Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Signs of mastitis  (Read 4952 times)

chickens

  • Joined Jan 2008
Signs of mastitis
« on: September 04, 2009, 10:40:04 am »

We have just started getting brownish blobs in our jersey cows milk - the milk is very creamy and very yellowish but these small blobs are floating on the surface, they are not flakey or stringy, more blobs could this be mastitis?  She does not seem to show any relevant signs - ie no hard quarters, milks out easily, could they just be something to do with her hormones or her diet?

Really grateful for any advice.

Thanks



Roxy

  • Joined May 2009
  • Peak District
    • festivalcarriages.co.uk
Re: Signs of mastitis
« Reply #1 on: September 06, 2009, 04:59:48 pm »
You need to keep an eye on the cow, as it could be the start of mastitits.  One of my goats got it, but it came on really suddenly, and she had the hard udder.  It was horrible trying to milk her out, it was like stringy cottage cheese, and then I had to inject her through her teat.  She came right though, and never had it again.
A lot of goats and cows get it around now, due to the big horrible horse flies I have heard.

Farmer

  • Joined May 2009
  • Sidway, Staffordshire
    • Farmeats.com
Re: Signs of mastitis
« Reply #2 on: September 06, 2009, 06:09:23 pm »
Dosen't sound like mastitis to me...is she happy to let you milk her? Are all her quarters letting down the same amount of milk easily? Is her bag hot and have you checked her temperature?...

When in doubt check with your vet...could be something simple, but better safe than sorry, good luck

Farmer
 :farmer:

chickens

  • Joined Jan 2008
Re: Signs of mastitis
« Reply #3 on: September 06, 2009, 08:24:04 pm »
Hi
Thanks for the replies.  She hasn't got a temperature, normal amount of milk coming out, not stringy at all.  Today less brown bits - it may sound silly but my gut feeling is it is something to do with her hormones as she has just been on heat.


Hardfeather

  • Guest
Re: Signs of mastitis
« Reply #4 on: September 07, 2009, 06:59:15 am »
Dairymen use a strip cup as an early warning of something amiss. It's just a little pad of rubber fitted into the top of a beaker type vessel, with a couple of spaces at the edge to allow milk to drain off the pad. A few 'strips' of milk onto the pad, prior to milking allows detection of any abnormal cells, which will be left on the pad when the milk slips through. Used daily, these cups can help detect mastitis early.

Sometimes, with cows with large udders, there can be 'injury' from the action of her legs against her udder, so it may be caused by slight trauma to her vessels within.

Certainly in mares, whilst they are in their foaling heat, there can be a change in milk, causing scour in the foal, so there may be similarities with cows.

tirdu

  • Joined Feb 2009
Re: Signs of mastitis
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2009, 11:13:20 pm »
To detect masitits which id say shes has we use a tray with a light covering of fairly liquid on it and strip the quarters out individually on the liquid which then shows up any clots. Id strongly reccomend u contact ypur vet in case it is mastitis for defiante and treat a.s.a.p

chickens

  • Joined Jan 2008
Re: Signs of mastitis
« Reply #6 on: September 11, 2009, 08:18:09 am »
Thanks for all your replies but I really dont think its mastitis as it has stopped now, there were never any stringy clotty bits just brown bits.
If it was and we have been drinking the milk, unpasturised would it have any effect on us?
Thanks again

welshboy

  • Joined May 2009
Re: Signs of mastitis
« Reply #7 on: September 11, 2009, 09:27:27 am »
Could it have been some blood clots ? from a bruise

chickens

  • Joined Jan 2008
Re: Signs of mastitis
« Reply #8 on: September 11, 2009, 07:30:04 pm »
Don't think so welshboy because it started in one front teat after two days it stopped completely (we milked the teat separately) then today was coming out of the back teats and not the front ones - very strange.

Thanks for replies really appreciate any help.

tirdu

  • Joined Feb 2009
Re: Signs of mastitis
« Reply #9 on: September 11, 2009, 09:34:38 pm »
Sounds rather bad to me, contact your vet immeadeatly for anibiotic treatment ( mastitis tubes) and maybe some injectable antibiotic solution (tylan marbocyl) etc

Hardfeather

  • Guest
Re: Signs of mastitis
« Reply #10 on: September 11, 2009, 10:15:55 pm »
Don't go pumping her full of antibiotics without good reason.

I don't believe your cow has mastitis. Something in the back of my mind makes me think of protein and brown spots...................it may be something I've read somewhere sometime, but I can't say for sure.

I don't think drinking the milk will do you any harm.

chickens

  • Joined Jan 2008
Re: Signs of mastitis
« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2009, 04:51:21 pm »
thanks actually it could be protein related as she has extra feed and the grass is no good at the moment, will try and find out.
Thanks again

 

Forum sponsors

FibreHut Energy Helpline Thomson & Morgan Time for Paws Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival Ark Farm Livestock Movement Service

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS