Large Teat - Indicative of a Problem?

[MichaelB]

My 2007 Tarentaise cow had her second calf last week. Momma Moo and Mini Moo are doing well, and she has plenty of milk.

However, I am concerned that one of her quarters is VERY large. The two teats in the rear are normal size, and the calf is easily able to nurse. The two front teats are large, and one of those is MUCH larger than the other, and I suspect the calf cannot nurse that teat at all.

Aside from the obvious problem of a mama cow having a less than desireable udder and teat structure, could this indicate a mastitis or something? It doesn't look angry, or red, but the size does put you to mind of a waffle cone. Presuming that I could catch her in a stall and touch her udder, are there signs that I should be looking for health-wise?

Thanks,

Michael

 

[novaman]

It might be that the calf can't suck that quarter because of the large teat and it's just really full. You could try milking it out to get the size down. Maybe then the calf would suck on it and keep it down. If there is mastitis in that quarter the milk will be abnormal looking.

 

[dun]

We have a Hetreord cow that is that way. Front teats are the diameter of a banana for about a week. Once they calf can nurse them and starts needing more milk they go back to the same size as the rears, about the diameter of my finger (I'm holding my hand up so you can see the size of my fingers)

 

[upfrombottom]

I don't have my glasses on but is that one finger.

 

[SRBeef]

I just had the same concern. However after a week or 10 days the teat is going down to be similar to the other 3. I think this may just happen to cows that produce a lot of milk and bag up early. The calf gets all it needs from the other three for awhile. Hefer daughter of this cow just calved and had exactly the same happen - one front quarter very large. But going down after some time and the calf starts taking more milk. I wouldn't worry about size for awhile unless color changes or other issues. Jmho. Jim

 

[alisonb]

I would definetly milk the teat out and at the same time check for mastitis/ inflammation. If it is mastitis the cow's quarter could be ruined. Rather safe than sorry . This link will give you an indication of what to look for even though it is meant more for a dairy.. http://classes.ansci.illinois.edu/ansc438/mastitis/control.html

 

[novaman]

Just wanted to add that cows with these large teats tend to have that problem every year. I used to mess around with them, probably because they were good milkers and subsequently raised nice calves. I got tired of the hassle so I tend to cull these types rather than keep the sucker around just to have future issues.

 

[MichaelB]

Thanks for your replies. I also called the dairy owner across the road for some suggestions.

I did catch my half-wild cow yesterday and milked out that quarter, and I amazed myself by doing the same thing again this morning without any kids around to assist. The milk looked creamy and yellow, which is what I would expect from a cow that looks like a Jersey on steroids. The milk did not smell foul or appear to be infected.

Maybe she just has big teats, because she does have quite a distended bag. I will milk her out again this evening so junior can take over, but I think that my situation might be the same as what SRBeef described.

I appreciate all of your input.

Michael

 

[dun]

Just wanted to add that cows with these large teats tend to have that problem every year. I used to mess around with them, probably because they were good milkers and subsequently raised nice calves. I got tired of the hassle so I tend to cull these types rather than keep the sucker around just to have future issues.

I agree if they're the coke bottle size, but zI haven;t seen the offspring have the same problem if it's only banana size and goes to normal after the calf starts nursing more.

 

[francismilker]

I've seen this kind of udder edema on cows many times. It's usually not a problem for a cow in the milkstring because they're getting milked completely out every 12 hours. However, if this cow is left for the calf alone to take care of and she's a heavy milker you may be in for some problems. Most of the time, this problem gets worse as the cow gets older and her suspensory ligaments begin to loosen to the point of loose udder attachment. You might end up with one of those cows that's dragging a water balloon looking teat off of one quarter in the upcoming lactations.