hole in udder

[sdt]

I have a cow with mastitas that I been fighting for two weaks.Today I noticed a small hole in the side of her udder that is dripping is this a abcess or did she puncture it with somthing? What would be the best way to care for this,buy the way there are no vets in my area that work on cows. thanks for your help Steve

 

[Vicky the vet]

It sounds like either gangrene or a draining abscess. Is she eating? What is her temperature? What have you treated her with? What does the milk look like in that quarter?

Frankly, without more information, I can't help you.

Please answer and I'll try to help!

V

 

[Bez]

Reasons for hole in udder:

1. Laid down on something sharp.
2. Stepped on.
3. Bumped it into something sharp.
4. Abcess.
5. Kicked.
6. Horn - if any in herd.
7. Rubbed.

Does it smell rotten?

Lots of possibilities - not enough info on her bag.

Swollen / hot / kicking at it / large and swinging / full / inflamed / and so on?

Small hole - shave around it - clean it and put on a bandage - I use super glue to hold bandage - regular adhesive does not work.

Bigger hole - shave around it - clean it and freeze it. Then stitch it up.

I clean it good and use a decent disinfectant.

Throw some antibiotics into her - probably lots if you are already treating her and then hope she does not kick at it too much.

Bez

 

[Bez]

VV

Looks like we were in this at about the same time.

Sorry to step on you.

Bez

 

[sdt]

It sounds like either gangrene or a draining abscess. Is she eating? What is her temperature? What have you treated her with? What does the milk look like in that quarter?

Frankly, without more information, I can't help you.

Please answer and I'll try to help!

V

She is eating very well her temp seems normal ,treated her with LA200 and Today,her milk is brown to clear with a foul smell.This cow is about 12 years old I have been trying to milk her down every day ,for three days after giving her Today I could not get very much out ,but yesterday I got some white chuncks out add I got a lot of brown foul smelling milk ,today a dripping hole

 

[Campground Cattle]

http://animalscience.ag.utk.edu/beef/pd ... ng.243.pdf

 

[TheBullLady]

We lost a Guernsey a few years ago to a similiar problem. She also was fighting mastitis, and the draining and foul smell I suspect was gangrene, as Vicki suggested. We tried antibiotics, but she never could recover.

 

[Vicky the vet]

[She is eating very well her temp seems normal ,treated her with LA200 and Today,her milk is brown to clear with a foul smell.This cow is about 12 years old I have been trying to milk her down every day ,for three days after giving her Today I could not get very much out ,but yesterday I got some white chuncks out add I got a lot of brown foul smelling milk ,today a dripping hole

LA 200 is next to useless for a mastitis which sounds like that one. I'd be using an intramammary infusion of the strongest commercial product available. In Canada, that may be Pirsue or Cefalak. I don't know what you have in the US. I'd go with the best injectable antibiotic in the muscle you can get...and I'd personally pick Nuflor myself for it. Nuflor has a similar spectrum of activity on mastitis as chloramphenicol used to have, and is safe and legal. Continue to milk out as much as you can, massage the heck out of the quarter to soften it up and improve blood flow. Buy a thermometer and monitor her temperature. 101.5 is NORMAL. Her temp may go below normal--really bad sign. It sounds like the side of her udder will slough, and if great care is taken, further infection can be halted and her life spared but she'll definitely lose that quarter. I'd culture the quarter if I saw it and then pick the best antibiotic of the list of sensitive, but if you have no LA vets there (which sounds really unlikely to me...) that won't happen. Surely there's someone within 30-50 miles who does ruminants! Heck, my territory used to be 120 miles EW and 60 miles NS when I worked in Saskatchewan...

Ensure she's eating well and drinking--dehydration will enhance toxin absorption and make her more likely to die.

Good Luck
V

 

[Vicky the vet]

VV

Looks like we were in this at about the same time.

Sorry to step on you.

Bez

It's okay! Trying to help out someone is never wrong!

V

 

[milkmaid]

Seen it before; if you have a cow with mastitis and you don't touch that quarter (milk it out), sooner or later the infection has to come out somewhere. I can think of several cows offhand that have/had that problem. One who won't let us touch that quarter, and it abcesses in a different location every few weeks (this has been going on since last fall). As soon as she stops giving enough milk to pay for herself she's headed to the auction.