dairy cow bag problem, what could it be?

[GMN]

I have a dairy cow, who when it calved had milk fever and acute mastitis in her back quarter, the quarter never had milk coming out of it, only blood, so I left it alone. Well, here, about 3 weeks ago, I thought I'd strip out that quarter just to see, and pus came out, very little, I thought no big deal. She would just be a 3 teater. Then...this hole appeared inbetween the 2 back quarters, and this glump started coming out, first only a little, but now oh my god it is huge and nasty, I have never seen anything like this, whatever it is it is dead, and the wierd thing is she is not affected by it whatsoever, still eats, like a pig, and the other 3 quarters are normal. Anybody got any ideas what it is, a mass, tumor, the infection coming out, I'm up for any ideas?

Thanks

GMN

 

[CattleAnnie]

Not saying this is what it is, as am not a vet, but we've had cows that had bad mastitis and abcessed the infection out the udder and totally by-pass the teat.

If that's what's happening to your cow, I understand your dismay, as it sure does look awful.

One Gelbveih cow of Honey's comes to mind, and although the abcess did weep for a while, she still managed to raise a heck of a calf on the remaining three functional quarters. The affected quarter basically shrivelled up...looked like a dry cow's.

Take care.

 

[born2run]

No vet here either, but I've seen this before...repeatedly. I'd echo what CattleAnnie said. The quarter should dry off on it's own and really won't affect her overall. You say she's dairy...what breed? Holstein?

 

[GMN]

In response to born2run, this is a cross breed, father to this cow is a holstein, mother was a whiteface, I have mostly holsteins, but do have some crossbreeds. Where in WI do you live, that is where I am originally from, Manitowoc, WI.

In response to CattleAnnie, I too, thought it was something like this, an infection getting out. I had something like this, only it was a tiny hole where pus came out, and it eventually healed up and went away, but this looks horrible, and the smell makes me want to lose my lunch, do you think I should wait it out, as long as she is eating, or have her looked at?

Thanks GMN

 

[born2run]

I'm in northern WI, two hours east of St. Paul.

 

[Medic24]

Ummmm...are you treating her at all now?

I would be using a systemic antibiotic at this point, as well as trying to clean up that teat and quarter as quickly as possible......if it smells that bad... you may be talking about a super serious infection, or even gangrene(If it smells putrid and or dead like).

Perhaps a call to a vet is in order?

You do know that most mastitis bacterias can and are shed around the farm , and can be transmitted to others? :cboy:

 

[milkmaid]

I've seen that before...you should not have left that quarter alone in the first place. It should have been treated and/or stripped out on a regular basis so the infection didn't build up to the point it is now.

Hindsight is better than foresight, so, now that you have the problem, you need to get rid of it. Treat her. That's a must. Can you have your vet run a culture on that to determine what antibiotic to use? And then I'd be treating both IM/SubQ and intramammary with as high a dose as is safe. I'm assuming she's raising calves, so no need to worry about milk withdrawal.

Mastitis can - well, WILL - affect milk production and reproductive performance, so it needs to be brought under control right away. And, in all cases I've seen, if the infection is left as is (not stripped out), the quarter increases in size. Scar tissue, and possibly a chronic infection still in there, I'd guess. Maybe it won't be so obvious this lactation, but next... Especially when she starts bagging up for her next calf. I've seen some cows that abcessed over and over and over again throughout their lactation and the next, and some extremely lopsided udders.

 

[Medic24]

Well said MM, guess I just did not go far enough in my reteric and explaination.......
Never let things like that go.......ever! :cboy:

 

[buckaroo_bif]

Anybody had experience using mastitis vaccines as a preventative??
I was reading somewhere awhile back that studies show 60% of ever cow herd has or has had mastitis in at least one quarter! They were also saying a new preventative is in the works but it may be two years before it is proven.

 

[nycowgirl]

W have a holstein that had mastitis- we treated in 2 times in the left rear quarter. She developed a lump high in the quarter that was hard and round. I had the vet out and diagnosed it as an abcess and declined to open it up and said it would rupture when it was ready. She also "killed the quarter" she said the another abscess would likely return in this case. Well 2 months later it was the size of a cantalope and apparently one night it got ready because in the morning there was a hole the size of a quarter and it was oozing nasty smelly stuff. As the vet directed me to do, twice per day I used a large syringe and betadine ( or iodine, I can't remember which) and cleaned it out. It healed from the inside out and I can't even tell where the abscess ruptured it healed so nice. The vet did not recommend antibiotics, of course it was not fly season. Betty now is a 3 teater and still supplies us with lots of milk for our bottle calves.

 

[milkmaid]

Anybody had experience using mastitis vaccines as a preventative??
I was reading somewhere awhile back that studies show 60% of ever cow herd has or has had mastitis in at least one quarter! They were also saying a new preventative is in the works but it may be two years before it is proven.

That would be a lot of viruses and bacterins to vaccinate for. I'm not too optimistic.

 

[born2run]

Anybody had experience using mastitis vaccines as a preventative??
I was reading somewhere awhile back that studies show 60% of ever cow herd has or has had mastitis in at least one quarter! They were also saying a new preventative is in the works but it may be two years before it is proven.

That would be a lot of viruses and bacterins to vaccinate for. I'm not too optimistic.

Ditto to that...staph, strep, mycoplasma...and all the strains and variations of those.

 

[Hunny Do Ranch]

W have a holstein that had mastitis- we treated in 2 times in the left rear quarter. She developed a lump high in the quarter that was hard and round. I had the vet out and diagnosed it as an abcess and declined to open it up and said it would rupture when it was ready. She also "killed the quarter" she said the another abscess would likely return in this case. Well 2 months later it was the size of a cantalope and apparently one night it got ready because in the morning there was a hole the size of a quarter and it was oozing nasty smelly stuff. As the vet directed me to do, twice per day I used a large syringe and betadine ( or iodine, I can't remember which) and cleaned it out. It healed from the inside out and I can't even tell where the abscess ruptured it healed so nice. The vet did not recommend antibiotics, of course it was not fly season. Betty now is a 3 teater and still supplies us with lots of milk for our bottle calves.

I have a jersey cow with a lump like this that I just noticed. Did she lose the quarter from it or was it something else. There is no heat and she doesn't act like it is sore.

 

[TheBullLady]

I had a similiar problem with a Guernsey cow about 8 years ago. Unfortunately when the quarter opened and started draining, the infection killed her four days later. It was gangrene.

I'd get a vet asap if you want to save the cow.