[BrimwoodFarm]

I've got a nanny at work with enlarged, hot teats. I've inherited quite a few problems with this herd and am trying to work my way through the issues to get them back into as good a health as I can!

She kidded at Easter and nursed her twins with no problem at all. As far as I recall, her teats have always been this shape and never retracted back like the rest of the herd. The udder is fine but the teats are soft but hot, and this size. She's fine in herself - no depression, lack of eating etc and she was bred last month so should be between 4 - 6 weeks pregnant. She's not a milking goat and there's no discharge.

Is this mastitis? I would think yes, but I always remember her teats like this with no changes, and the rest of the herd are fine. However, it's in the last few days they've become hot which is concerning.

Currently I'm cleaning with hibiscrub daily and using a hot compress to soothe the teats a little. But she doesn't seem in discomfort. Help please!

[Anke]

Have you taken her temperature? If it is mastitis then she would object to you handling the teats/udder and a course of antibiotics would be the standard procedure. Heat would suggest that an inflammation of some sort, but if not mastitis I am not sure what you could be dealing with. I think one for the vet, but if her temperature is normal I would probably wait and see for a day or so.


My vet would probably suggest a combo of AB's and Anti-inflammatory, like Flunixin (NSAID).


Any chance that she still has kids on her or even sucks herself? When were the kids removed?

[Penninehillbilly]

Are you taking milk off her?  Have you tried and tested the milk with washing up liquid?
First thought would have been mastitis as well, but as Anke asks , when we're the kids taken off?

[BrimwoodFarm]

Have you taken her temperature? If it is mastitis then she would object to you handling the teats/udder and a course of antibiotics would be the standard procedure. Heat would suggest that an inflammation of some sort, but if not mastitis I am not sure what you could be dealing with. I think one for the vet, but if her temperature is normal I would probably wait and see for a day or so.


My vet would probably suggest a combo of AB's and Anti-inflammatory, like Flunixin (NSAID).


Any chance that she still has kids on her or even sucks herself? When were the kids removed?

Thanks for the reply. Her temperature is normal and her kids were taken away end of August , but I'll keep an eye on her own behaviour. The right teat has gone down quite a bit with massage and hot compress but little change in the left - though it's bigger anyway so might take longer.

I think I'll continue treatment with what we've got and then get in touch with the vet for advice if no change over the coming week.

[BrimwoodFarm]

Are you taking milk off her?  Have you tried and tested the milk with washing up liquid?
First thought would have been mastitis as well, but as Anke asks , when we're the kids taken off?

She's all dried up milk wise; it's a small herd at a petting farm so once the kids are off we don't milk....though I'm hoping to change this next year with demonstrations. 

[Fleecewife]

Any chance that she still has kids on her or even sucks herself? When were the kids removed?

This is my favourite mental picture of the week     Do they really do that?

[Anke]

Any chance that she still has kids on her or even sucks herself? When were the kids removed?

This is my favourite mental picture of the week     Do they really do that?

Yes they do.. and it is almost impossible to stop them - there are some interesting threads on the theme of goat bras on some of the goaty forums….

[Lesley Silvester]

One of mine would feed any kids in sight. She didn't care whose they were. I managed to stop her by sticking micropore on her teats,making sure to cover the hole. The kids soon lost interest so I could have the milk. It would possibly work if she is sucking herself.

[BrimwoodFarm]

Well I was working today and didn't have to rely on colleagues looking..... she's producing milk! The teat was blocked so that's probably why it was swollen.

Question is, she was only bred in Nov, why on earth is she already producing? Her kids were taken off her in August and she hasn't been milked since. How odd...or not - is this a common thing?

[Anke]

No chance she could have been in with a boy - even her own kid?


She may have never stopped producing milk...

[Penninehillbilly]

No chance she could have been in with a boy - even her own kid?


She may have never stopped producing milk...

It's been a weird season, normally no signs of being in season until October, this year some were yelling in August, one of the billy kids (4mnth old) got one, she is due Jan 1st ?.  We get bad winters so they will get a poor start. Plus they will be crossbreds. Even more annoying.

[BrimwoodFarm]

No chance she could have been in with a boy - even her own kid?


She may have never stopped producing milk...

No....I only had wethers in with her over the summer. And then she was majorly waggy tailed about six weeks ago when she was bred. How strange!

[Anke]

Hopefully the wethers were all wethers…, but if she is in-kid already she probably would not have come back into season strongly recently. You don't say what breed she is.


If she was in with wethers all summer it is highly likely that one or wo of them were suckling her...


Did you empty the udder and did the stuff look like proper milk and not like colostrum?

[BrimwoodFarm]

Hopefully the wethers were all wethers…, but if she is in-kid already she probably would not have come back into season strongly recently. You don't say what breed she is.


If she was in with wethers all summer it is highly likely that one or wo of them were suckling her...


Did you empty the udder and did the stuff look like proper milk and not like colostrum?

She's a cross...I'm not entirely sure of what! The stuff is proper milk....so I'm wondering whether she was being suckled by wethers, maybe even herself and the teat then got blocked which was causing her discomfort?

[Penninehillbilly]

Does she seem OK now?