. Mix either or both of those in the salve. If you have nothing else, try Bengay or Vicks Vapo Rub. Anything to get the blood flowing through that quarter. Frequent milking will also help clear up mastitis.
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Post by al on Aug 5, 2008 14:47:48 GMT -5
Honey Creek, We did call the vet. He refused to come out. He gave an over the phone diagnosis, told us what to do, and that was that! He was not going to come out for mastitis PERIOD
We followed his advice once. It did not work.
lsg, we are using a rub similar to bengay. I know it stays hot. I've used it on myself. We may try the other stuff as well. I checked out everything on the family cow site. In general they suggested milk out, milk out, milk out and then some of the rubs. I consulted with the vet because I wanted the definitive answer and solution. He was frustrating to deal with. Thank you for the sugestion--we'll probably add it to the bag of tricks.
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Honeycreek Dexters
member
All Natural Drug Free Grass Fed Beef, From Our Herd Sire Phoenix
Posts: 362
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Post by Honeycreek Dexters on Aug 5, 2008 17:09:56 GMT -5
well then let me apologize for my gruffness, was this a large animal vet or what we call a food animal vet? i don't see the difference between mastitis or a prolapse or bangs or anything else. a service call is a service call, money is money,or was it one of those kittys and puppy vets that hasn't been out in the Field since grad school i could understand that. or it could be a large animal vet that thinks your one animal equals not worth the time or money. if so i would be looking for another vet. again sorry for the gruffness hope things turn around for your cow. From the Meric vet book link on our web site. Subclinical Mastitis Epidemiology Treatment Dry Cows Heifers Prevention
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Epidemiology: All dairy herds have cows with subclinical mastitis; however, the prevalence of infected cows varies from 15-75%, and quarters from 5-40%. Many different pathogens can establish a chronic infection that will only on occasion manifest clinical signs of mastitis. The primary focus of most subclinical mastitis programs is to reduce the prevalence of Streptococcus agalactiae , Staphylococcus aureus , and other gram-positive cocci, most notably Streptococcus dysgalactiae (which may also be contagious or an environmental pathogen), Streptococcus uberis , enterococci, and numerous other coagulase-negative staphylococci, including S hyicus , S epidermidis , S xylosus and S intermedius . Adult lactating cattle are most at risk for infection, either while lactating or during the dry period. The primary reservoir of infection is the mammary gland; transmission occurs at milking with either milkers’ hands or milking equipment acting as fomites. Primiparous heifers have been reported to be infected with staphylococci and streptococci prior to calving, although the prevalence varies greatly among herds and geographic regions. Teat-end dermatitis caused by the horn fly, Haematobia irritans , which can harbor S aureus , has been associated with increased risk of infection in heifers, especially in warmer climates. For the contagious pathogens and coagulase-negative staphylococci, there is little or no seasonal variation in incidence of infection. Treatment: Therapy is given on the premise that treatment costs will be outweighed by production gains following elimination of infection. In the case of contagious pathogens, elimination may also result in a decrease of the reservoir of infection for previously noninfected cows. No significant economic losses will occur as a result of delaying therapy until bacterial culture can be completed. However, many subclinical cases selected as potential therapy candidates have chronic infections; particularly in the case of S aureus , prediction of therapeutic outcome by in vitro testing is unreliable. Drug distribution following intramammary administration may not be adequate due to extensive fibrosis and microabscess formation in the gland; it is critical to assess the cow’s immune status from a perspective of duration of infection, number of quarters infected, and other variables. Prevalence of S agalactiae infection can be rapidly reduced by treating an entire herd—or more economically, all the infected cows in a herd—with antibacterials. All 4 quarters of infected cows should be treated to ensure elimination of the pathogen and to prevent possible cross-infection of a noninfected quarter. Cure rates can often be 70-90%. Labeled use of commercial intramammary products that contain amoxicillin, penicillin, and erythromycin are as efficacious as procaine penicillin G infusions derived from multiple dose vials. Consequently, commercial intramammary infusions are preferred because of higher quality control for sterility and better reliability for predicting withholding periods for milk and meat after treatment. Treated herds must be monitored by somatic cell counts and bacteriology to further identify and treat cows that were not identified or cured during the initial therapy. Usually, 30-day monitoring intervals are successful. A small percentage of cows will not respond to therapy and are best segregated or culled. In addition, failure to use post-milking teat dipping and total dry cow treatment to prevent new infections during the treatment period will ultimately result in reinfection of the herd. Parenteral therapy is not likely to offer any benefit over intramammary therapy. Most other streptococci also display in vitro susceptibility to numerous antibacterials, especially â-lactam drugs. Despite this apparent susceptibility, many streptococcal infections are not as easily cured as those caused by S agalactiae . Generally, subclinical infections caused by S uberis and S dysgalactiae should be preferentially treated at the end of lactation with intramammary infusions of commercial dry cow products. Cure rates at this time may exceed 75%. Staphylococcus aureus intramammary infections often result in deep-seated abscesses. Therapy is difficult, as resistance to antibacterials ( particularly â-lactams) is more common compared with streptococcal infections, and S aureus may survive intracellularly following phagocytosis when antibacterial concentrations are reduced. Intramammary infusions may cure only 35-40% of infections; however, this number will be substantially lower for chronic infections. The success rate of therapy for chronic subclinical intramammary infections caused by S aureus may be increased by using both parenteral and intramammary therapy. However, systemic therapy involves extra-label drug use, and milk and meat withholding periods must be determined judiciously. Therapy should be administered for periods long enough (5-10 days) to allow effective killing of the pathogen. It is most economical and least likely to result in residues in milk if this therapy is applied to dry cows. Depending on susceptibility testing, lipophilic antibacterial drugs that distribute well into mammary tissue, such as oxytetracycline (11 mg/kg, sid) are the best candidates for systemic administration although several studies have found oxytetracycline to be ineffective. Cure rates may not be much better than those attained from spontaneous cure, and cure must be defined critically. Affected quarters should be monitored bacteriologically for ³ 30 days to encompass the refractory period when bacteria may not be isolated. Occasionally, premature agalactia will occur in chronically infected quarters, particularly quarters infected with resistant pathogens. Culling may be a practical option for these cows. Alternatively, it is common to dry off the infected quarter and continue to milk the cow. This may have some benefit for genetically superior animals within a herd or for cows that are to be maintained until calving. Anecdotally, the milk production from such cows may remain the same. The goal is to eliminate the infection by causing fibrosis of the affected quarter, thus reducing the risk of further pathogenic change or systemic effects on the cow, as well as reducing risk of infection for other cows. Infusion of 60 mL of 2% chlorhexidine into affected quarters twice at 24-hr intervals has been recommended. The quarter should be stripped out before the second infusion. Milk from noninfected quarters must not be sent to market before prior testing for inhibitors. Other methods of stopping a quarter from milking are simply to stop milking the quarter or to excise the teat through banding. This regimen is not recommended for most chronically infected animals. Dry Cows: The dry period of the lactation cycle is a critical time for the udder health of dairy animals. The mammary gland undergoes marked biochemical, cellular, and immunologic changes. Involution of the mammary parenchyma begins 1-2 days after the end of lactation and continues for 10-14 days. During this time, the gland is particularly vulnerable to new intramammary infections. However, the involuted mammary gland offers the most hostile immune environment for bacterial pathogens. Consequently, the dry period is an ideal time to attain synergy between antibacterial therapy and immune function, without incurring the extensive costs typical of lactating cow therapy. Intramammary administration of antibacterials at the end of lactation has been a standard of dairy mastitis management for 30 yr. Numerous commercial products are available; the majority contain penicillin, cloxacillin, cephapirin, or a macrolide such as erythromycin or novobiocin. One tube per quarter is sufficient and should be administered immediately after the last milking of lactation. Therapy should not be repeated by intramammary infusion; if there is a need to extend therapy, systemic administration should be used as an adjunct to the intramammary infusion. In addition to eliminating existing subclinical infections, one of the most critical roles of dry cow therapy is the prevention of new infections. However, most commercial dry cow products have little or no activity against gram-negative pathogens, and their administration at the start of the dry period will not be effective against new infections that begin during the periparturient period. Heifers: Heifers were previously considered to be essentially free of intramammary infections before calving, but recent studies have challenged this assumption. Many infections in calving heifers are caused by staphylococcal species other than S aureus , which have a high rate of spontaneous cure. However, under some herd conditions, a substantial portion of heifers are infected at calving; some of these infections are caused by pathogens such as S aureus . Potential sources include milk (fed to calves) and body sites such as tonsils and skin. There is also a geographic risk factor: fly bite dermatitis of the teat end, which compromises this important physical barrier to infection, may play a role in the pathogenesis. Intramammary infusions of â-lactam antibacterial drugs 7-14 days before expected calving dates reduce the rate of intramammary infections at calving. However, as with cows, strict teat-end antisepsis should be followed before infusion to prevent contamination; labor to handle animals for treatment can be extensive. This is not a recommended management program for many dairies. However, if herd records indicate that an undesirable proportion of first lactation animals are infected at calving, particularly with staphylococci, this regimen may reduce losses. Prevention: New infections caused by S agalactiae and S aureus can be prevented by focusing management efforts on milking technique and hygiene. Clean and dry bedding, clean and dry udders at the time of milking, and lack of teat-end lesions all have a positive effect on control. The single most important management practice to prevent transmission of new infections is the use of an effective germicide (eg, 1% iodophor or 4% hypochlorite) as a postmilking teat dip. These products should be applied as a dip (rather than a spray) immediately after milking. Other practices that may augment teat dipping include use of individual towels for drying teats, gloves for milkers’ hands, use of a premilking germicide (spray or dip), cleaning milking units after an infected cow has been milked, or segregation of infected cows into a separate milk group. This last option may be difficult for cattle in free housing that are normally segregated for nutritional or reproductive reasons. Routine milking equipment evaluations should be conducted to ensure that the teat-end vacuum is operating at a proper level and remains stable during milking. Proper pulsator function should be maintained and liners and rubber air hoses should be replaced as needed. Proper milking hygiene also reduces the new infection rate of noncontagious pathogens, but not to the same extent as for contagious pathogens. More importantly for environmental pathogens, cows should be provided dry, clean housing. Emphasis should be placed on bedding and any other practices that reduce the exposure of the teat end to bacteria. Inorganic bedding supports less bacterial growth than cellulose-based material; thus, sand is preferred over sawdust, straw, recycled paper, or manure. In particular, higher incidence of infections caused by Klebsiella has been associated with sawdust bedding. Similarly, a higher incidence of infections caused by environmental streptococci has been associated with straw bedding. Removing udder hair, preventing teat trauma, reducing udder edema in periparturient cows by nutritional management of potassium and sodium intake, and preventing frostbite and fly exposure all have a positive impact on environmental mastitis control.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See Also Introduction Mastitis in Cattle Overview Clinical Mastitis Mastitis in Goats Mastitis in Ewes Mastitis in Mares Mastitis in Sows
© 2008; Merck & Co., Inc.Whitehouse Station, NJ USA. All Rights Reserved. published in educational partnership with Merial Ltd. Disclaimer / Feedback
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Post by al on Aug 5, 2008 21:12:08 GMT -5
Honeycreek,
Thank you for the extra info. For a beginner mastitis is very complicated. The vet we called was one of 2 large animal vets in the area. He came with a good recommendation from the feed store. Cows are a dime a dozen here in s. Tx. So, I guess not a priority to him. We will try to get the other vet to commit to a visit. We do want this licked.
Thanks, Al
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Post by liz on Aug 6, 2008 5:26:06 GMT -5
ok; I'm late for milking but.... If/when we get a case of mastitis, usually caused by some self inflicted injury; kicking at flies etc. I milk that quarter out about four - five times a day; because the bacteria that is mastitis needs the milk to replicate itself; put cider vinegar in the drinking water to help regulate her ph....mastitis causes the milk to be more alkiline and usually it clears in about a week. Also I take her temperature frequently because she doesn't need antibiotics unless she has a temperature, meaning the infection is no longer locally present, udder, but it is systemic. The most important thing in clearing mastitis is to milk out the quarter as frequently as you can! Liz, whose cows are now bellowing!
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Post by al on Aug 6, 2008 17:11:31 GMT -5
Today we called a different vet. Wow, he was very different. He told my wife he'd leave the office at 1--TODAY! He gave Fiona a teat inufsion of penicillin and genomyacin(?) and a steroid shot. He demonstrated several ways to get her to hold still in her stanchion. He explained mastitis from the milking perspective as differing from the small herd. He also explained that penicillin by itself would not have cleared up the mastitis, nor would the Today infusions. The hardest part for us was watching him enlarge the hole in her teat. Ouch!
The cost was triple what I expected. But, I am usually off when I estimate everything else in this world. The visit to our home was $320.
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Post by legendrockranch on Aug 6, 2008 17:55:42 GMT -5
Sounds like you found a good vet, sometimes those come with a high price tag. Our vet charges $100.00 just for the farm call, everything else is additional. We use him sparingly and make sure he has plenty of stuff to do when he does come. I realize you didn't have a choice.
It's great that he demonstrated and explained things to you, that's the way we learn.
Here's hoping for a smooth healing.
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lsg
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Posts: 247
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Post by lsg on Aug 7, 2008 8:44:31 GMT -5
The cost of the trip is usually the highest part of our vet bill also. Glad you found a good vet, and I hope your cow is well soon.
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Post by rollingranch on Jan 3, 2012 23:24:02 GMT -5
Sorry you have had so much trouble with mastitus, however am very glad to hear that you found a vet who is worth his salt, we had a very hard time trying to find a vet who knew about Dexters here in southwest Arkansas, as we are relatively new with the Dexter cattle, and had no idea there were so many people who did not know anything about them, our vet knows and is a caring person, and does a great job for us, sorry we have not been on the computer, with all you good folks, just been very busy since Stilwater, May God Bless all ya'll , Earl -Rolling Ranch
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