The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Lesley Silvester on June 12, 2013, 12:13:54 am
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Pom has had a spot on her udder for a few days. Not in the udder but on the skin. Last night I found one on her teat and a huge one on her udder. They are all on the same side. Tonight she also has one on the other teat. Most of them look like pimples but the huge one looks more like a bite.
I've not noticed them scratching any more than usual - rubbing their backs along the fences or scrathing between their toes on the stock wire - and can't see anything on them (and being white I would expect to if there is anything there).
They were cleaned out on Saturday and the floor disinfected before the fresh bedding was put down. the straw I used, as well as some shredded paper, was some quite old stuff that the farmer had found at the bottom of a huge stack of hay. It did look and smell fine although the outside was a bit discoloured.
Could there be some sort of insect in it and are these likely to be bites? I've never had a problem like this before. If they are bites, what do you recommend I use on them.
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Could be some sort of bites from mites in the straw, but could also be Staph aureus infection. Spots on the udder are quite common, not sure how it gets transmitted, if it is possible through bedding or not. Was the bedding a bit damp? It's not ticks is it? I had one spring a tick infestation in my tups as the broke into an old stable/shed in their paddock for some cool and shade and it had ancient hay/straw on the floor. They had a tick infestation on their bellies. Was treated with the usual stuff sheep get on their backs for flystrike, like Clik.
I have one that has spots on her udder every so often, I use the cream from www.botanica.ie (http://www.botanica.ie) for her as an udder cream and it seems to keep it under control. Quite pricey though (but smells divine and I use it on my hands too)
Short of mucking out again I wouldn't know what to suggest...
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Goat Pox?
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One of my milkers gets staph aureus spots on her udder sometimes and if the skin breaks it can go to a bigger spot/sore. I had some cream from the vets for her last year. antibiotic and steroid to help clear a stubborn one.
Don't think anything particular caused or helped prevent it. It did seem to happen when she first came into milk when her udder skin had been stretched a bit.
sounds similar to yours.
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One of ours got it a couple of years ago , one of our long term showing friends had a look at it and told us to get variolinum tablets we ordered them online and within about 5 days they where clear where we had tried to clear them up for about 3 weeks with creams
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The straw didn't smell damp, just a bit old but that was only on the outside. The inside looked fine.
I've had another look at the big lump and it definitely looks like a bite. It has a small hole in the middle just like infected insect bites that I've had. It doesn't seem to bother her though even when I'm milking. there is no sign of ticks or anything elsewhere on her skin. Her appetite is as good as ever and the milk yield hasn't changed so she's not poorly. I'll do a bit of research on staph aureus but may have to take her to the vet. The goats are off on their holidays in ten days and I don't want them taking anything to another goat keeper.
Thanks for the input.
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Forgot to let you all know, the spots healed over a couple of days so there must have been something in the straw. I've used one of the dog's spot-ons just in case there are any more. they don;t seem to have bothered Cloud.