# VERY uneven udder



## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

What can be the cause? What can I do?

I have a MM here... she was very full for a couple weeks before kidding (did not know then to milk her partway out)...

she kidded 2/16

history... she was pregnant when we got her in 2007, but I did not know she *might* be until about 3 weeks out from kidding... she kidded out 2 slightly preemie kids... that were dead when found... missed the birth.

She did not freshen last yr and was my Jenny Craig goat.

She is a nice 4th gen MM...And kidded triplets this yr and is milking much better than I expected...

but her udder is VERY VERY uneven. 

:help2


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Who is this Lynn? one you got from me? have you tested for mastitis? are you milking both sides out? Not much help I know.


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## KingsCoGoatGuy (Dec 20, 2008)

Mastitis comes to mind right now, also the way she was dried off could be it also. Have seen some does go un even because they fill up so much drying off. (This case was with a dam raiser who wanted to dry Alpine does up ater 3 months!!!)


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## Halo-M Nubians (Oct 26, 2007)

Staph? I had one last year and basically unproductive in one half. Had the milk tested (came back subclinical staph) and treated as vicki instructed (or as close as I could get =) She's even this year.


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

Wondering about mastitis and separating her milk... I need info for how & where to send in for testing...

no clots, milking fine, not heat to udder, healthy appearing & active doe...

with the preemies in 2007 she never came into much milk... I milked her though until I dried up the herd in 2007... was assuming she was bred. 

Did NOT kid in 2008... so did not milk then...

kidded approx 2wks ago in 2009....

4th generation... milking approx 5lbs/day and still rising... slowly... avg'ed 4.6lbs/day in Feb. 

Oh when this girl was dried off in 2007 she was milking well UNDER a lb a day... just never made much at all in 2007...

her udder was even the yr+ she was dry... and freshened with it even.... 

She WAS fairly full though a good 3 weeks looking at my calender prior to kidding...

but until a week or so ago I never heard of milking a doe BEFORE kidding... sigh....


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Lynn I moved this out to Info section 
here is where you send in milk 
http://dairygoatinfo.com/index.php/topic,85.0.html


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

thanks


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Other than some thickening feeling to the udder, sort of ruining your udder texture, and poor keeping quality to the milk there is little actually happening to the doe herself with subclinical staph. In fact the only symptom can be just a lopsided udder, up to 1/2 being 1/2 again as small as the other side. There used to be photos of this in caprine supply or one of those catalogs that sells goat stuff. Treatment during milking isn't always as good as treatment at drying, you can get rid of the staph but not the look of the udder, but if it is subclinical staph either Pirsue or gent and penn with tommorrow will get it. Gentamycin used as an infuison does not have the milkwithdrawal as in the rest of the lactation that giving it systemic does. Vicki


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## Halo-M Nubians (Oct 26, 2007)

Lynn, here is a photo of my does udder from last year. See where her medial is..this was the only symptom. Small side was nice and soft and milk it gave "seemed" fine. I did Gent infusions (but not systemically-although Vicki warned me that probably wasn't best) I was to cheap..dumb probably. I think I'm REALLY lucky she is even now!


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## Bella Star (Oct 27, 2007)

Looks like 2 kids are sucking 1 teat and only 1 sucking the 1 teat OR could they all 3 prefer the 1 teat ? I had a Boer doe look like the photo above but now she is even . I would milk some out of the engorged teat just to relieve some pressure and tape the deflated teat (during the day) and watch the doe and kids !


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## Halo-M Nubians (Oct 26, 2007)

Well, I never leave kids on does-I don't think Lynn does either. The above photo was taken at milking time..so she was milked 12 hrs prior-both sides. The lab confirmed that this was staph-I was surprised at how much it can effect an udder with no other symptoms. Now I do lysigin and keep a really close eye on things-I hated being faced with that udder at milking time all year-Hah!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Mishael, can we use that photo for goatkeeping 101? The photos in the catalog are of such horrid udders, even if they are uneven...YIKES! Vicki


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## Kaye White (Oct 25, 2007)

Mishael,
Thanks for that photo!! THAT is a typical subclinical Staph udder! No other signs...unless you're on test and SCC counts rise...but no flakes, no heat, no sick doe, no hard spots.

Thanks,
Kaye


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## Halo-M Nubians (Oct 26, 2007)

Sure-use it. ..I want to take one of her now..I'll try and remember to take a picture at next milking.


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## homeacremom (Nov 6, 2007)

That is EXACTLY what the udder looked like on my Saanen FF last year except it had lumps yet too. Only got that way as she went into labor and I HATED looking at that uneven udder all year! 

Fingers crossed that all the treatments, Pirsue, and such will result in a clean udder this year! i wish I had been able to get Pirsue right away instead of talking to the vet about it for several months. 
Last year was a bad year in this area with several breeders having problems. Sensitivities in several cases were run and Baytril was used but not with complete resolution of the lumps. To my knowledge the only does that have recovered completely are my doe and one other.......treated with Excenel and Pirsue, Pirsue again at drying off and in my case Pirsue again at 100 days bred.


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## Bella Star (Oct 27, 2007)

Thanks, as I have never had or saw this before as the udder looks normal in the photo except no milk as Kaye stated ... I have always looked for a udder like those horrid photo's shone, wow this is eye opener for me.


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 27, 2007)

Ok......so if you were going to treat an udder like this with Pirsue......would you give her a Pirsue infusion at dry-off time and also dry-treat her....or do a regimen of Pirsue for a couple/few days and then just a regular dry-treat after last milk out....How would be the best to go about that since Pirsue isn't actually a dry-treatment?I've only ever used it in lactating cows and goats. Thanks!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yes you would treat the doe while milking if she came back with subclinical staph. And yes Pirsue works wonderful for this. But dry cow or not, Pirsue works wonderful as one. A very long time Nubian breeder told me about this several years back...I had never heard of Pirsue back then...but she had used it for a doe with a very lopsided udder and it had came back fresh perfectly. I did also.

Gentamycin in Tommorrow works well also if you can get the script. Vicki


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## homeacremom (Nov 6, 2007)

Emily, we used 5 days 2x a day of Pirsue and Excenel. Noticeable decrease in lump size.... She just about dried off in that side but we kept milking it out the whole lactation. 3 days 2x a day as we dried off, plus 2 days of 1x a day and then Tomorrow. At 100 days bred infused with Pirsue again being very, very clean.
Not sure if that is the best way, but that's what we did.


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## baileybunch (Oct 26, 2007)

Oh wow! I am glad to have found this thread! See, I should be keeping up with DGI!! :biggrin

Our doe has a similar issue but this a re-occurring problem.

Clover freshened in 2006 as a yearling. Udder was even. She was milked through 2007. Udder was even. Bred her that fall. When cold weather arrived, her udder became uneven. Dried her off 60 days before kidding. Kidded with triplets in March 2008. Udder mostly even (pictures on my other computer). Sent milk samples to the lab on all my does last year (2008) just to see if anyone had a problem, all were negative. Did not breed her last fall (2008) for 2009 kidding. Milking her through. Cold weather hit, udder became uneven, production dropped. With spring her production has increased but still uneven (pictured). Milk is great. Keeps for at least 7 days. No issues other that this uneven udder. We milk her once a day. Left side produces just over 4 pounds per day, right side produces just over 2 pounds.

I can see that I need to send in milk samples again to see if she does have a sub-clinical mastitis.

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## Amaalebeo (Mar 17, 2009)

Hi, This is our first year with goats and our doe just gave birth 3/7. As she approached the birth her udder was very full (like the orignial poster on this topic we didn't know to let some milk out). Now like these goats she has an uneven udder. I got that mastitis might be a cause and also subclinical staph. I got the mastitis lab's info, but how do we test for subclinical staph, can they do this at the mastitis lab? Also - what is the difference between mastitis and subclinical staph? Finally if we want to keep milking her and using the milk what would be the best way to treat these diseases?


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## mill-valley (Feb 22, 2008)

The lab will test the milk, if it's positive for staph that's what you are dealing with. Mastitis is literally inflammation/infection of the milk glands. It can be caused by any number of bacteria; with staph being a common one. Subclinical staph....clinical means they show signs, subclinical they don't. You won't get the clumpy milk, high fever, hot red udder like with some other types.


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