Author Topic: Mastitis (Read 6991 times)

Fishyhaddock · « **on:** April 12, 2012, 12:09:47 pm »

Hi - looks like we have a ewe with mastitis. She gave birth yesterday and one udder was hard, producing a little bit of curd like substance but the other fine. Now this morning there appears to be no milk, even in the good udder, and both udders are very hard. We have called out the vet as the ewe appears to be in pain. I imagine the vet will say separate the lambs and bottle feed (which we have done this morning) but is there any hope for my 3 year old ewe?
Fishy

Fleecewife · « **Reply #1 on:** April 12, 2012, 12:19:47 pm »

I have little experience with mastitis (just in one Texel ewe we borrowed as a foster mum) but it sounds as if you have caught it early enough, if there is no heat or inflammation in the udder. The vet will probably give the ewe a long-acting antibiotic and get you to strip out both quarters regularly until the udder is cleared - but someone else who knows more about this will surely come along any minute........

Fishyhaddock · « **Reply #2 on:** April 12, 2012, 12:24:40 pm »

Thanks fleecewife altho am a little bit concerned as one of her udders is swollen. Will let you know what the vet says...

jaykay · « **Reply #3 on:** April 12, 2012, 12:46:09 pm »

Keep stripping out both sides, swollen or not. Massage it and get out whatever you can each time.

One summer i had two ewes with mastitis. The first one I stripped out as often as I could - and her bag survived, though not to milk again. The one I didn't strip (having got myself in a pickle of thinking I had hurt the previous one stripping her) sloughed her udder. OMG what a dreadful, slow, smelly, painful business that was

So - I will always milk them out now and I know they're better for it.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #4 on:** April 12, 2012, 12:55:30 pm »

Oh I forgot - the antibiotic can be given directly into the udder via the teat, with a special applicator.

Brijjy · « **Reply #5 on:** April 12, 2012, 01:48:12 pm »

I had mastitis when I was breast feeding my babies. It's bloody painful. I had a weeks course of antibiotics and I put cabbage leaves in my bra! I also has to keep expressing milk which was also painful but a relief too. We are, after all, only animals

Fishyhaddock · « **Reply #6 on:** April 12, 2012, 04:06:25 pm »

Well the vet came and basically said that we had done a good job stripping out the bad udder but that it was beyond help and she has basically lost it. He gave her a couple of injections which should stop her getting ill with it but one of her lambs (she has 2) will have to become a pet lamb. So forum

is it a good idea to seperate the to-be pet lamb from mum so that both can still see each other OR seperate them from view in the barn. And one of the lambs (the stronger one) takes the bottle better than the smaller one so my thinking was that we would put the stronger one on the bottle.

jaykay · « **Reply #7 on:** April 12, 2012, 04:17:23 pm »

If I have to bottle feed a lamb whose mother still likes it, I leave it with her. It'll soon learn to come for its bottle when you appear, but it's better off belonging to a sheep family still.

Re the udder. I accept the vets view that her udder has gone too far to be saved for milk production in the future. However, see my post again. You can have a ewe with a fairly swollen, not producing milk but intact udder or you can have one with a decaying, stinking, coming off in pieces, fly attracting udder. The former is much preferable and is achieved by continuing to massage and strip.

Fishyhaddock · « **Reply #8 on:** April 12, 2012, 05:08:41 pm »

Will do Jaykay, just have to grit teeth and close eyes as looks so sore.

shrekfeet · « **Reply #9 on:** April 12, 2012, 05:20:43 pm »

the cabbage leaf advice is a good one. they are known to give off a chemical that helps reduce the swelling and pain. I'd consider making a poultis and appllying the paste twice daily to see if it helps. Can't do any harm

Pedwardine · « **Reply #10 on:** April 14, 2012, 12:03:35 am »

Something which may help is a cream you rub in called Udder Mint (by Ritchie I believe). Formulated for cows but great on any animal with anything inflamed but with no broken skin. Our ewe Betsy had dreadful mastitis in her first year with us and she had the antibiotic straw inserted plus we stripped the udders of milk and then rubbed in the cream. She really seemed to like the cream part of the routine. It cools the area down so it at least FEELS better for the poor ewe (It's kinda like that headache product 4head-actually works for muscle strain and headaches in humans too. I've tried it!!) Warning though-don't apply with bare hands, specially if you're a blokey and go to the loo afterwards. Have heard that one can really burn

tom25car · « **Reply #11 on:** April 14, 2012, 12:31:51 am »

We lost one ewe this year to mastitis, was had her in a week before she was due to lamb and everything was fine, then again a few days before and she seemed to have a large bag but wasnt hard or hot, few days later she lambed (2 still lambs) and as we checked her her bag was solid and very hot, drained what we could and gave her antibiotic, come back to check that night and she was down but seemed ok, wasnt the same story in the morning sadly

Pedwardine · « **Reply #12 on:** April 14, 2012, 09:13:57 am »

Further to my making up a product name entirely the rub is called Dynamint. It IS by Ritchey and comes in a 500ml bottle.

Fishyhaddock · « **Reply #13 on:** April 15, 2012, 05:36:40 pm »

Thanks all for your comments. Given her good udder is still working we are topping up their feed from mum am and pm and hoping when she gets onto new grass her milk prodction will increase so we can back out altogether.