turning them into 3 quarter cows...

[milkmaid]

Browsing through the Merck vet manual I came across this on mastitis.

Alternatively, it is common to dry off the infected quarter and continue to milk the cow. .... Other methods of stopping a quarter from milking are simply to stop milking the quarter or to excise the teat through banding.

Any one of the folks on here ever taken off a teat by banding? I've seen them plain cut off to allow drainage of a really bad infection -- makes an awful mess of the udder though and it has been fatal. Was wondering if banding might take the teat off without those problems. Just not milking the affected quarter has been working fine, except that there's a couple three-quarter cows that still look like four-quarter cows and a couple cow milkers that seem to have trouble remembering which is the don't-touch staph quarter that isn't being milked.

 

[Bez!]

Browsing through the Merck vet manual I came across this on mastitis.

Alternatively, it is common to dry off the infected quarter and continue to milk the cow. .... Other methods of stopping a quarter from milking are simply to stop milking the quarter or to excise the teat through banding.

Any one of the folks on here ever taken off a teat by banding? I've seen them plain cut off to allow drainage of a really bad infection -- makes an awful mess of the udder though and it has been fatal. Was wondering if banding might take the teat off without those problems. Just not milking the affected quarter has been working fine, except that there's a couple three-quarter cows that still look like four-quarter cows and a couple cow milkers that seem to have trouble remembering which is the don't-touch staph quarter that isn't being milked.

Never tried it. Had a momma come up with mastitus just before calving - let the calf suck her anyways.

Both seem to be doing well - so I tend to try and let Mom Nature take the course.

Wrong? Maybe - but it worked this time.

Bez!

 

[rkm]

I have had the vet cut off a teat in order to save the cow. Most have went on to be productive for several lactations. The first time a vet suggested it I thought he was crazy. But I listened and it worked. But I don't know about banding, it might be counter productive. The idea of removing the teat was to let the infection drain. MY thought.

 

[milkmaid]

rkm- I've seen it done for drainage, too. (One vet book had a picture of a cow with a clostridial IMM infection where all four teats were "amputated"!) In this case, I don't really see the need to let the infection drain as the cows are doing fine. I'd be content to leave them with four teats except that there's a couple people milking the cows that can't seem to remember which quarter they shouldn't put the milker on, and, well- if the teat isn't there they certainly can't put the milker on it.

I've just noticed that cutting the teat off sure tended to make a mess of the udder - usually turning it into an extremely lopsided udder, esp around calving. And then there was one cow that bled to death. :shock: Been kind of gun-shy about cutting teats off ever since! I'm kind of wondering if banding would eliminate those two problems. I suppose if it really needed to drain it would just go ahead and abcess? after all, it isn't draining right now or being stripped out and it looks good.

Bez- might keep an eye on that cow after you wean the calf. Some infections clear up with a calf nursing the cow frequently, and others just get transferred from quarter to quarter and then you have a serious problem after dry off. (Case in point; someone on here wrote me awhile back with a fresh cow that they couldn't get milk from any quarter - and they're an experienced cattleman that does know how to milk a cow.) But then I'm sure you know that!

 

[Bez!]

rkm- I've seen it done for drainage, too. (One vet book had a picture of a cow with a clostridial IMM infection where all four teats were "amputated"!) In this case, I don't really see the need to let the infection drain as the cows are doing fine. I'd be content to leave them with four teats except that there's a couple people milking the cows that can't seem to remember which quarter they shouldn't put the milker on, and, well- if the teat isn't there they certainly can't put the milker on it.

I've just noticed that cutting the teat off sure tended to make a mess of the udder - usually turning it into an extremely lopsided udder, esp around calving. And then there was one cow that bled to death. :shock: Been kind of gun-shy about cutting teats off ever since! I'm kind of wondering if banding would eliminate those two problems. I suppose if it really needed to drain it would just go ahead and abcess? after all, it isn't draining right now or being stripped out and it looks good.

Bez- might keep an eye on that cow after you wean the calf. Some infections clear up with a calf nursing the cow frequently, and others just get transferred from quarter to quarter and then you have a serious problem after dry off. (Case in point; someone on here wrote me awhile back with a fresh cow that they couldn't get milk from any quarter - and they're an experienced cattleman that does know how to milk a cow.) But then I'm sure you know that!

Weaning time the cow will disappear

Bez!

 

[Beefy]

Milkmaid,
if you'll remember i asked a while back why you couldnt just band those enlarged and/or nonfunctional teats to get them out of the way. my idea was this would not only prevent step-ons and such but might be easier for a calf to get milk if the only teats available were actually functional. In the case of my heavily milking cow that has a bad right side, i thought maybe if i banded her two teats her calf would have an easier time finding the ones that worked if they were the only teats around...

remember, i had another cow a few years ago that stepped on or got stepped on (more likely since her teats were just average sized) her front teat and it just sloughed on off and is still functional.

in theory, this should work.

 

[msscamp]

Just not milking the affected quarter has been working fine, except that there's a couple three-quarter cows that still look like four-quarter cows and a couple cow milkers that seem to have trouble remembering which is the don't-touch staph quarter that isn't being milked.

I don't know a thing about dairy cattle, but might it be feasible to mark the infected quarter with that stuff they use to mark x's or whatever on the cattle at salebarns? I can't think of the name of it right now. Since the cows are in the milking parlor anyway, it would be a fairly simple matter of just renewing the marking - at least in theory. :lol: :lol: Your thoughts?

 

[born2run]

Three quartered cows where I work wear green bands. Prestripping should reveal which quarter is bad.

 

[milkmaid]

Beefy, now that I think about it, I do remember you asking. Certainly sounds like it would work - and for a beef cow might not be a bad idea so a new calf isn't trying to nurse off dud quarters, eh?

As to the 'extra' non-functional teats, it's certainly a lot easier to deal with those when they're calves. I cut off a couple about a month ago; not the most fun job I've ever done, but it went OK. Don't know how it would work to band or cut them off later in life. Wonder if it would be best to do while they're dry if you decided to do it at all?

We have (at least) one three-quarter cow that's on the cull list anyways and maybe we'll give banding that teat a try. If we don't like how it works no big deal, she can just take that last trailer ride sooner rather than later. LOL.

Msscamp, my vet was telling me about one dairy manager/owner who became so ticked at his employees for not remembering which quarter they should leave alone that he went and spray painted the quarter with bright red paint. :lol2: Only problem is it does wear off - and also some of those cows might not be real cooperative about when you renew the markings. lol.

J, we have the green bands too, but the thing is it'd be better if those quarters were never touched or stripped at-all. Especially on those staph quarters. :nod: ;-)